Selfish POS vs. Toast

Toast, with the fine print read out loud

September 2026 comparison. Ask for a current quote before making a decision.

Toast is a good system. The number on its pricing page is where the bill starts.

Try finding Toast's card rate on Toast's pricing page. I looked on September 23, 2026. It isn't there. What is there says "starting at", then "custom pricing", then a footnote about extra devices. Here's the rest of it, from Toast's own contract and help pages, next to what I charge.

ToastSelfish POS

The monthly bill

Toast"Starting at", then the extras. $0 or $69 a month covers your first terminal.¹ Every extra terminal is its own subscription.² That price isn't on the website, so you get it in a sales quote.

Selfish POSAbout $200 to $300 a month for the system. Any add-ons you pick are priced into the one number I quote after the review. Nothing bolted on later.

The features

ToastBehind "custom pricing". Payroll, inventory, scheduling, marketing, loyalty and gift cards sit on the "Build Your Own" plan. Get a quote.¹

Selfish POSThe whole system, included: online ordering, kitchen screens, scheduling, payroll, tip pooling, loyalty, gift cards and inventory. A few extras, like caller ID, are add-ons you pick and see priced before you sign. Most of the apps you already use hook in at no extra charge from me.

Card fees

ToastNot on their pricing page. Reviewers report 2.49% + 15¢, or 3.09% + 15¢ and up if you took the no-upfront hardware. Unless you're a big enterprise account, you process through Toast, and Toast can change your rate mid-contract with 30 days' notice.^3,4

Selfish POS2.99% + 15¢ in person, on this page. That’s the whole fee, processing included, and it’s a ceiling: never more on a US card. You see it before you sign anything. It isn’t the lowest rate going, and I won’t pretend it is. What the extra buys is me: when something goes sideways mid-service, you get me, and I can be in your building to fix it.

Getting set up

ToastA fee for every step. If you want Toast's people to set it up: $1,000 a day on site, $800 a day remote, $125 to set up online ordering, $200 to move your loyalty program over. Move the install appointment with less than a week's notice and it's $300 per person per day.⁵

Selfish POSNo setup fee. I set it up myself, in your building.

Your hardware

ToastTheir hardware, their list. It only works on Toast-approved hardware, and Toast decides what's approved.⁴

Selfish POSThe hardware you already own, wherever it works. Every setup is pieced together by hand. The till runs on iPads and the card reader has to be Stripe’s, but printers, drawers and the rest stay if they can do the job, and that alone can save you thousands. If something’s risky to keep, I’ll tell you why.

If you want out

ToastYou pay to leave early. You owe the rest of the contract's software fees, or $150 for every month left on pay-as-you-go. Contracts renew a year at a time unless you give 30 days' written notice. Your data can be deleted 30 days after you go.⁴

Selfish POSYour data sits in your own database. It’s yours, and you can take it with you any day.

Who picks up

Toast24/7, by phone and chat. Included. Credit where it's due.¹

Selfish POSMe. A Sacramento native and a restaurateur, who can be in your building instead of on hold.

See what your current setup really costs you. That’s part of the free review, and if I can help, what you’d pay with me goes next to it.

Request a free on-site review

Why does it work this way? In 2024, 82% of Toast's revenue, about $4.05 billion of $4.96 billion, came from payments and other financial services. My read: the software is how they get you to the card reader.⁶

Toast, "Pricing & Plans", read September 23, 2026. The 24/7 support line is in its FAQ.
Toast Support, "Review and Manage Your Additional Tablet Monthly Subscriptions".
NerdWallet, Toast POS review, read September 23, 2026. Toast's pricing page doesn't list its rates, so these are a reviewer's figures.
Toast Merchant Agreement, last updated September 10, 2025: sections 4.7, 6.2, 8.1, 8.4 and 8.5.
Toast Support, "Services Rates and Fees", updated September 2, 2026.
Toast, Inc., fourth quarter and full-year 2024 results, filed with the SEC.