Clover vs Toast vs Square (2024): Which POS Solution is Best?

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Which point of sale solution is right for your company?

Choosing the right POS system is essential to building a profitable and successful brand. With the correct combination of software and hardware, you can do more than simply process payments online and in-store.

The best tools also help you manage and track inventory, collect business insights, develop stronger sales strategies, and automate common processes.

Clover, Square, and Toast are all exceptional POS solution providers, serving companies both in the retail and restaurant (food service) landscape. While there are similarities between all three vendors, each solution also has its own unique pros and cons to consider.

Today we’re comparing the software, hardware, pricing, ease of use, and customer support of Clover, Square, and Toast, to help you make the right choice for your business.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Overview

	Clover POS	Square POS	Toast POS
Features	Wide selection of retail and restaurant management features, inventory and order management, customer profiles, payment processing, and more.	Comprehensive inventory management, order management, employee, and customer insights, analytics, and sales tools.	Specialized tools for food and service companies. Payment processing, delivery services, customer engagement, reporting, inventory, and product management included.
Best for	Beginners in the food service and restaurant landscape, with limited budgets.	Smaller businesses in search of a scalable and affordable platform for online and in-person selling.	Food service companies looking for comprehensive product and inventory management tools, and integrations with food delivery companies.
Pricing	Free plan for beginners, with premium plans starting at $14.95 per month.	Free software for beginners, with advanced plans for specific industries and add-on modules.	Plans starting at $69 per month for premium plans, with access to mobile dining solutions and real-time fraud monitoring.
Transaction fees	Ranging from 2.3 to 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions.	Starting at 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions, and 2.9% plus 30 cents for card-not-present transactions.	Starting at 2.49% plus 15 cents for each transaction, depending on your location.
Hardware pricing	Wide range of options starting with the Clover Go for $49. Unique bundles are also available.	Various options starting at $10 for a magstripe reader and $29 for a card reader.	Custom quoted pricing for a range of products, including the Toast Go, Toast Tap for tableside ordering, and more.
Payment processing	Credit and debit cards, cash payments, gift cards, invoicing, mobile wallets, and more.	Debit and credit cards, gift cards, contactless payments, split tenders, and custom payments.	Credit cards, debit cards, cash, invoicing, online ordering, gift cards, and contactless payments.
Customer support	Onboarding and integration services, phone, email and chat support, and self-help resources.	Onboarding and dedicated specialist support, self-help resources and email, phone, and chat support.	Exceptional customer support with a dedicated help center, blogs, training solutions, and phone, chat, email, and social media support.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: An Introduction

Let’s start our review with a quick introduction to all three point of sale solutions. Square, Clover, and Toast are all software and hardware providers, offering a range of sales tools to business leaders from multiple industries.

They all offer cloud-based or “ePOS” software platforms, and they all provide access to a range of business devices too.

Toast POS is one of the most industry-focused solutions on this list, concentrating entirely on the food service landscape. Toast offers dedicated point of sale solutions for restaurants, cafes, and similar vendors, with advanced features, such as menu management, tableside ordering, and kitchen displays.

Clover is a POS vendor with a broader selection of tools. The company offers a range of POS solutions for all kinds of retailers in the health and beauty space, and the food and hospitality sector.

Plus, the company offers services for businesses of all sizes, whether you’re a new startup with a pop-up shop, a growing enterprise, or a mid-sized brand.

Square is perhaps the most versatile POS vendor on this list. Powered by Square’s payment processing technology, the POS solution combines state-of-the-art hardware with a convenient and easy-to-use cloud-based ecosystem.

Square’s services are suitable for omnichannel sellers, restaurants, and retail businesses, and Square even offers a range of add-ons and integrations for different brands.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Software Features

Today’s ePOS or electronic point of sale systems typically combine a comprehensive range of software features, with a variety of hardware devices and solutions.

While most POS software includes access to payment processing tools, inventory management capabilities, and similar solutions, the exact functionality you get from each vendor can vary.

Square POS Software Features

The Square POS software is designed to offer companies a comprehensive range of features, without compromising in ease of use.

Through Square, companies can go beyond simply processing payments with ultra-secure financial tools. They can also manage and sync inventory across multiple channels and platforms, both online and offline.

Square’s POS software also comes with access to a simple online store builder for ecommerce sales, integrations to marketplaces and third-party apps, and a host of bonus modules. There are even specialist solutions available for different industries, such as “Square for Restaurants”.

Key features include:

• Versatile payment processing: With Square, companies can accept payments through branded invoices, phone calls, credit or debit card transactions, gift cards, and more.
• Security: Square takes security seriously, with exceptional PCI compliance, built-in fraud protection tools, chargeback support, and data protection solutions.
• Customizable checkout: Square users can create a custom checkout experience for any channel, with templates, categories, item information, images, and modifiers.
• CRM: Built-in CRM features on the Square platform help companies create comprehensive customer profiles with reviews, notes, tags, purchasing details and contact information.
• Integrations: Square’s cloud-based platform can integrate with ecommerce platforms, social media channels, marketplaces, accounting tools, delivery services and more.
• Customization: Companies can customize their Square software experience with special add-ons and modules for different industries. There’s also an open API for automation
• Inventory management: Square automatically syncs inventory, order, customer, and financial information across channels, provides insights and supports purchase orders.
• Analytics and insights: With Square, companies can track top-performing products and employees, monitor sales information, get low stock alerts, and more.
• Employee management: Employee management tools on Square allow companies to create staff schedules, unique accounts, and leverage performance insights
• Fulfillment: Square makes managing fulfillment easy with integrations to third-party delivery apps, insights into shipping process, and custom delivery and pickup options.

Toast POS Software Features

Due to its focus on food service companies, Toast’s software features are a little more specialized than those available from Clover and Square. The company still offers all the basic capabilities of an ePOS system, including inventory management and payment processing.

However, Toast POS also offers a range of specific modules for managing delivery services, take out menus, mobile orders, and even employee payroll. There are even tools for creating and customizing customer kiosks, kitchen display systems, and loyalty campaigns.

Some of the key features of Toast POS include:

• Payment processing: Accept a range of credit card and debit card payments, as well as mobile orders, gift cards, and create custom invoices for consumers.
• Delivery services: Toast’s delivery tools make it easy to access local drivers through an on-demand delivery network, for rapid customer service.
• Customer engagement: Toast’s tools include email marketing automation solutions, as well as custom loyalty programs, to boost engagement.
• Reporting and analytics: Access comprehensive insights into employee performance, order volumes, popular products, and inventory information.
• Inventory and product management: Toast’s toolkit makes it easy to manage inventory, order products, and even standardize business processes across multiple locations.
• Kitchen management: Modules for kitchen management include comprehensive kiosks for self-service, kitchen display systems, and take out order apps.
• Team management: Create custom profiles and accounts for every team member, and manage schedules, performance metrics, and payroll in one place.
• Integrations and addons: Companies can add custom integrations and automated tools to their POS solution, with the help of Toast onboarding experts.

Clover POS Software Features

Clover offers companies a straightforward and flexible point of sale solution, suitable for both retailers and restaurant companies alike. The easy-to-use software includes analytics and reporting tools, inventory management solutions, and secure payment processing.

What’s more, Clover benefits from a comprehensive app market, where companies can find integrations to business intelligence tools, delivery and fulfillment apps, accounting platforms, and ecommerce or marketplace solutions.

There are more than 100 integrations to choose from, and new options are emerging all the time.

Key features of Clover’s POS software include:

• Payment processing: Secure payment processing with options for phone orders, online ordering, credit card and debit card transactions, mobile wallets, and invoices.
• Security: Clover includes built-in security in all of its POS solutions, ensuring PCI compliance, and helping teams to minimize the risk of fraud.
• Integrations and apps: Clover has a comprehensive app market with more than 100 applications for employee experience management, analytics, accounting and more.
• Omnichannel selling: Clover can support sales both in brick-and-mortar stores and via online platforms, ecommerce websites, marketplaces, and social media sites.
• Customization: Companies can create customized invoices and receipts for every customer, and adjust checkout experiences to suit their business.
• Customer engagement tools: Build customer profiles, segment your audience, and create loyalty programs to increase sales.
• Employee management: Staff management tools on Clover include solutions for shift planning, scheduling, and creating custom user accounts.
• Ecommerce: Build your own ecommerce website with Clover in seconds, capable of processing all kinds of payments for countless orders.
• Specialist solutions: Clover also offers a range of unique features for restaurants, such as kitchen management apps, and health and beauty brands.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Hardware Solutions

Some companies can run an omnichannel store with nothing more than a card reader, a smartphone or tablet, and an internet connection.

Other brands need more comprehensive hardware and retail kits, which include everything from barcode scanners, to cash drawers and receipt printers.

The good news is that Clover, Toast, and Square all offer companies access to a wide range of hardware solutions, designed to address different business needs.

Square offers perhaps the most comprehensive selection of hardware tools among the three, with tools ranging from the $10 Square magstripe reader to the Square card reader for $29.

There are also comprehensive tools available, such as the Square Register, Square Terminal, and Square Retail Kits.

Companies can also choose to build a comprehensive bundle of their own with Square from scratch, by contacting the sales team. All products come with free returns and an extensive warranty, to give you peace of mind as you build your business.

While Clover has slightly fewer hardware options on offer, there are still plenty of options to choose from. The Toast Go 2 mobile POS system for instance, combines payment processing and credit card reading tools into a simple handheld device.

There’s the Toast Flex system, for companies in need of a comprehensive terminal, plus Toast has its own Kiosks, and Flex kitchen displays.

Toast also offers a range of unique accessories, such as the Toast Tap for tableside ordering, Toast printers for receipts, and various hardware stands, ethernet hubs, and routers. You’ll need to contact the team for pricing.

Similar to Toast and Square, Clover offers a variety of hardware options for businesses of all sizes. There are tools like the Clover Go for $49, a credit card reader that instantly connects with mobile devices.

Plus, you can access the Clover Station Solo – a touch-screen device with a receipt printer and cash drawer built-in, and there’s the Station Duo for an included customer-facing screen.

Other options include the Clover Mini, and the Clover Flex, a mobile POS solution similar to a smartphone (like the Toast Go).

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Ease of Use

The ease of use of any POS system will vary depending on the plan you choose the hardware you purchase, and the add-ons and integrations you need to access.

However, Square, Toast, and Clover are all designed to be as convenient and straightforward as possible.

Toast promises to simplify the process of managing employees, inventory, and orders in the food service landscape, with a customizable dashboard you can adapt according to your needs.

Companies can choose which modules they want to include on their platform, and easily handle everything from purchasing orders, to staff scheduling.

Clover is a straightforward solution designed initially for small businesses, so it’s very easy to use, it requires very little initial training, and the dashboard is clean and convenient.

Plus, the integrated app market makes it simple to introduce add-ons to your POS solution without coding knowledge.

Square, however, is perhaps the simplest POS solution on the market. It’s one of the most intuitive systems available, regardless of which hardware you choose to complement your POS dashboard.

You can quickly access all the accessories and add-ons you need in one convenient place, and sort through features in seconds, via mobile, or a desktop application.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Customer Support

Even if your POS solution is exceptionally easy to use, there’s always a chance you might need extra support and guidance at times. That’s why it’s so important for any business owner to examine the kind of assistance they can expect from their POS vendor.

Clover offers access to a dedicated help center, where teams can find in-depth resources, guides, and FAQs to help them master their all-in-one ecosystem.

The company also offers live chat, email, and phone support, although the phone service is only available in the US.

Square takes a similar approach to customer support, with dedicated phone, chat, and email support available on all plans. You can also leverage a fantastic resource center on the Square website, where you can find user-friendly guides about credit card processing, hardware, and software features.

Toast stands above the competition with its approach to customer service, with exceptional resources, guides, blogs, and training solutions.

The company delivers end-to-end customer support, via phone, email, live chat and social media.

Plus, there are onboarding services available if you need extra help setting up your restaurant POS system, or implementing integrations.

Clover vs Square vs Toast: Pricing

The full price you’ll pay for your point of sale solution will vary depending on the type of plan you choose, the hardware you need, and any add-ons or integrations you want to access.

However, there are also potential monthly subscription costs and transaction fees to consider. Let’s take a look at the regular costs for Square, Toast, and Clover.

Square Pricing

Once of the main selling points of Square POS is you can start using the software for free. Although there are advanced plans available for solutions like Square for Restaurants and Square for Retail, you’ll be able to access most of the core features without paying anything.

Combine this with affordable hardware starting at $10, and Square is one of the cheapest options out there. It’s also worth noting Square’s transaction fees are relatively affordable:

• 3.5% plus 15 cents for keyed-in transactions,
• 2.9% plus 30 cents for card-not-present payments
• 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions.

Clover Pricing

While Clover doesn’t have a free plan, it does offer a free trial to beginners, so you can explore the functionality before you dive in.

Unfortunately, Clover doesn’t list the prices for its software or hardware on the website, so you’ll need to contact the team to get a quote.

If you use an iOS or Android-based device or iPad for card and contactless payments, you can keep costs quite low, using the virtual terminal plan at $14.95 per month. Transaction fees range from around 2.3% to 2.6% plus 10 cents for card-present transactions.

Toast Pricing

Toast offers a handful of pricing options to choose from. Transaction fees start from around 2.49% plus 15 cents on every transaction, depending on your location and other factors.

Like Clover and Square, coffee shops, food trucks, and digital ordering companies can keep costs relatively low with the “Quick Start” bundle for free, and a simple card reader. Other options include:

• Core: Starting at $69 per month for all the free bundle features, reporting and analytics, flat processing rates, real-time fraud monitoring, mobile dining solutions for food service restaurants, and customer care.
• Growth: Starting at $165 per month for the Core features, plus Toast online ordering for the restaurant industry, the Toast Takeout app and other benefits.
• Build your own: Custom pricing for all the POS hardware and software you need, as well as payment processing, employee scheduling, inventory management, tips management, and various other useful features.

Square POS vs Toast POS vs Clover POS: Which is Best?

Ultimately, we rank Square as the best POS solution overall, thanks to its secure payment processor tools, versatile features, excellent user reviews, and free service.

It’s ideal for both retail companies and restaurants, and offers a range of integrations and add-ons.

However, Clover could be a good option if you’re looking for something straightforward, designed for smaller businesses.

Additionally, you may consider Toast if you’re operating in the food service industry, as it offers a fantastic range of features for restaurant management, from KDS solutions, to kiosks, menu management, and tableside ordering.

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