Toast is the best restaurant POS system for most restaurants, cafes and bars because it puts the POS, handhelds, kitchen displays, online ordering and payroll tools on one platform built only for food and beverage.
Square for Restaurants suits cafes and small venues that want a free plan,
Lightspeed Restaurant fits multi-location and fine dining groups, and
SpotOn is a strong pick for independent full-service restaurants.
Top 10 Restaurant POS Systems, compared| RANK | ENTRY | BEST FOR | SCORE | FROM |
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| 1 |  ToastToast reported approximately 180,000 total locations in its results for the quarter to June 30, 2026, up 22% year over year. | Restaurants that want POS, payments and operations from one vendor | 96.8 | Starter Kit from $0/month; POS from $69/month |
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| 2 |  Square for RestaurantsOn Square's Plus plan for restaurants, the KDS app costs $30 per device per month and Square Kiosk costs $99 per device per month. | Independent and small restaurants prioritising affordability and simplicity | 94.9 | £0 plus payment processing fees |
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| 3 |  Lightspeed RestaurantLightspeed says more than 200 Michelin-starred restaurants use its restaurant POS, and lists plans at $69, $189 and $399 a month. | Small to mid-size independent restaurants seeking integrated management with moderate pricing | 93.6 | £89 per month |
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| 4 |  SpotOnSpotOn's All-In plan charges $0 per station per month with hardware included, in exchange for a 2.79% + $0.20 card rate and a two-year minimum term. | Independent full-service restaurants and bars | 92.3 | $0/station per month (All-In plan); Essentials $55/station per month |
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| 5 |  Clover RestaurantClover lists its counter-service starter bundle for bakeries and ice cream shops at $849 plus $89.95 a month, or $135 a month over 36 months. | Cafes, bakeries and bars that want all-in-one hardware | 91.0 | Bundles from $849 plus $89.95/month |
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| 6 |  TouchBistroTouchBistro's POS software starts at $69 a month, and its Essentials bundle combines software, restaurant hardware and integrated payments with no upfront hardware cost. | Restaurants, cafes, and bars prioritising tablet-based operations | 89.6 | $29/month |
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| 7 |  SkyTabSkyTab is sold by Shift4, which also owns Revel Systems, and Revel's website now redirects to Shift4's food and beverage pages. | Restaurants and bars that want POS and processing from one payments provider | 88.2 | Custom |
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| 8 |  PAR POSPAR says more than 140,000 restaurant locations run on its products. | Quick-service and fast casual chains with many locations | 87.0 | Custom |
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| 9 |  NCR Voyix AlohaAloha came to NCR with its 2011 acquisition of Radiant Systems, and the business has traded as NCR Voyix since NCR split into two companies in 2023. | Multi-unit restaurant groups with complex menus and revenue centers | 85.7 | Custom |
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| 10 |  Oracle SimphonySimphony began as a MICROS Systems product and joined Oracle when Oracle acquired MICROS in 2014. | Large chains, hotels and venues running many outlets | 84.4 | Custom |
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How to choose
Start from what you need it for. Where each entry fits best:
- Toast (#1): Restaurants that want POS, payments and operations from one vendor
- Square for Restaurants (#2): Independent and small restaurants prioritising affordability and simplicity
- Lightspeed Restaurant (#3): Small to mid-size independent restaurants seeking integrated management with moderate pricing
- SpotOn (#4): Independent full-service restaurants and bars
- Clover Restaurant (#5): Cafes, bakeries and bars that want all-in-one hardware
- TouchBistro (#6): Restaurants, cafes, and bars prioritising tablet-based operations
- SkyTab (#7): Restaurants and bars that want POS and processing from one payments provider
- PAR POS (#8): Quick-service and fast casual chains with many locations
- NCR Voyix Aloha (#9): Multi-unit restaurant groups with complex menus and revenue centers
- Oracle Simphony (#10): Large chains, hotels and venues running many outlets
Each entry's full verdict is below.
The ranking, in detail
01
Restaurant POS with payments built in
Toast is a cloud POS built only for food and beverage businesses, with countertop terminals, Toast Go handhelds, kitchen display screens, online ordering, gift cards, loyalty, and payroll and team tools on one platform. Its hardware is designed for restaurant use, and payments run through Toast's own processing.
From Starter Kit from $0/month; POS from $69/month
PROS- Built for restaurant workflows and kitchens
- Offline mode keeps taking orders and card payments during outages
CONS- Processing rates are not listed on the pricing page
- Best suited to restaurants, with fewer options for other sectors
- Best for
- Restaurants that want POS, payments and operations from one vendor
- Where it falls short
- Processing rates are not listed on the pricing page.
96.8
02
Flexible POS and payment processing for restaurants
Square for Restaurants covers table and seat management, coursing, open checks, menu modifiers and a kitchen display app, on top of Square's payments and hardware. The Free plan suits single venues, and the paid Plus and Premium plans add lower processing fees and discounted add-ons such as the KDS app and Square Kiosk.
From £0 plus payment processing fees
PROS- Low upfront cost with transparent, straightforward pricing
- User-friendly interface requiring minimal training
CONS- Inventory and advanced reporting features less robust than premium competitors
- Best for
- Independent and small restaurants prioritising affordability and simplicity
- Where it falls short
- It lacks the robust inventory and advanced reporting features found in premium competitors.
- Pick something else if
- you need advanced reporting capabilities.
94.9
03
Cloud-based POS and management for restaurants
Lightspeed Restaurant is a cloud POS with menu management across any number of locations, a kitchen display system, Lightspeed Tableside handhelds and reporting on menu and staff performance. It keeps working offline and syncs to the cloud when the connection returns, and payments run through the embedded Lightspeed Payments.
From £89 per month
PROS- Good balance of features and pricing for independent restaurants
- Scalable solution that grows with restaurant operations
CONS- Customer support quality can be inconsistent depending on service tier
- Integration with third-party systems sometimes requires manual workarounds
- Best for
- Small to mid-size independent restaurants seeking integrated management with moderate pricing
- Where it falls short
- Customer support quality can be inconsistent depending on service tier.
93.6
04
Restaurant POS with a hardware-included plan for independents
SpotOn makes POS software and hardware for independent restaurants and bars, including countertop stations, a handheld that weighs under a pound with a 6.5 inch screen, kitchen displays, commission-free online ordering, reservations and Teamwork scheduling. An offline mode keeps the system taking payments during outages, and customers get 24/7 support and a dedicated onboarding specialist.
From $0/station per month (All-In plan); Essentials $55/station per month
PROS- Hardware-included plan with no monthly software fee
- Reservations, online ordering and scheduling on the same platform
CONS- The $0 plan carries a higher card rate and a two-year term
- Multi-unit and enterprise pricing is quote-only
- Best for
- Independent full-service restaurants and bars
- Where it falls short
- The $0 plan carries a higher card rate and a two-year term.
92.3
05
Fiserv's POS bundles for counter and table service
Clover sells restaurant POS bundles for counter-service and table-service venues, pairing Clover Station, Mini and Flex hardware with ordering, tables and tabs, kitchen printing or displays and an app market for add-ons. It is owned by Fiserv and sold directly and through banks and resellers.
From Bundles from $849 plus $89.95/month
PROS- Hardware range from handheld Flex to countertop Station
- App market for loyalty, scheduling and delivery add-ons
CONS- Pricing varies by reseller and bundle
- Software is tied to Clover hardware and processing
- Best for
- Cafes, bakeries and bars that want all-in-one hardware
- Where it falls short
- Pricing varies by reseller and bundle.
91.0
06
iPad POS for restaurants and cafes
TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant POS with table management, menu and staff tools, more than 50 real-time cloud reports, a reservations and digital waitlist product and commission-free online ordering. It sells the software on its own or as an Essentials bundle that includes hardware and integrated payments.
From $29/month
PROS- Very affordable monthly option with one-time purchase alternative
- Intuitive interface optimised for tablet use
CONS- Limited advanced reporting and analytics compared to cloud platforms
- Support for third-party integrations is more limited
- Best for
- Restaurants, cafes, and bars prioritising tablet-based operations
- Where it falls short
- Limited advanced reporting and analytics compared to cloud platforms.
89.6
07
Shift4's cloud POS for restaurants and bars
SkyTab is the restaurant and bar POS from payments company Shift4, combining countertop stations, SkyTab Mobile handhelds for ordering and paying at the table, online ordering and reporting with Shift4 payment processing. It is sold through Shift4 and its partner network.
From Custom
PROS- Handhelds for ordering and paying at the table
- POS and payments supported by one provider
CONS- Price not published
- Tied to Shift4 payment processing
- Best for
- Restaurants and bars that want POS and processing from one payments provider
- Where it falls short
- Price not published.
88.2
08
POS hardware and software for multi-unit restaurant brands
PAR Technology sells POS software and hardware for quick-service, fast casual and table-service brands, alongside drive-thru headsets and timers, kitchen displays, Punchh loyalty, ordering, back office and payments. Its PAR Volt terminals run Android or Windows and have swappable compute modules.
From Custom
PROS- Drive-thru, kitchen and loyalty tools from one vendor
- Hardware built for high-volume restaurant use
CONS- Price not published
- Built for chains rather than single venues
- Best for
- Quick-service and fast casual chains with many locations
- Where it falls short
- Price not published.
87.0
09
POS for complex quick-service and full-service operations
Aloha is NCR Voyix's restaurant POS for quick-service and full-service venues, handling complex modifiers, multi-tier check splitting and multiple revenue centers, with mobile POS for tableside ordering and line busting. Menus are managed centrally and published to the POS, online ordering, kiosks and supported delivery platforms.
From Custom
PROS- Handles complex menus, modifiers and check splitting
- Designed to reduce lost transactions during network outages
CONS- Price not published
- More setup work than tablet-based POS apps
- Best for
- Multi-unit restaurant groups with complex menus and revenue centers
- Where it falls short
- Price not published.
85.7
10
Enterprise cloud POS for large restaurant and venue operators
Oracle Simphony is the cloud POS in Oracle's food and beverage line, used by restaurant chains, hotels, stadiums and other high-volume venues. It covers ordering, menu management across many sites, kitchen displays and reporting, and connects to Oracle's wider hospitality and back office software.
From Custom
PROS- Scales to large chains and multi-outlet venues
- Connects to Oracle hospitality and back office systems
CONS- Price not published
- Too complex for single independent venues
- Best for
- Large chains, hotels and venues running many outlets
- Where it falls short
- Price not published.
84.4
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a restaurant POS system cost?
Entry software ranges from free to about $70 a month per location, before hardware and card fees. Square for Restaurants has a free plan, SpotOn's All-In plan charges $0 per station in exchange for a higher card rate, and Lightspeed Restaurant and TouchBistro start at $69 a month. Enterprise systems such as PAR POS and Oracle Simphony are quoted on request.
How do I choose a restaurant POS?
Match the system to your service style: table service needs coursing, check splitting and handhelds, while counter service needs speed, kiosks and online ordering. Then compare payment terms, since Toast, Square for Restaurants and SkyTab require their own processing. Finally check kitchen displays, online ordering and reservations, which Toast, SpotOn and TouchBistro offer on one platform.
What is the best POS for a small cafe?
Square for Restaurants is the easiest start for a small cafe because the Free plan has no monthly software fee. Clover Restaurant suits cafes and bakeries that want all-in-one countertop hardware, and TouchBistro suits small full-service venues that want an iPad POS.
Is Toast or Square better for restaurants?
Toast is better for busy full-service and quick-service restaurants that want handhelds, kitchen displays, online ordering and payroll on one system. Square for Restaurants is better for cafes and small venues that want a free plan and simple setup. Both require their own payment processing.
Which restaurant POS systems keep working when the internet goes down?
Lightspeed Restaurant keeps working offline and syncs to the cloud when the connection returns, and SpotOn has an offline mode that stores payments until it reconnects. NCR Voyix Aloha is designed to reduce lost transactions during network outages, which matters for high-volume chains.
Sources
Where we checked each company's facts, and when.
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