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- Shift4 POS. RTC Score: 8.8 out of 10. #1 of 13 with enough data. Software from: $29.99/mo.
- Toast. RTC Score: 3.4 out of 10. #13 of 13 with enough data. Software from: $69/mo.
- The lines without a name are the other 11 with enough data: 6.0, 5.8, 5.7, 5.3, 4.9, 4.7, 4.5, 4.5, 4.1, 3.8, 3.7.
- Methodology v0.5.0.
RTC SCORE
8.8
#1 of 13 with enough data
Shift4 POS
- 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
3.4
#13 of 13 with enough data
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.
Key differences
| Data point | Shift4 POS | Toast |
|---|---|---|
| Software from | $29.99/mo | $69/mo |
| In-person card rate | 2.75% | 2.49% |
| Notice to avoid renewal | 90 days | 30 days |
| Personal guarantee by the signer | Yes | No |
- Best value: In-person card rate (Toast); Notice to avoid renewal (Toast); Personal guarantee by the signer (Toast).
- Values per NerdWallet: In-person card rate (Toast).
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Score by criterion
- RTC ScoreShift4 POS: 8.8 · Toast: 3.4
- Cost to get started (reference restaurant)Weight 25%Shift4 POS: 10.0 · Toast: 5.5
- Switching or signing bonus you qualify for (reference restaurant)Weight 25%Shift4 POS: 10.0 · Toast: 0.0
- 36-month total cost (reference restaurant)Weight 20%Shift4 POS: 8.5 · Toast: No data
- Own online orderingWeight 11%Shift4 POS: 5.0 · Toast: 5.0
- Hardware warranty includedWeight 8%Shift4 POS: 10.0 · Toast: 5.5
- Support 24/7 (as the vendor publishes it)Weight 5%Shift4 POS: 10.0 · Toast: 10.0
- Initial termWeight 2%Shift4 POS: 3.0 · Toast: No data
- Early termination feeWeight 2%Shift4 POS: 2.5 · Toast: 5.0
- Exclusive processing commitmentWeight 1%Shift4 POS: 0.0 · Toast: 0.0
- Trial or money-back periodWeight 1%Shift4 POS: 5.0 · Toast: 0.0
- Length of automatic renewalsWeight 1%Shift4 POS: 7.0 · Toast: 7.0
- Notice to avoid renewalWeight 0%Shift4 POS: 3.0 · Toast: 10.0
- Data completenessShift4 POS: 100% · Toast: 79%
No data: lowers data completeness, never counts as zero. Methodology v0.5.0.
Side by side
| Feature | Shift4 POSRTC Score: 8.8 out of 10 | ToastRTC Score: 3.4 out of 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Software | ||
| Software from | $29.99/moSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The pricing page does not say whether the price is per station. The Service Agreement bills a Software Support Fee per terminal, as listed in your POS Exhibit A (§3.c). | $69/moSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Point of Sale plan, the one whose card rates we list. The Starter Kit has no monthly software fee but uses pay-as-you-go card rates (3.09% to 3.69% + 15¢, per NerdWallet), and leaving it early costs $150 for each month left. |
| Software billed per | Terminal or deviceSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Location()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)The $69 plan covers one location with its first terminal; each additional device adds a monthly subscription whose price Toast doesn't publish. |
| Kitchen display (KDS) fee | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4 doesn't publish the monthly fee for a kitchen screen; it is in your POS Exhibit A. We found no review from 2025 or 2026 that reports it. | Being re-verified()(due for a re-check)Source: Merchant Maverick (opens in a new tab)As reported by Merchant Maverick; Toast doesn't publish it. The same guide lists the kitchen display screen hardware at $674 plus $35 a month. |
| Payment processing | ||
| Who processes your cards | Must use the vendor's processingSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Must use the vendor's processing()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab)Card payments on Toast run through Toast Payments. |
| Pricing model for card fees | Flat rateSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4's online checkout offers three options: Standard Pricing (a flat rate), the Advantage Program (dual pricing) or a custom quote. Merchant Cost Consulting, a firm that audits processing fees, reports that interchange-plus can be negotiated. | Flat rateSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| In-person card rate | 2.75%Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Standard Pricing in Shift4's online checkout, with the $29.99 table-service bundle. The pricing page and the contracts don't list card rates; a custom quote can set others. | 2.49%(Best value)()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab)Rate with hardware paid up front, as reported by NerdWallet; Toast does not publish its rates on its own site. Pay-as-you-go (Starter Kit) is 3.09% to 3.69% + 15¢. |
| In-person fee per transaction | 15¢Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 15¢()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Online card rate | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4's checkout says its standard rate applies to all credit card transactions but lists no separate online or keyed-in rate, and its contracts list none. | 3.5%()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Online fee per transaction | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 15¢()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Keyed-in card rate | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4 doesn't publish it, and we found no review from 2025 or 2026 that reports it. | 3.5%()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab)NerdWallet reports one card-not-present rate for keyed and online payments. |
| Keyed-in fee per transaction | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 15¢()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Annual fees per device | $439.99/yr per deviceSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)$250 Annual Program Fee per device, based on pricing program eligibility (§5.4.2), plus a $189.99 Regulatory Assurance Fee per device each January (§5.4.1). Shift4 may charge an Annual Service and Maintenance (ASM) fee instead of both, in a tiered amount that can be higher or lower (§5.4.3). | Being re-verified()(due for a re-check)Source: Effingham County, GA (public meeting records) (opens in a new tab)A Toast order form made public by a county government lists card rates and a $15 chargeback fee but no annual, PCI or regulatory fee per device, and the Merchant Agreement and its processing terms publish none either. Toast does charge a monthly subscription for each device after the first (amount not published). |
| Dual pricing or surcharge program | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The Advantage Program offers dual pricing, a supplemental fee or a cash discount (Advantage Program Terms §3). With it, card processing costs your restaurant $0 in our estimate and your customers pay the difference: 4% by default, which you can set lower or up to 5% (Shift4 help center, Advantage Program FAQs). Fees on tips added after the sale are yours. Card network rules and state laws apply, some states limit surcharges, and you must post signs and show the fee on receipts. | YesSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast publishes two programs: Toast Dual Pricing (card price and a cash price 4% lower by default; for now only for eligible new US customers) and Credit Card Surcharging (credit cards only, up to 3%, not in CT, ME or MA). With the program, card processing costs your restaurant $0 in our estimate and your customers pay the difference. Toast itself says surcharging offsets your costs by adding revenue, not by lowering your fees. Card network rules and state laws apply, and some states limit or ban surcharges. |
| Cards the program covers | Every card, debit and credit (dual pricing or cash discount)Source: Shift4 Help Center (opens in a new tab)The Advantage Program works as dual pricing (cash vs. non-cash price), a supplemental fee applied to every transaction, or a cash discount, so every card payment pays the card price. The same FAQ says PIN debit through the Debit Gateway can't be used with the program, and that if you set a customer rate below the default, you pay the difference. | Every card, debit and credit (dual pricing or cash discount)Source: Toast Central (opens in a new tab)Toast also offers credit card surcharging, which only covers credit cards. When a vendor publishes both, we use the program that covers every card, the same for every vendor. Toast says you still pay your contract rate on every card sale; the card price your customers pay offsets it. Toast Dual Pricing is for eligible new US customers. |
| Other fees in the contract | Inactivity: $150 per device for each month without processing after 30 days (§5.4.4). Debit enablement: $20 per quarter (§5.4.8). Online ordering: $34.99 a month (§5.4.9); xDine: $49.99 a month (§5.4.10). Unreturned equipment: typically $200 to $1,000 per device (§8.5.4). Shift4 reserves the right to charge $79 per MID per year for free equipment (§8.5.4). Shipping is charged to you (§5.4.11). The agreement says the bank or Shift4 can change the fees at any time.Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Installation: about $1,000 per day on site or $800 per day remote, per NerdWallet. Modules such as online ordering and payroll are billed separately.()(due for a re-check)Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Hardware | ||
| Hardware | Loaned: the vendor keeps ownershipSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Hardware comes with $0 upfront cost and must be returned when the agreement ends (MPA §8.5.4). | You buy it()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab)Bought up front or financed; with the Starter Kit the hardware kit has no upfront cost in exchange for higher card rates. |
| Hardware works with another processor | NoSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | No()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab)As reported by NerdWallet (Aug 2026) and Merchant Maverick (2025): using Toast requires Toast Payments, and Toast software runs only on Toast's own Android hardware, so the equipment doesn't move with you to another processor. |
| Hardware warranty included | Lifetime, while your agreement is activeSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Lifetime here means for as long as your agreement is active, the same rule we apply to every vendor whose coverage lasts while you keep the contract, rental or subscription that carries it. The hardware is loaned, the Service Agreement runs as long as the 36-month processing agreement and its 1-year renewals (§2.c), and the equipment goes back to Shift4 when it ends. The word "lifetime" is on the pricing page, not in the contract: the contract commits Shift4 to repair or replace defective equipment at its discretion (Service Agreement §5.b). It covers defects only, and Shift4's billing glossary says the yearly fee per device is what pays for these replacements (see the conditions). | 2 yearsSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Two years on the countertop terminal (Toast Flex) and other hardware that is not handheld; one year on handhelds such as the Toast Go 3. It covers only hardware bought directly from Toast, and the Merchant Agreement incorporates it (§9.3). |
| Warranty conditions | Shift4 checks the problem remotely and decides whether to repair the unit, send parts or send a replacement, and it does not guarantee a fix (Service Agreement §5.b). The replacement ships first; you return the defective unit within 60 days or Shift4 can charge its replacement cost, typically $200 to $1,000 per device (MPA §8.5.4). Not covered, and fixed only for an extra charge whose rate is not published: accidents, natural disasters, negligence or misuse, changes you make, unauthorized repairs, relocation and theft (§5.f). The risk of loss or damage is yours from delivery, you must insure the equipment for at least 12 times your total monthly service fee (§4.g, §4.h), and damage beyond normal wear is billed at the full cost of the equipment, which is not published (§4.f). Coverage requires processing only with Shift4 (§2.a). What keeping the coverage costs: every device carries a $250 Annual Program Fee and a $189.99 Regulatory Assurance Fee a year, or an Annual Service and Maintenance fee that replaces both (MPA §5.4.1 to §5.4.3), and Shift4's billing glossary (updated July 8, 2026) says that maintenance fee is what covers the lifetime replacement of its devices, including overnight shipping. The Service Agreement, though, charges you for all shipping, $25 by ground per base package (§3.b; MPA §5.4.11); the contract prevails (§10.o). There is no published plan for accidental damage, and what a sales rep says is not a warranty (§10.o).Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Defects only. Toast chooses the fix: help by phone, a new or refurbished replacement, or a credit. The warranty terms say Toast makes reasonable efforts to ship an advance replacement by next-day air, but its replacement help article says standard shipping takes 3 to 5 business days and 1-to-2-day shipping may cost extra. You return the old unit within 30 days or pay the replacement price plus shipping, and a replacement is covered for the rest of the original period or 30 days, whichever is longer. Not covered: abuse, negligence, accidents, misuse, loss, theft, abnormal wear, improper transport, acts of God and unauthorized service; cracked screens, drops and liquid damage are billed at the full replacement price, and units outside the warranty are repaired or replaced at Toast's standard rates. Card readers built into handhelds have 1 year and other readers 2 years, although the same help article also says 1 year for readers in general. Toast publishes no paid extended warranty or accidental-damage plan. Software support continues for 3 years after the hardware warranty ends (Product Lifetime Policy); that covers software, not hardware. Hardware bought directly from Toast in the US can be returned within 90 days of shipment if it is in its original condition with all packaging and accessories: Toast credits the purchase price and pays the return shipping.Source: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| Price to replace the main terminal | Not publishedSee my price for Shift4 POS (opens a price request form)Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The main terminal is the loaned POS workstation with a 14-inch touchscreen. Shift4 publishes no purchase or replacement price for it. If it is damaged beyond normal wear, lost, stolen or not returned, Shift4 charges the full cost of the equipment, which is not published (Service Agreement §4.f). The only public figure is the $200 to $1,000 per device that the processing agreement cites for unreturned devices (MPA §8.5.4). | Being re-verified()(due for a re-check)Source: Merchant Maverick (opens in a new tab)As reported by Merchant Maverick: the Toast Flex countertop terminal with the Toast Tap card reader, without printer or cash drawer; the $50 a month is the device's software subscription. Toast doesn't publish this price itself: it bills damaged or out-of-warranty units at the full replacement price, and its online shop shows no prices without logging in. Other reviewers report $799 or more for the terminal. |
| Contract and exit | ||
| Initial term | 36 monthsSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)MPA §1.2. 30 months for agreements signed before December 1, 2025. The Service Agreement for the POS runs for the same term as the processing agreement. | Quote onlySource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Set in your order form (Merchant Agreement §8.1). NerdWallet reports terms of two to three years, and Toast order forms made public by local governments show 36 months (2023) and 24 months (2025). |
| Automatic renewal | 12 monthsSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 12 monthsSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)A renewal is under the then-current Merchant Agreement, and earlier promotions no longer apply (§8.1). |
| Notice to avoid renewal | 90 daysSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 30 days(Best value)Source: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| How the early termination fee is calculated | Amount per device × months leftSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Software or subscription fees left in the termSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)On subscription plans. On a pay-as-you-go plan such as the Starter Kit it is $150 for each month left in the term (§8.4). |
| Early termination fee | Liquidated damages: a base monthly amount per device, set by your estimated monthly card volume ($100 under $10k up to $750 over $250k), times the number of terminal IDs, times the months left in the term (MPA §8.5.5). Unreturned equipment is charged on top.Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)If your real volume differs materially from the estimate, Shift4 may use your average of the prior three months instead. | On subscription plans, the software subscription fees left in the term; on a pay-as-you-go plan such as the Starter Kit, $150 for each month left. Plus any processing fee tied to software financing (Merchant Agreement §8.4).Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)The example in dollars uses the Point of Sale plan. If Toast raises card rates or the core POS fee, you can terminate without this fee (§6.2). |
| Exclusive processing commitment | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Yes()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) |
| Right to raise prices during the term | From the first anniversary, Shift4 may raise total fees each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 7% (MPA §12.15), and the agreement says the bank or Shift4 can change the fees at any time. The Service Agreement lets Shift4 change its rates and fees with 30 days' written notice (§3.e) and raise them each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 4% (§3.g).Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Software fees stay the same during the initial term. Toast may change card rates and other non-software fees at any time with 30 days' written notice, and any fee at or during a renewal. If it raises card rates or the core POS fee, you can terminate without the early termination fee (Merchant Agreement §6.2).Source: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| Trial or money-back period | Trial: you can leave without the early termination fee, but the charges during the trial are yours()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Service Agreement §2.f. The trial covers the POS Service Agreement; all charges apply during it. The processing agreement (MPA) has no trial clause, and its early termination fee clause doesn't exempt the trial period. | None published()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)We checked Toast's pricing page and Merchant Agreement: no trial or refund window for the POS is published. |
| Trial conditions | 30 calendar days from the Effective Date, which is the installation date (or your first transaction over $5, or 60 days after shipping). You can cancel the Service Agreement without penalty during that time, but every charge under the processing agreement and the Service Agreement applies during the trial, and you pay shipping both ways, any extra wiring and the cost of returning the equipment. Equipment added after the Effective Date isn't eligible. The processing agreement (MPA), which carries the per-device early termination fee, has no trial clause of its own.()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | No trial is published. Fees can't be canceled or refunded (Merchant Agreement §6.1). Leaving early costs the subscription fees left in the term, or $150 a month on pay-as-you-go.()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| Trial period | 30 daysSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The trial starts at installation. Charges apply during the trial, and equipment added later is not eligible. | N/A()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast publishes no trial period. |
| Charges during the trial | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)You also pay shipping both ways if you cancel during the trial. | N/A()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast publishes no trial period. |
| Personal guarantee by the signer | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | No(Best value)()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)Neither the Merchant Agreement, its payment processing terms nor a public Toast order form (2025) contains a personal guarantee. Each owner of 25% or more authorizes Toast to pull personal credit reports. |
| Online ordering and delivery | ||
| Own online ordering | Paid add-onSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Online ordering costs $34.99 a month under the processing agreement (§5.4.9), and xDine, Shift4's online ordering platform, $49.99 a month (§5.4.10). The pricing page no longer lists online ordering among its free features. | Paid add-onSource: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast's pricing table marks Digital Storefront Essentials (Toast Online Ordering) as an add-on on the Starter Kit and the Point of Sale plan; its price is by quote. |
| No per-order commission on own online ordering | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4 calls its online ordering commission-free; it has a monthly fee instead ($34.99, or $49.99 for xDine, per the processing agreement). | YesSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| Delivery app integrations | DoorDash, Uber EatsSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4's online ordering page names DoorDash and Uber Eats, not Grubhub. | DoorDash, Uber Eats, GrubhubSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
| Features | ||
| Kitchen display system (KDS) | Paid add-on()Source: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)Shift4's pricing page lists a kitchen display among its hardware. Like every loaned device, each kitchen screen carries the monthly Software Support Fee in your POS Exhibit A and the yearly fees per device of the processing agreement. | Paid add-onSource: Toast Central (help center) (opens in a new tab)Toast's help center says the account must be subscribed to the Kitchen Display Screen Software product, and each KDS screen has its own subscription, added through your Toast sales rep. |
| Loyalty program | Included in the base planSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | Paid add-on()Source: Toast (opens in a new tab)Toast's pricing table marks Marketing Essentials (Toast Loyalty, email marketing and gift cards) as an add-on on every plan; its price is by quote. Merchant Maverick reports Toast Loyalty at $50 a month. |
| Support | ||
| Support 24/7 | YesSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | YesSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) |
Contracts compared
| Product | Initial term | Auto-renewal | Early termination fee | Exclusive processing commitment | Price increases during the term | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shift4 POSSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab) | 36 months | Renews for 12 months90 days' notice to cancel renewal | Liquidated damages: a base monthly amount per device, set by your estimated monthly card volume ($100 under $10k up to $750 over $250k), times the number of terminal IDs, times the months left in the term (MPA §8.5.5). Unreturned equipment is charged on top.How it's calculated: $100 to $750 per device for each month left, depending on your card volume | Yes, for the whole term | From the first anniversary, Shift4 may raise total fees each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 7% (MPA §12.15), and the agreement says the bank or Shift4 can change the fees at any time. The Service Agreement lets Shift4 change its rates and fees with 30 days' written notice (§3.e) and raise them each year by the greater of CPI-U + 1% or 4% (§3.g). | 30-day trialSource: Shift4 (opens in a new tab)The trial starts at installation. Charges apply during the trial, and equipment added later is not eligible. |
| ToastSource: Toast (opens in a new tab) | Quote only | Renews for 12 months30 days' notice to cancel renewal | On subscription plans, the software subscription fees left in the term; on a pay-as-you-go plan such as the Starter Kit, $150 for each month left. Plus any processing fee tied to software financing (Merchant Agreement §8.4).How it's calculated: 100% of the fees left in the term | Yes, for the whole term()Source: NerdWallet (opens in a new tab) | Software fees stay the same during the initial term. Toast may change card rates and other non-software fees at any time with 30 days' written notice, and any fee at or during a renewal. If it raises card rates or the core POS fee, you can terminate without the early termination fee (Merchant Agreement §6.2). | N/A |
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