Square vs Toast

Compared across 5 shared tasks, including run a restaurant and hotel guest management.

Short verdict

In the 5 TaskRanking use cases where both appear, Square ranks higher in 5 and Toast in 0. Average rank across these: Square 2.0, Toast 3.4 (1 = best).

Computed from our published rubric rankings, not paid placement.

Prices from vendor pages; Unverified and Contact sales are shown as-is.

Side by side

Attribute	Square	Toast
Starting price	Free plan; Square Plus $49/mo per location pricing source · checked 2026-10-14	Point of Sale from $90/mo pricing source · checked 2026-10-14
Free tier	yes	unknown
Pricing model	Free tier	From $90
What it is	POS and payments for small business	Restaurant POS and management
Use cases ranked in	14	6
Shared use cases won	5 of 5	0 of 5
Where it ranks (rank of 5)	Retail point of sale #1 Run a restaurant #1 Hotel guest management #2 Restaurant reservations #2 Run an online store #2 Salon and spa booking #2 Accept online payments #3 Appointment scheduling for service businesses #3 +6 more on the tool page	Run a restaurant #2 Hotel guest management #3 Restaurant invoices and food costs #3 Restaurant reservations #3 Retail point of sale #4 Restaurant scheduling and labor #5

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Head to head on shared use cases

Shared use case	Square	Toast	Higher
Run a restaurant	#1	#2	Square
Hotel guest management	#2	#3	Square
Restaurant reservations	#2	#3	Square
Retail point of sale	#1	#4	Square
Restaurant scheduling and labor	#4	#5	Square

Best for

Best for: Square

Run a restaurant (#1 vs #2)
Hotel guest management (#2 vs #3)
Restaurant reservations (#2 vs #3)
Retail point of sale (#1 vs #4)

Square details · Official site (opens in a new tab)

Best for: Toast

Restaurant invoices and food costs (#3; the other isn’t ranked here)

Toast details · Official site (opens in a new tab)

FAQ

Is Square or Toast better?

Across the 5 TaskRanking use cases where both are ranked, Square places higher in 5 and the other in 0. Best pick depends on the task; see the shared use cases table.

Is Square or Toast cheaper?

Square: paid from Free plan; Square Plus $49/mo per location (free tier: yes; checked 2026-10-14). Toast: paid from Point of Sale from $90/mo (free tier: unknown; checked 2026-10-14). Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page.

Do Square and Toast have free plans?

Square: yes. Toast: unknown. As listed on vendor pricing pages, last checked 2026-10-14.

Which tasks do both Square and Toast cover?

Both are ranked for: Run a restaurant; Hotel guest management; Restaurant reservations; Retail point of sale; Restaurant scheduling and labor.