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Home / Business tools / POS Systems / Toast
8.5 Tested Aug 24, 2026 by Team RankingRight

Toast (Starter Kit) review 2026

Built for restaurants and nothing else: coursing, modifiers, kitchen displays, online ordering and handhelds that survive a service

Toast Toast
Brand mark used to identify the product; the trademark remains its owner's.
PriceFrom $0 · checked Sep 11, 2026
Cost on $25k/month787 $/mo
In-person rate2.49% + 15¢

Is the Toast Worth It?

Best for restaurants. For a restaurant, Toast does things the generalists cannot and its hardware is built for the room it lives in. Read the hardware financing term before you sign it.

Toast Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Kitchen display, coursing, modifiers and table management are all first-class
  • Full offline mode kept taking orders and cards through our outage
  • Hardware is spill-resistant and built for a kitchen
  • Online ordering, delivery and loyalty are native, not bolt-ons
Cons
  • Hardware from $799, often financed over a multi-year agreement
  • The $0 software plan charges a much higher card rate
  • Useless outside food service

Toast at a Glance

8.5 Editor Score
Processing fees & total costThe real cost of taking $25,000 a month in card payments on each: rate, per-transaction fee, monthly software, hardware and any early-termination clause.
24/30
Hardware & reliabilityTerminal build, offline mode when the internet drops, receipt printing, cash drawer and scanner support.
20/20
Features for the tradeInventory, menus and modifiers, table service, appointments, staff rotas, loyalty and online ordering.
20/20
Reporting & integrationsSales reports, accounting sync, payroll, ecommerce and the API.
13/15
Support & termsHours reachable, how fast a dead terminal is replaced, contract length and how funds are held.
8/15
Reader ratingNo reader ratings yet — not part of the score
–

Rubric v1: Processing fees & total cost 30 · Hardware & reliability 20 · Features for the trade 20 · Reporting & integrations 15 · Support & terms 15. Score = Σ ÷ 10, locked Sep 11, 2026. How we rank.

Where to buy — prices checked Sep 11, 2026

Toast — $0

Best priceVisit Site

Toast specifications

In-person card rate2.49% + 15¢ (paid plan) to 3.09% + 15¢ (free plan)
Software69 USD/mo
Cost on $25k/mo (our maths)787 USD/mo
Free software tierYes, at a higher card rate
Hardware from799 USD
Offline modeYes, full offline mode
Payout speedNext business day
Contract1–3 years on some plans
Best forRestaurants and bars

Why it scored 8.5

For a restaurant, Toast does things the generalists cannot and its hardware is built for the room it lives in. Read the hardware financing term before you sign it.

Where it loses

Hardware cost and contract.

Still the right pick for

Restaurants, bars and cafés.

What owners say

No reader ratings yet. This block fills in from real submissions only — we never write, buy or generate reader reviews, and none of them touch the editor score.

Toast8.5 · $0
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