Clover vs Toast
An honest side-by-side comparison of two of our top pos systems picks — pricing, strengths, weaknesses, and who each one is really for.
Clover
Ranked #3 of 15 in this directory
Flexible POS with a marketplace of business apps
Toast
Ranked #2 of 15 in this directory
Purpose-built POS for the restaurant industry
Our pick: Toast. Our editors rank Toast higher overall in POS Systems — but Clover can be the better fit depending on your budget and use case below. How we review
Compare the details
| Clover | Toast | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | See website | See website |
| Category | Retail | Restaurant |
| Editorial rank | #3 of 15 | #2 of 15 |
Strengths
Clover
- ✓Robust app marketplace with hundreds of third-party integrations
- ✓Attractive, well-designed hardware lineup
- ✓Flexible enough for retail, restaurants, and service businesses
- ✓Built-in customer engagement and loyalty features
- ✓Strong offline mode for processing without internet
Toast
- ✓Purpose-built for restaurants with deep food-service features
- ✓Integrated online ordering and delivery management
- ✓Durable hardware designed for kitchen and bar environments
- ✓Comprehensive reporting and labor cost analytics
- ✓Free starter plan available for single-location restaurants
Watch out for
Clover
- !Must purchase Clover-branded hardware which is proprietary
- !Pricing varies significantly between resellers and banks
- !Some third-party apps have additional monthly fees
- !Contract terms depend on the merchant services provider
Toast
- !Long-term hardware contracts can be expensive to exit
- !Processing rates are not negotiable on lower tiers
- !Limited usefulness outside the food and beverage industry
- !Add-on modules increase costs quickly
Best use cases
Clover
- →Retail boutiques wanting customizable POS with app integrations
- →Quick-service restaurants needing countertop and handheld devices
- →Service businesses requiring appointment scheduling alongside payments
Toast
- →Full-service restaurants managing dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders
- →Quick-service chains needing kitchen display and drive-through integration
- →Bars and breweries tracking tabs and managing complex menus
About each tool
Clover
Clover provides a versatile POS system backed by Fiserv with a curated app marketplace that lets merchants customize their setup. It offers a range of sleek hardware options from countertop stations to handheld devices. The platform supports retail, restaurant, and service businesses with built-in inventory, CRM, and employee tracking.
Toast
Toast is a cloud-based restaurant management platform that combines POS, online ordering, delivery, payroll, and team management. Built specifically for food service, it handles everything from tableside ordering to kitchen display systems. Its hardware is designed for restaurant environments with spill-proof, heat-resistant screens.
Still deciding? Browse all 15 options with honest pros, cons, and pricing.
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