COMPARISON
Toast vs Clover which restaurant POS fits?
Toast, a restaurant system first, doesn't publish its card rates. Clover publishes its prices and rates, with restaurant systems priced over 36 months. Truvana Tech, in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, wrote this comparison and sells a third option.
- Checked November 10, 2026
- Sources linked
- No sponsored rankings
Toast vs Clover: the short answer
Both give a restaurant a POS, handhelds, online ordering and card processing in one system. Banks and resellers also sell Clover, on their own terms.
| Toast | Clover | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0 Starter Kit or a $69-per-month plan | $135 to $354 per month for 36 months |
| Card rate | not published; it comes in a quote | 2.3% + 10¢ in person; 3.5% + 10¢ typed in |
| Hardware | its own devices, bought, financed or pay-as-you-go | in the bundle; a Flex alone is $749.00 |
| Contract | get the term, renewal and exit fee in writing | 36-month pricing; resellers often sign 3 years |
| Built for | restaurants first | all kinds of businesses |
| Spanish | Spanish pages and a bilingual team | no Spanish US website |
| Support | 24/7 by phone or web messaging | an online help center; ask your seller |
Checked November 10, 2026; sources are linked in the sections below.
Toast vs Clover pricing: plans and monthly fees
Toast's published prices start lower, but its card rate only shows up in a quote.
| Toast plan | Price | Who Toast says it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Kit | From $0 per month | One location with one or two terminals; a hardware kit with no upfront cost |
| Point of Sale | From $69 per month | Core features and flat-rate processing; you choose the hardware |
| Build Your Own | Custom pricing | The full platform, such as payroll, marketing and loyalty |
Checked November 10, 2026: Toast pricing. Toast says these prices are for new customers with one location and include the first terminal; more devices cost more.
| Clover restaurant system | 36-month price | Or buy the hardware |
|---|---|---|
| Quick service: Starter, Standard, Advanced | $135, $185 or $245 per month | $849.00, $1,899.00 or $2,648.00, plus $89.95 to $109.90 per month |
| Full service: Starter, Standard, Advanced | $179, $239 or $354 per month | $1,799.00, $2,548.00 or $4,447.00, plus $89.95 to $129.85 per month |
Checked November 10, 2026: Clover full service and Clover quick service. Clover says these prices are only available on Clover.com.
The features below also use Toast en español and Clover retail.
What Toast and Clover each do well
Toast lists more restaurant tools than Clover's plans do, many as paid add-ons. Clover's restaurant plans cover table service, QR ordering and online ordering with no fee.
Online ordering and delivery
Toast offers commission-free takeout and delivery and the Local by Toast app. Clover includes an online menu page with no-fee ordering, pickup and delivery.
Service at the table
Toast has Toast Go handhelds and Mobile Order & Pay. Clover has table maps, open tabs, split checks and QR order and pay, with tableside ordering on Standard and Advanced.
Orders to the kitchen
Toast sells kitchen screens, and orders reach the kitchen in English or Spanish. Clover offers a kitchen printer as an accessory and remote order firing.
Payroll, shifts and tips
Toast lists payroll, scheduling and a tips manager. Clover has employee logins and shift management, with payroll as an add-on.
Food costs and stock
Toast lists invoice automation and food cost tracking. Clover tracks stock, sold-out items and cost by item.
If you also sell retail
Toast sells a retail POS for convenience, grocery and liquor stores from $90 per month. Clover's retail systems start at $16 per month for 36 months.
How much does Toast charge per transaction?
Toast doesn't publish its card rates. Its pricing page says the Point of Sale plan comes with flat-rate processing and that Toast is a payment facilitator, but the rate comes only in a quote.
| $30,000.00 a month in 1,000 sales of $30.00 | Card fees | Monthly fee | Total for the month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover quick service Starter, 36-month price | $790.00 | $135 | $925.00 |
| Clover full service Starter, 36-month price | $790.00 | $179 | $969.00 |
| Toast Point of Sale | On Toast's quote | From $69 | Ask Toast to price this month in writing |
Our math from the prices above, checked November 10, 2026.
Get the rate in writing
Every 0.1% of rate is $30.00 a month on these sales, so get Toast's rate in writing before you compare.
Passing the fee on
Toast's plan grid also lists surcharging; whether you can pass the fee on depends on your state's card fee rules.
Toast vs Clover restaurant hardware
Toast sells its own restaurant devices. Clover's restaurant bundles put a station on the counter, add a Flex handheld on bigger plans and include a receipt printer.
Counter terminal
- ■Toast: Toast Flex terminal
- ■Clover: Station Solo, Station Duo or Mini
Handheld
- ■Toast: Toast Go, for orders on the move
- ■Clover: Flex, with an 8-hour battery and a printer
- ■A Flex alone is $749.00
Tap and phone wallets
- ■Clover quick service: included
- ■Clover full service: not on Starter; Flex only on Standard
- ■Ask which device takes taps
Moving to another system
- ■Toast software runs only on approved Toast hardware
- ■Clover devices usually can't be used with another processor
Contracts, leases and cancellation
Read the contract before the screens: with Toast, get the term, renewal and exit fee in writing.
Hardware facts above, checked November 10, 2026: Toast en español, Toast pricing, Clover, Merchant Maverick and KORONA POS.
Clover's $450 offer
As of November 10, 2026, Clover's online offer of a $450 statement credit requires a 3-year contract, credit approval and $10,000.00 or more in card sales in the first four billing cycles (Clover).
Card machine leases
Some card machine leases can't be cancelled during their first term, and closing your processing account doesn't end them (Merchant Maverick).
Financed Toast hardware
If you finance the hardware or use the pay-as-you-go plan, ask what you owe if you leave early.
The FTC case against Toast
In October 2026 the FTC and several states sued Toast over its fees and cancellation terms; Toast says it disagrees and will fight the case (FTC, Restaurant Dive). These are allegations; no court has ruled on them.
Have a Toast or Clover quote? Put ours next to it.
Send the quote you have or one card statement. Truvana Tech marks every fee and puts its price in writing, in English or Spanish, free and with no commitment.
Spanish support, customer service and outages
Toast has the clearer Spanish offer. Clover's US website has no Spanish version, so Spanish help depends on who sells it.
| Toast | Clover | |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | A Spanish page for Mexican and Latino restaurants; a bilingual team from sales to support; devices in English and Spanish | Its Spanish web address returns a page-not-found message |
| Support | Toast Care, 24/7/365 by phone or web messaging | An online help center |
| Outages | Offline mode keeps orders, tickets and card payments going until the internet is back | Ask whoever sold it who answers on a Friday night |
Checked November 10, 2026: Toast en español and Toast pricing. If a reseller sells you Clover in Spanish, ask for the contract in Spanish too.
Which POS for your kind of restaurant?
Toast fits a busy restaurant that wants handhelds, kitchen screens and payroll from one restaurant company. Clover fits a counter-service place or a simple dining room that wants a published price with hardware included.
A third option: a local team in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia
If your kitchen works in Spanish and you want someone who comes to your restaurant, Truvana Tech is a third option in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia, with no equipment lease.
Local and bilingual
Set up on site, in Spanish or English
Truvana Tech installs the system in your restaurant, loads your menu and trains your servers and cooks in their language. After that, a local contact answers in English or Spanish and comes to your place when something breaks.
- Kitchen tickets that print item names in Spanish
- POS and self-order kiosk in Spanish
Fees in writing
No contract, no equipment lease, every fee in writing
Your written quote lists the card processing fee and the monthly fee, and there is no contract. The hardware is free when you process your card sales with Truvana Tech.
- No contract and no equipment lease
- Cash and card prices where your state allows
- A free review of one card statement
Built for restaurants
Your own online orders, with no commission
Customers order from your own page with no commission, and AI phone answering picks up when the kitchen is busy. Handhelds, a kiosk and a kitchen display keep the line moving, and loyalty and gift cards bring regulars back.
- Online ordering with no commission
- Loyalty and gift cards
- AI phone answering
We don't publish a $0 plan or a rate card; your price comes in writing after one statement. For payroll, food costing and marketing add-ons from one national restaurant company, Toast is built for that.
Get a free quoteToast vs Clover questions owners ask
Is Toast or Clover better for restaurants?
Toast is a restaurant company first, with handhelds, kitchen screens, online ordering and payroll in one system, but its card rates come only in a quote. Clover publishes its prices and its 2.3% + 10¢ rate (checked November 10, 2026), so it's easier to compare.
Which is cheaper, Toast or Clover?
It depends on your quote, because Toast doesn't publish card rates. Toast lists a $0 Starter Kit and a $69-per-month plan, with hardware paid separately; Clover's restaurant systems cost $135 to $354 per month for 36 months with hardware (checked November 10, 2026).
Does Toast have a monthly fee?
It depends on the plan. Toast lists a Starter Kit from $0 per month for one location with one or two terminals, a Point of Sale plan from $69 per month and custom pricing (checked November 10, 2026). Card fees come on top.
How do you pay for Toast hardware?
Toast says hardware and implementation are upfront costs. It offers 0% interest financing if you're approved, or a pay-as-you-go plan that lowers them through an all-in-one platform rate (Toast pricing, checked November 10, 2026).
What are the common complaints about Clover POS?
Common complaints are about how Clover is sold, not the screens: three-year terms through resellers, equipment leases that can't be cancelled and machines that usually stop working after a switch (Merchant Maverick, KORONA POS). Read the term, the exit fee and any lease before you sign.
What POS system is better, Toast or Square?
Square is easier to start: $0, $49 or $149 per month, 2.4% to 2.6% + 15¢ per in-person sale and no long-term contract (Square, checked November 10, 2026). Toast offers more restaurant tools, but its card rates come only in a quote.
Can I keep my hardware if I switch from Toast or Clover?
Ask before you buy. Toast runs only on approved Toast hardware, and Clover machines usually can't be used with another processor (checked November 10, 2026). Get in writing what happens to the hardware, and any payments left on it, if you leave.
What should I check before I sign with Toast or Clover?
Check the term, the renewal, the exit fee, any lease and what you would owe on hardware if you leave early, and have it explained in a language you understand. In a 2022 case, the FTC said one processor trapped small businesses, many run by owners with limited English, in three-year contracts with a $495.00 exit fee (FTC). Our switching checklist shows where to look.
Put your Toast or Clover quote next to a third option
Send the quote you have or one card statement. A person replies in English or Spanish.
Tell us about your business
Your name and email are enough to start. Write in English or Spanish.