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Looking for a better option than Toast POS? Running a restaurant, cafe, food truck, or bar means choosing the right point-of-sale system that can help you save time, manage staff, and grow your business.
In this article, we’ll break down 9 top Toast alternatives and how they compare.
1. Square POS
Square is one of the most popular POS systems for small businesses. You can set it up fast, use it on your phone or tablet, and there’s even a free version—great for cafés, food trucks, and quick-service restaurants.
Best Features:
- Free basic plan
- Simple hardware options
- Great mobile app
- Built-in payment processing
Toast vs Square
Toast is better for full-service restaurants with more complex needs like table management and advanced reporting. But if you're just starting or want something more flexible and low-cost, Square is a top choice.
2. Clover POS
Clover offers sleek hardware and lots of tools for restaurants, retail, and service-based businesses. It’s user-friendly and comes with a built-in payment processor.
Best Features:
- Custom hardware
- App marketplace
- Good loyalty program tools
- Works well for all business sizes
Toast vs Clover
Toast gives you more restaurant-specific features. Clover has a more flexible system and might be better for businesses that do both food and retail. Toast can be pricier and more focused on food service only.
3. Lightspeed Restaurant
About Lightspeed:
Lightspeed is designed for restaurants that need strong inventory control, like fine dining spots or multi-location businesses. It’s a cloud-based system with powerful tools.
Best Features:
- Advanced inventory and menu management
- Works on iPad
- Great for full-service restaurants
- Built-in CRM
Toast vs Lightspeed
Both are strong options for full-service dining, but Lightspeed may be better if you need very detailed control over inventory or want to run multiple locations. Toast is simpler for smaller operations.
4. TouchBistro
TouchBistro is built by restaurant people, for restaurant people. It runs directly on iPads and is great for table-service and quick-service restaurants.
Best Features:
- Easy to use
- Offline mode
- Great tableside ordering
- Menu and staff management
Toast vs TouchBistro
Toast is cloud-based while TouchBistro is more local-based (it runs without the internet). If your internet is unstable, TouchBistro may be a better choice. But Toast offers deeper analytics and more integrations.
5. Upserve POS (now Lightspeed Restaurant)
Originally built for restaurants, Upserve makes it easier to manage your staff, understand your customers, and improve your restaurant marketing.
Best Features:
- Smart reporting
- Server performance tools
- Built-in loyalty
- Designed for restaurants
Toast vs Upserve
Toast and Upserve are very close in features. Toast has a more modern design and better customer support, but Upserve’s detailed analytics on staff and guests are top-notch.
6. Revel Systems
Revel is a powerful iPad POS for businesses that want serious features. It's great for multi-location restaurants, stadiums, and chains.
Best Features:
- Enterprise-level tools
- Offline mode
- Custom integrations
- Kitchen display system
Toast vs Revel
Revel is more complex and better for large operations. Toast is easier to use for smaller teams. If you’re growing fast, Revel might be worth the investment.
7. POSist
POSist is a cloud-based POS made for growing food businesses. It’s popular in Asia and offers tools for franchises, QSRs, and cloud kitchens.
Best Features:
- Great for cloud kitchens
- Detailed analytics
- Scalable across many locations
- Custom reports
Toast vs POSist
Toast is better for US-based businesses. POSist may be better if you're running a global or multi-location business outside the U.S., especially in emerging markets.
8. HungerRush
HungerRush is perfect for busy delivery spots like pizza shops or fast food to stay organized with tools for orders and driver tracking.
Best Features:
- Built-in delivery tracking
- Driver dispatching
- Loyalty and marketing features
- Works great for high-volume orders
Toast vs HungerRush
Toast also has delivery tools, but HungerRush is more focused on delivery-based businesses. If that's your model, HungerRush might be better. Toast is more flexible across restaurant types.
9. eHopper
eHopper is an affordable and simple POS system made for small cafes and coffee shops. It runs on Android, iPad, and PC.
Best Features:
- Free basic version
- Works on many devices
- Multilingual
- Works offline
Toast vs eHopper
Toast is far more powerful and restaurant-focused. But if you want a free or low-cost solution to get started, eHopper can be a solid entry point.
Final Thoughts
Toast is a strong choice, but depending on your needs, another POS system might work better for your business.
When choosing a POS system, consider this:
- How big your team is
- What type of food service you run
- How much reporting and data you need
- Your budget
Take advantage of free trials and demos to find the one that works best for your business.
Get started with TurboPush digital loyalty cards to connect with your customers and keep them coming back!
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