Best restaurant POS systems (2026)

Pros

• No upfront cost for software and hardware.
• 24/7 support, per its pricing page.
• Defects on the loaned hardware are covered for as long as your agreement is active (Shift4 calls it a lifetime warranty); accidents and theft are not. Shift4's billing glossary says its yearly fees per device ($250 plus $189.99, or the maintenance fee that replaces them) are what pay for those replacements.

Cons

• 36-month term with exclusive Shift4 processing and 1-year automatic renewals unless you give 90 days' notice.
• The early termination fee is charged per device for every month left, so it grows with your volume and number of devices.
• The standard card rate (2.75% + 15¢) appears only in Shift4's online checkout, not on its pricing page or in the contracts, and annual fees per device apply on top.

Pros

• Plan prices and card rates are published, including a plan with month-to-month software.
• 24/7 support included, per its pricing page.

Cons

• The $0 All-In plan has a 2-year minimum, processing minimums and higher card rates.
• The processing agreement is exclusive, has a 3-year initial term on both plans, and its Account Closure Fee is not published.
• Receipts are always in English on SpotOn Express.

Pros

• Its current offer prices the terminal at $9.99 a month with zero upfront fees and setup included, on a 36-month contract; the software plan is quoted on top.
• 24/7 support, per Lavu's help center.
• Its offer page says your equipment is under warranty for as long as you're with Lavu; its terms bill that replacement coverage (LavuCare) at $199 a year by default, plus shipping on each replacement, and exclude loss, theft and natural disasters.

Cons

• The monthly price, card rates and the fee to leave early are not published.
• A 36-month contract that renews for another 36 months unless you cancel before the renewal date, and the signer is a personal guarantor.

Pros

• One monthly price that includes hardware, online ordering and delivery management, with $0 down.
• Price locked for the 36 months, per its pricing page.
• Its pricing page says the hardware leased in its $149-a-month package stays under full warranty for the length of the agreement; its terms give 12 months unless your signed quote says more, and exclude damage you or others cause.

Cons

• Leaving early costs the subscription for the full term plus 90% of the processor fees left.
• Renews for 3-year periods, and the signer is a personal guarantor.
• The card rate is not published.

Pros

• No monthly software, add-on or hardware leasing fees.
• 24/7 US-based support, per CAKE.
• Publishes its early termination formula.

Cons

• The card rate that carries the cost is not published.
• The early termination fee includes future processing, and renewals run 2 years.
• Online ordering is not in the entry plan.

Pros

• Publishes its card rates on its own site, 2.3% + 10¢ in person on its restaurant bundles.
• Restaurant bundles include online ordering with no per-order fee.
• With a hardware subscription, defects, accidental damage, theft and loss are covered for as long as the subscription runs, including its month-to-month extension; for Station Solo that subscription costs $1,406.80 more over 36 months than buying it. Hardware bought outright has one year against defects.

Cons

• The hardware only works with Clover processing.
• The hardware promotion requires a 3-year contract, hardware subscriptions can't be canceled, and the early termination fee depends on the bank or reseller.

Pros

• Monthly billing with no early termination fee.
• Online ordering and 24/7 US-based support included.

Cons

• Card processing runs through a separate processor with its own terms and a monthly minimum.

Pros

• Works with a range of payment processors.
• No per-order commission on its own online ordering.
• 24/7 support, holidays included, per its pricing page.

Cons

• You cannot end the agreement early, and the Default Amount includes the processing fees left in the term.
• Renews for a period equal to your initial term.
• Card rates are not published and its own pages list two different bundle prices.

Pros

• No term and no early termination fee.
• Card rates and plan prices are published.
• A $0 plan that includes online ordering.

Cons

• Card payments run only through Square.
• The kitchen display is a paid add-on and is not available on the free plan.
• You buy the hardware up front.

Pros

• Plan and hardware prices are published, and online ordering is included from the Essential plan up.
• 24/7 support, per its pricing page.

Cons

• Card rates are only published as an example in its blog, and using another processor needs approval and a monthly fee.
• Renews for a period equal to your initial term, at the then-current prices and without your first-order discounts, with 90 days' notice on longer terms.
• The early termination fee includes the recurring fees left plus any discounts you received.

Pros

• Low published entry price per location, with QR and online ordering included.
• Runs on your own devices, and GoTab publishes its hardware prices in its own store (a countertop station with a payment terminal from $759).
• 24/7 support from the Pro plan up, per its pricing page.

Cons

• The published card rate is a starting rate for qualifying locations.

Pros

• You can use another processor.
• Publishes its card rate, 2.6% + 10¢ per card payment.

Cons

• A monthly Payment Premium applies if you don't process enough with its partners.
• Hardware prices shown are promotional, under countdown offers.
• Its published US terms date from 2021.

Pros

• Its own online ordering charges no per-order commission and connects with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.
• 24/7 support included in every software subscription, per its pricing page.
• Two years against defects on the countertop terminal (one year on handhelds), included with the purchase; drops and liquid damage are billed at the full replacement price. Hardware bought from Toast can be returned within 90 days.

Cons

• The term is set in your order form and renews automatically for a year unless you give 30 days' notice.
• You must process cards with Toast, and Toast doesn't publish its rates on its own site.
• Each device after the first costs extra, and Toast doesn't publish how much.