Clover vs. Toast Comparison

Clover vs. Toast Compared

Clover and Toast are two of the best POS systems around. Here’s a quick look at how they compare: 

Who Do We Recommend Clover For?

Clover’s versatile POS services will suit a wide range of businesses, particularly those with diverse needs and plans to scale rapidly. Clover offers a comprehensive feature set, including customer and POS inventory management tools and payment processing options. You can also customize apps within the system to extend their functionality ― another reason we recommend Clover if you own a quickly growing business.

Clover offers various hardware options, including countertop terminals, a handheld POS machine and more advanced setups. We like that each device has a straightforward user interface, allowing your staff and customers to navigate the system intuitively.

Clover’s tiered packages ― Starter, Standard and Advanced ― are stacked with POS features. Whether processing orders from your e-commerce site or calculating tips for your servers, you’ll find the hardware you need to operate efficiently.

No matter how much your business grows, Clover makes it easy to give your customers excellent service. You can use Clover’s customer engagement tools to communicate directly with customers, send promotional messages, offer rewards and learn their preferences. For more detailed information about Clover’s features, read our in-depth Clover POS review.

• Clover POS includes various tools for processing payments and managing inventory and customers.
• Clover’s three pricing tiers have options, features and tools to serve every business type. 
• Clover’s customer engagement suite makes keeping in contact with customers and tracking their preferences straightforward and efficient.

Clover offers various devices that make taking and processing payments straightforward for you and your customers. Source: Clover

Who Do We Recommend Toast For?

We think the name says it all ― Toast is a POS system made for restaurants. It excels in restaurant-specific features like tableside ordering and splitting checks. Plus, with its menu customization tools, you can create and adjust menu items, subgroups, prices and descriptions through an intuitive interface. Toast also specializes in online ordering and delivery and seamlessly integrates with third-party delivery services.

Toast offers a free Quick Start Bundle, a Core plan, a Growth plan and a custom plan to serve your business at every size. Various terminals are included in these plans, such as a kitchen display system and a handheld device to accept tableside payments. We appreciate that Toast helps you access a mobile POS solution for your restaurant to accept and process payments on the go.

We also like that Toast offers a self-service POS kiosk that speeds up the checkout line and frees your staff. Customers who prefer to interact with an employee can do so, while others can use Toast’s Flex device to place and view orders and complete their payments. 

Toast’s integrated payment processing is another standout feature. Functions like split checks and tipping adjustments work with restaurants’ unique payment workflows.

We were impressed by Toast’s robust POS reports and analytics capabilities. The platform also automates tasks, generates invoices, organizes orders and sales and creates custom quotes. Learn more about its features and functions in our complete Toast review.

• Toast integrates with third-party delivery services, creating a seamless process of receiving, managing and fulfilling orders.
• Toast’s menu management system makes it easy to update and change menu items, create categories and set item prices and descriptions.
• With Toast, you can track and analyze POS sales reports and inventory usage easily.

Customers can use Toast’s self-service kiosk to view your menu, place orders and make payments. Source: Toast

Clover vs. Toast Comparison

Pricing and plans

Clover

Clover offers various options to help businesses find the right solution: 

• Full-service dining system: Starter plan: $1,699 upfront, plus $84.95 per month. Standard plan: $2,298 upfront, plus $99.90 per month. Advanced plan: $4,097 upfront, plus $114.85 per month. Plans come with various hardware, software and payment processing options.
• Quick-service dining system: Starter plan: $799 upfront, plus $54.95 per month. Standard plan: $1,799 upfront, plus $54.95 per month. Advanced plan: $2,398 upfront, plus $69.90 per month. Plans come with various hardware, customer management and order management options. 
• Retail system: Starter plan: $799 upfront, plus $14.95 per month. Standard plan: $1,799 upfront, plus $49.95 per month. Advanced plan: $2,398 upfront, plus $64.90 per month. Plans come with various software, inventory and tracking options. 
• Home and field services system: Starter plan: $0 upfront ― $14.95 per month. Standard plan: $49 upfront plus $14.95 per month. Advanced plan: $599 upfront plus $14.95 per month. Plans come with various software, hardware, invoicing and payment options.
• Professional services system: Starter plan: $0 upfront ― $14.95 per month. Standard plan: $599 upfront plus $14.95 per month. Advanced plan: $1,699 upfront plus $49.95 per month. Plans come with various hardware, payment processing, client engagement and tracking options.
• Personal services system: Starter plan: $599 upfront plus $14.95 per month. Standard plan: $799 upfront plus $49.95 per month. Advanced plan: $1,799 upfront plus $49.95 per month. Plans come with various hardware, inventory and tracking options.

Toast

Here’s a breakdown of Toast’s plans and prices:

• Quick Start Bundle: Free, plus the cost of devices. Toast recommends this option for food trucks and single-location cafes. 
• Core: $69 per month, plus the cost of devices. Includes cloud-based POS software, reporting and analytics, mobile POS options, flat-rate payment processing and 24/7 customer care. 
• Growth: $165 per month, plus the cost of devices. Includes everything in Core, plus online ordering, delivery services and more.
• Build Your Own: Custom pricing. Restaurants can choose various features and solutions to meet their needs.

Winner

We prefer Clover’s transparent pricing structure. This model makes it easy to get an early estimate of the costs associated with your POS system. You can also use Clover’s plan builder to add devices to a plan so you don’t face surprise costs.

Credit card processing fees

Clover

Clover’s payment processing fees are as follows:

• Full- and quick-service restaurant systems: 2.3 percent plus 10 cents for in-person transactions and 3.5 percent plus 10 cents for manually entered transactions in all plans.
• Retail and personal service systems: 2.6 percent plus 10 cents for in-person transactions within the Starter plan. 2.3 percent plus 20 cents within the Standard and Advanced plans. 3.5 percent plus 10 cents for all manually entered transactions.
• Home and field services: No fees for in-person transactions within the Starter plan. 2.6 percent plus 10 cents for in-person transactions within the Standard and Advanced plans. 3.5 percent plus 10 cents for all manually entered transactions.
• Professional services: No fees for in-person transactions within the Starter plan. 2.6 percent plus 10 cents for in-person transactions within the Standard plan. 2.3 percent plus 10 cents for in-person transactions within the Advanced plan. 3.5 percent plus 10 cents for all manually entered transactions.

Toast

Toast assigns a custom credit card processing fee based on your restaurant size and type and the hardware you need. You’ll need to contact the vendor for a quote. Card-not-present transactions will incur a higher fee. 

Winner

Clover’s fees are more transparent and straightforward, making it easier to get a clear idea of what you’ll pay. However, Toast may offer your business a competitive rate ― but you’ll need to contact the vendor to find out.

Payment methods

Clover

With Clover, you can accept a wide range of payment options. Credit and debit cards, contactless payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay, mobile wallets and gift cards are among the many options. We like that Clover allows you to cater to your customers’ preferences.

Toast

Toast accepts major payment methods like cash, credit and debit cards, mobile wallets, gift cards and prepaid cards. These payments ensure you can take the most common payment methods your customers use.

Winner

While Toast also supports various payment methods, Clover comes out on top with a few more options, including PayPal, EBT and Alipay. Clover’s extensive payment compatibility makes this system a stronger choice if you’re looking for a comprehensive payment solution integrated into your POS system.

Third-party integrations

Clover

Clover’s integrations help your business well beyond processing and tracking sales. We like that Clover comes with an app market featuring more than 300 software integrations.

From payroll and staff management to accounting and inventory control, these integrations help streamline your operations and improve your business’s efficiency. We appreciate that Clover’s partners include customer loyalty programs and e-commerce platforms, so you can facilitate customer engagement and growth.

Hundreds of apps are available in the Clover App Market, helping businesses simplify operations. Source: Clover

Toast

Toast’s integrations are tailored toward enhancing restaurant operations. You’ll find popular platforms like Uber Eats, Grubhub and DoorDash on this system’s list of third-party services. Toast also covers loyalty programs and inventory management, helping you gain valuable insights into customer preferences and your business operations. 

We also like that Toast has several integration options for employee scheduling. This way, you can find the best program to manage everyone’s shifts and ensure all your tables are covered.

Winner

Clover’s massive variety of integrations caters to just about any business, making it our preferred choice for businesses in every industry except restaurants. If you run a foodservice business, you’ll find Toast’s nearly 100 applications ideal for taking, delivering and managing orders.

Customer support

Clover

Clover offers customer support through various channels to answer any questions you might have about your subscription or devices. You can speak to a live agent by phone, email or web chat any day and time of the week.

We like that Clover often hosts live webinars with Q&A sessions to help you make the most of your POS system. You’ll also find an online knowledge base with articles and tutorials to help you troubleshoot common problems and learn how to use your system effectively.

Toast

Toast offers a range of customer support options to assist you with setting up the POS system and any other inquiries and issues. You can reach a customer care representative on the phone. We especially like that you can reach an agent anytime, on any day, via Toast’s web messaging portal. 

For more help at your fingertips, Toast Central is your portal for troubleshooting issues and learning more about your system. There, you’ll find an informative blog and a course catalog of videos to help you master the many parts of your restaurant business.

Toast Central includes a host of information about setting up and using your Toast system. Source: Toast

Winner

We prefer Toast’s customer support options because they allow you to get the assistance you need whenever you need it. Toast Central also gives you access to a host of information for when you want to research a topic on your own.

Clover vs. Toast Recap

Choose Clover if:

• You want to know how much you’ll pay for your POS system before subscribing to a plan.
• You need a POS system that supports numerous integrations to help you create an all-in-one solution for your business’s needs.
• You’re looking for a system that accepts various payment methods to cater to your customers’ preferences.

Choose Toast if:

• You own a restaurant and want 24/7 access to a customer support team and hundreds of resources to help you get the most out of your POS system.
• You need a POS system with solutions and integrations tailored to the restaurant industry, including third-party delivery system integration.
• Your restaurant would benefit from extensive POS reports and analytics.

FAQs

How does Clover track cash transactions?

You can use Clover’s Cash Log App to record your cash transactions. Clover tracks when you open your cash drawer automatically and the amount of cash that was deposited to or removed from the drawer.

Does Clover offer instant deposits?

Clover offers a service called Rapid Deposit. Instead of waiting days to see your funds appear in your bank account, Clover gives you access to your revenue in just minutes.

Can Toast pay taxes for you?

Toast offers tax support to help you file your quarterly taxes, manage employee tax forms and calculate deductions.

Does Toast require a contract?

Toast’s plans come with a contract of at least two years. You could be charged a fee if you close your contract before your subscription ends.