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Table service with floor plans, courses and handhelds for servers.
What matters in full service
In a restaurant with servers, the POS runs the dining room and the kitchen at the same time. A slow or frozen system in the middle of a Saturday dinner costs you sales and tips, and it's what your guests remember.
What to look for
- Tables and courses. A floor plan, seat numbers, coursing and easy check splitting.
- Handhelds. Taking orders and payments at the table saves trips and turns tables faster. Check what each handheld adds to your monthly bill and to your contract.
- Tips. Tip adjustments, tip pooling and reports your staff and your accountant can use.
- The kitchen display. Clear tickets by station, with modifiers and allergies easy to read.
- Reliability and support. Offline mode, and support that answers at night and on weekends, when you're open.
- Spanish for your team. Screens, kitchen tickets and training in Spanish, if your kitchen or your floor works in Spanish.
How this ranking works
This ranking only includes POS systems that serve full service restaurants. They're scored with our public model and any adjustments for this type of business, listed in our methodology.
Not everything on this list counts toward the score yet: we only score what we can research for most vendors. For the rest, like handhelds and tip tools, check the data we show for each POS and ask about it in the demo.
POS systems with enough verified data to be ranked: 9 of 12. 12 POS systems for full service: 9 ranked · 3 listed apart. Ranked: enough verified data. Listed apart: not enough data to score. Below 60% completeness, a POS isn't ranked. The score sets the order, with the same rules for every POS.
The ranking
Shift4 POS
By Shift4
- Lowest cost to get started (tied). Among 12 POS systems whose upfront prices are published, for our reference restaurant.
- Longest equipment warranty (tied). Among 17 POS systems with a published warranty on the main terminal.
Restaurant POS from Shift4 Payments that requires Shift4 payment processing. Software starts at $29.99 a month with loaned hardware and no upfront cost; the processing agreement runs 36 months and its early termination fee is a per-device amount for each month left.
RTC SCORE
8.8
#1 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- 36 months
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant), and 36-month total cost (reference restaurant). Weakest on own online ordering.
SpotOn
By SpotOn
- Lowest cost to get started (tied). Among 12 POS systems whose upfront prices are published, for our reference restaurant.
Restaurant POS with two published plans. All-In costs $0 per station with hardware included and a 2-year minimum; POS Essentials costs $55 per station a month with month-to-month software and lower card rates. Payments run through SpotOn under a processing agreement with a 3-year initial term.
RTC SCORE
6.0
#2 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- 36 months
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), 36-month total cost (reference restaurant), and own online ordering. Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
CAKE
By CAKE (Mad Mobile)
- Lowest cost to get started (tied). Among 12 POS systems whose upfront prices are published, for our reference restaurant.
- Longest equipment warranty (tied). Among 17 POS systems with a published warranty on the main terminal.
Restaurant POS with no monthly software, hardware or add-on fees; its cost is built into a locked-in card processing rate that is not published. The term is set in your order and the early termination fee counts software and processing for the months left.
RTC SCORE
5.3
#3 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Quote only
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), hardware warranty included, and own online ordering. Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
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Clover
By Clover
- Longest equipment warranty (tied). Among 17 POS systems with a published warranty on the main terminal.
Fiserv's POS, sold directly and through banks and resellers. The Restaurant Growth software plan starts at $89.95 a month plus a hardware bundle, the hardware only works with Clover processing, and the contract and early termination fee depend on who boards you.
RTC SCORE
4.9
#4 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- 36 months
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on 36-month total cost (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and hardware warranty included. Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
Rezku
By Rezku
- Shortest term (tied). Among 15 POS systems with a published term.
iPad restaurant POS at $99 a month for up to 3 stations, with hardware rented per station and a third-party card processor. Billing is monthly with no early termination fee.
RTC SCORE
4.7
#5 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Month to month
- Must use their processing
- No
Strongest on 36-month total cost (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it). Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
TouchBistro
By TouchBistro
- Lowest cost to get started (tied). Among 12 POS systems whose upfront prices are published, for our reference restaurant.
iPad-based restaurant POS with software from $69 a month and an Essentials Bundle with hardware and integrated payments. It works with a range of processors, and its early termination amount includes the processing fees left in the term.
RTC SCORE
4.5
#6 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Quote only
- Must use their processing
- No
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it). Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
Square for Restaurants
By Square
- Shortest term (tied). Among 15 POS systems with a published term.
- Longest trial at no charge. Among 21 POS systems. Only trials with no software charges, or with your money back, count.
Restaurant POS from Square with a $0 plan and Plus and Premium plans billed per location. Card payments run through Square, and there is no term or early termination fee.
RTC SCORE
4.5
#7 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Month to month
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and hardware warranty included. Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
Lightspeed Restaurant
By Lightspeed
Restaurant POS with Starter, Essential and Premium plans from $69 a month. Lightspeed Payments is required by default; using another processor needs Lightspeed's written approval and carries a monthly fee. The term is set in your order form.
RTC SCORE
4.1
#8 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Quote only
- Must use their processing
- Yes, or pay a fee to use another
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it). Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
Toast
By Toast
All-in-one restaurant POS that runs card payments through Toast. The Point of Sale plan costs $69 a month; the Starter Kit has no monthly software fee but higher pay-as-you-go card rates. The term is set in your order form.
RTC SCORE
3.4
#9 for Full service
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.
- Initial term
- Quote only
- Must use their processing
- Yes
Strongest on cost to get started (reference restaurant), own online ordering, and support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it). Weakest on switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant).
Not enough verified data to rank
We only rank a POS once we've verified enough of its key facts. These are listed so you know we looked at them.
This is general information about published contracts, not legal advice: read your own contract and check with a lawyer before you sign.