Square vs Toast
A comprehensive head-to-head comparison of two leading e-commerce & retail solutions in 2026. Compare features, pricing, ratings, and more to find the right fit.
Quick Verdict
Choose Square if you need Payment processing and prefer comprehensive paid features. Choose Toast if you prioritize Point of sale and want plans starting at $120/month. Square has a higher user rating (4.5 vs 4.0).
Square vs Toast: At a Glance
Feature Comparison: Square vs Toast
| Feature | Square | Toast |
|---|---|---|
| Payment processing | ||
| Point of sale | ||
| Invoicing | ||
| Payroll | ||
| Banking | ||
| QuickBooks | ||
| WooCommerce | ||
| Wix | ||
| PCI DSS | ||
| EMV compliant | ||
| Web support | ||
| Ios support | ||
| Android support | ||
| Hardware support | ||
| Order management | ||
| Kitchen display system | ||
| Employee scheduling | ||
| Customer management | ||
| Inventory tracking | ||
| Analytics & reporting | ||
| Delivery integration |
Square vs Toast: Pricing Breakdown
Square Pricing
Model: pay-per-use
- Card processing
- POS software
- Invoicing
Toast Pricing
Model: subscription
- POS system
- Order management
- 1 register
- Email support
- All Essential features
- Unlimited registers
- Kitchen display
- Priority support
Pros and Cons
Square
Pros
- Highly rated by users (4.5/5)
- Available on 4 platforms (Web, Ios, Android, Hardware)
- Rich feature set with 14+ capabilities
- Strong Payment processing functionality
- Strong Point of sale functionality
Cons
- No free plan available
- May require time to learn advanced features
Toast
Pros
- Rich feature set with 8+ capabilities
- Strong Point of sale functionality
- Strong Order management functionality
- Integrates with 5+ tools
Cons
- No free plan available
- Limited platform support (Web only)
- May require time to learn advanced features
Who Should Use Square vs Toast?
Choose Square if you:
- Need Payment processing
- Have a budget of $29/month+
- Work primarily on Web and Ios
- Value Point of sale
Choose Toast if you:
- Need Point of sale
- Have a budget of $120/month+
- Work primarily on Web
- Value Order management
Frequently Asked Questions: Square vs Toast
Is Square better than Toast?
It depends on your needs. Square has a 4.5/5 user rating while Toast has 4.0/5. Square excels in Payment processing and Point of sale, while Toast stands out with Point of sale and Order management. Consider your budget ($29/month vs $120/month), platform needs, and specific feature requirements.
Which is cheaper, Square or Toast?
Square starts at $29/month. Toast starts at $120/month. Compare the specific plan features to determine the best value for your use case.
Can I use Square and Toast together?
While both are e-commerce & retail tools, some teams use complementary software together. Both offer integrations with popular business tools that may enable some interoperability. However, most users find that one solution covers their core e-commerce & retail needs.
What are the main differences between Square and Toast?
The key differences include: pricing model (pay-per-use vs subscription), platform support (Web, Ios, Android, Hardware vs Web), and feature focus. Square emphasizes Payment processing, Point of sale, Invoicing while Toast focuses on Point of sale, Order management, Kitchen display system. User ratings differ slightly: 4.5 vs 4.0 out of 5.
Ready to choose?
Explore detailed reviews, user ratings, and pricing for both Square and Toast.