Toast pricing: plans, hardware, card rates and what a restaurant really pays

Toast pricing has three layers: a software plan ($0 a month on Starter Kit, $69 a month on Point of Sale, custom for bigger groups), hardware you buy separately (a countertop terminal is about $800 to $1,200), and a card rate that is the real running cost, reported at about 2.49% + 15¢ for in-person cards and 3.5% + 15¢ or more for online ones [1] [2]. Add-ons such as online ordering, gift cards and payroll are billed on top. A small café lands around $300 to $700 a month all in, and a full-service restaurant $1,000 to $2,000 or more [1].

If your goal is only to take orders online without a POS bill, you can build a free menu site with pickup ordering from a photo of your menu. Below: the plans, a startup bill, the card rates, the add-ons, a month at three sizes, the contract questions, and when Toast is worth it.

Toast pricing plans

Review sites disagree on the paid plan's price. Most, including the May 2026 UpMenu guide, say $69 [1] [3]; one reports that Toast's own page now says "as low as $79" a month per terminal, which we could not verify [4]. Toast does not publish its processing rates on its site, so every rate here is a third-party report. The one rule that holds across sources: the cheaper the monthly fee, the higher the card rate.

The free plan is not free for long. The $0 Starter Kit trades the monthly fee for a card rate about a point higher on every sale. At $20,000 a month in card sales, a 1% higher rate is $200, which is already more than the $69 plan. The break-even is simple: $69 ÷ 1% = $6,900 a month in card sales. Above that, the paid plan costs less.

Toast hardware cost

These are 2026 ranges reported by UpMenu [1]. A starting setup for a counter-service place, one terminal, one printer and one kitchen screen, comes to about $1,600 to $2,750 by adding the low and high ends: $799 + $200 + $599 = $1,598 and $1,199 + $350 + $1,199 = $2,748. Ask whether hardware is bought outright or paid over time, and what it costs to replace a unit that fails.

Toast processing fees

• In person: about 2.49% + 15¢ on the paid plan, 3.09% to 3.69% + 15¢ on Starter Kit [1].
• Online or keyed in: often about 3.5% + 15¢ or more [1]. Our Toast online ordering guide works this rate through a $25 order.
• Chargebacks: roughly $15 to $25 per dispute [1].
• Other: card-industry compliance fees, text and email overages, and extra fees for kiosks and handhelds, none with an amount on the page we read [1].

Some restaurants add a card surcharge or dual pricing to pass the fee on. That is a choice with rules that vary by state and card network, so read them before you switch it on; it is not a Toast discount.

Toast add-ons and what they cost

Toast does not list add-on prices in one place. UpMenu quotes one Reddit operator, so treat these as anecdotes, not rates [1]:

Online ordering has no exact fee on that page, but another guide puts it near $75 a month [5]. Loyalty, marketing, inventory and reporting are billed separately without a published price. The point is not any one number: each module is a line item, and the bill grows as you switch them on.

A month of Toast at three sizes

These are examples built from the figures above, not quotes. Assume one terminal on the $69 plan, 2.49% + 15¢ in person,.

Most of the bill is the card rate, which you would pay to any processor, so the fair question is not "what does Toast cost" but "what does Toast cost over a processor I could use anyway". Another processor charges its own rate on the same sales; what Toast adds is the software, the support and the integrated hardware. Add online ordering at about $75 and the add-ons above that you need, and the café reaches the $1,000 to $2,000 range UpMenu reports [1].

Toast contract terms

Reviews mention multi-year agreements, early termination fees, and setup and support charges, but the guide we read gives no length or fee [1]. That is the line to chase in the quote:

• How long is the term, and does it renew by itself?
• What is the fee to leave early, and does it include hardware?
• Can I keep the hardware or move my processing if I go?
• Does the card rate change at renewal?
• Is onboarding included, or charged by the hour?

Comparing with Clover? Toast vs Clover for restaurants works the same month on both.

Questions to put in a Toast quote

1. Which plan, and is the monthly fee per terminal?
2. What is the exact card rate for in-person, online and keyed-in?
3. Which add-ons does my setup need, each with its monthly price?
4. What is the hardware total, and is any of it leased?
5. What is the contract length and early-exit fee?
6. What does onboarding cost and how long does it take?

Get the answers in an email. For a side-by-side with the main alternative, see Toast vs Square for restaurants.

When Toast is worth the price

It tends to fit when

• You run table service, a bar or multiple stations and need kitchen screens, handhelds and one login for all of it.
• Your card sales are above about $7,000 a month, so the paid plan beats the free one.
• You want one vendor for POS, online ordering, payroll and reports.

It is likely more than you need when

• You run a stand or small counter and mainly want a menu online and pickup orders. A free page does that; see commission-free online ordering.
• You want a website more than a POS. Best website builders for restaurants compares them.
• You are under a different POS contract; check the exit fee first.

Cheaper ways to cover the same jobs

Online ordering: free online ordering systems. The page diners find first: your Google Business Profile. A look at the whole stack: the best online ordering system for restaurants.

What it costs to start with Toast

A first-month bill is different from the monthly one, because hardware and onboarding come first. For one terminal on the $69 plan with a printer and a kitchen screen, using the ranges above, the startup is $1,598 to $2,748 in hardware, plus $69 for the first month, plus onboarding if it is charged by the hour (up to $95 an hour on Starter Kit [1]); two hours is up to $190. The first month therefore costs about $1,860 to $3,000 before a single card sale. That is the number to set against what you pay now for your register and your card machine.

It also explains why the contract matters. Money spent up front on hardware only pays back if you stay, and an early-exit fee on top makes leaving expensive. If you are unsure, ask for the shortest term and whether the hardware can be returned.

Questions

How much does Toast cost per month?

$0 on Starter Kit and $69 on Point of Sale, plus card fees and add-ons; a small café lands around $300 to $700 a month all in [1].

How much does Toast hardware cost?

A countertop terminal is about $799 to $1,199, a handheld $409 to $699, a kitchen screen $599 to $1,199 [1].

What does Toast charge per transaction?

About 2.49% + 15¢ in person on the paid plan, and 3.5% + 15¢ or more online, as reported [1].

Does Toast have a free plan?

Yes, Starter Kit at $0 a month, with a higher card rate [1] [2].

Does Toast require a contract?

Reviews mention multi-year terms and early termination fees; get the exact terms in writing [1].

Is Toast cheaper than Square?

It depends on volume and add-ons; we worked a month of each in Toast vs Square. See all our guides.

Comparing options? See Toast alternatives for restaurants and Square for Restaurants pricing.

Another quote-based system, priced the same way: Revel POS pricing.

Sources

1. Toast Pricing Breakdown: Fees and Hidden Costs, UpMenu, updated May 12, 2026 (a rival; add-on prices are one Reddit user's).
2. Toast POS free plan, Costbench, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026.
3. Toast POS review, NerdWallet, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026.
4. Toast POS review, WHICHpos, as summarised in search results Nov 10, 2026 (the $79 figure, unverified).
5. Toast online ordering pricing and fees, Sauce, as shown in search results Nov 10, 2026 (a rival).