What a restaurant POS system really costs
There are four costs and most quotes show you one. Software is the small bill. Card processing is the one that arrives every month for as long as you are open, and it is the number owners compare last.
The four costs, in the order they actually matter
Card processing, by far the largest
On $48,000 a month in card sales, the difference between 2.4% and 3.39% is about $475 a month, every month, forever. That is larger than every other cost on this page combined. It is also the one most quotes bury, because it is quoted as a percentage rather than a dollar figure.
Software, per terminal or per location
Square charges per location, so a four terminal dining room pays once. Toast and Shift4 charge per terminal, so the same room pays four times. Published software runs from $0 to $149 a month, and the unit matters more than the number.
Hardware, bought or leased
Reported terminal pricing runs from a few hundred dollars to $999, with handhelds around $494 to $627 and kitchen displays around $674 plus a monthly fee. Leases are where owners get trapped: the lease is often a separate agreement from the POS contract and does not end when the POS contract does.
Installation, training and the fees nobody mentions
Ask specifically about annual program fees, regulatory fees and yearly escalators. Shift4 carries a $250 annual program fee per device and an annual regulatory fee, and we say so in our own quotes. Ask every vendor the same question and see who answers it.
What the major systems charge
| System | Software | Card present rate | Contract | The part they lead with least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toast | $0 to $69per terminal, reported | 2.49% to 3.69%+ 15c, reported | 1 to 3 years | The rate climbs with add-ons. Online ordering and delivery move Starter Kit from 3.09% to 3.39%, and gift cards and loyalty take it to 3.69%. That higher rate then applies to every order, not just the online ones. Processing is mandatory and hardware is locked to Toast. |
| Square | $0 / $49 / $149per location, published | 2.6% / 2.5% / 2.4%+ 15c, published | None | The free plan carries the highest rate. Above roughly $25,000 a month in card volume it costs more than the paid one. Kitchen display and kiosk are excluded from free. |
| Clover | $89.95 to $129.85plus $849 to $4,447 hardware, reported | Set by the reseller | 36 months | Your rate depends entirely on who sold it to you, and identical hardware carries very different pricing from different sellers. Read who owns the equipment before signing. |
| Geniuswas Vital | $0 / $42 / $129published | 2.6% + 10cpublished | 3 years | Their own footnote requires a three year term, 4% cash discounting and $250,000 a year in volume, and mentions an early termination fee. Their pricing page asks about termination fees and then does not answer it. |
| Shift4 DineWe install this | $29.99per terminal, published | Interchange plusmarkup shown in writing | 36 months | What a rep will not lead with: there is a $250 annual program fee per device, an annual regulatory fee, and a yearly escalator on a 36 month agreement. We put all of it in the quote. What you get is a rate where the processor's margin is visible instead of blended into one number. |
Square, Genius and Shift4 figures are published by those vendors and were read on their own pages on 8 August 2026. Toast and Clover figures are reported by Merchant Maverick, Expert Market, POSUSA, business.com and KORONA POS, cross checked against at least two independent sources each, because neither vendor publishes them. Software units differ: Square prices per location, Toast and Shift4 per terminal, Clover per device. Rates change without notice. General guidance, not legal, tax or accounting advice.
The only number worth comparing between two offers
Effective rate is total processing cost divided by total card volume. It is the only figure that lets you compare two offers honestly, because it folds the percentage, the per swipe fee and every monthly charge into one number.
Ask any rep, including us, to put your effective rate in writing. Whether they will is most of what you need to know about them. Our fee calculator works it out from published rates, and we will do it against your actual statement for free.
Questions owners ask
Which is cheaper, Toast or Square?
It depends on your average ticket and your volume, and the honest answer is that it flips. Square's flat 15 cent fee hurts small tickets, so a coffee shop at a $6 average pays a much higher effective rate than the headline suggests. Toast's rate climbs as you add modules. Run both through the calculator with your own numbers.
Is dual pricing or cash discounting worth it?
It can move most of the cost of accepting cards off your books, and it is legal in all fifty states when implemented correctly with proper signage and receipt disclosure. Surcharging is different, is capped by the card networks, and is not legal everywhere. Debit surcharging is prohibited federally. Ask for the specific mechanism in writing before you agree to it.
How much should installation cost?
We do not charge for menu programming or installation, and we think anyone who does should explain what you are getting for it. What matters more than the fee is whether a person is physically in your restaurant on go live night.
Have your own numbers checked
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