Last reviewed: 2026-05-07
TL;DR. A restaurant POS in 2026 typically costs $99–$400/month per terminal in software fees, plus $300–$1,500 in hardware, plus 2.4–3.5% per card transaction. Total year-1 cost for a single-terminal independent runs $2,500–$8,000. Multi-terminal mid-size restaurants land $8,000–$25,000+. Below we break out where every dollar goes — with real vendor numbers.
Where most restaurants land, what they get, and who each tier actually fits.
$0–$99/mo
Single-location café, food truck, very-low-volume QSR. Software is "free" but processing fees are higher.
$99–$249/mo
Independent restaurants and 1–10 location groups. Sweet spot for most operators — bundled features at predictable monthly cost.
$400–$1,500/mo per location
25+ location chains with finance teams that genuinely use the BI/lending. Most independents pay enterprise prices for capacity they never use.
The complete cost breakdown — software, processing, hardware, setup, and the line items vendors don't lead with.
| Cost item | Range | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Software (per terminal, monthly) | $0–$400+/mo | Free tiers exist (Square, Toast Starter); restaurant-specific bundles run $99–$249; enterprise tiers reach $400–$1,500. |
| Card processing | 2.4–3.5% + $0.10–$0.30 per transaction | Often the largest line item. Locked-in processors (Square, Toast Payments, Lightspeed Payments) charge fixed flat rates. Choose-your-processor systems (Fleksa) let you negotiate. |
| Hardware | $0–$1,500 per terminal | BYOD ($0 if you have a tablet) to proprietary terminals like Toast Flex ($799–$1,349). Card readers $59–$200. Kitchen printers $200–$400. KDS displays $300–$800. |
| Setup / onboarding | $0–$2,000+ one-time | Free with self-serve products (Fleksa, Square). Charged with enterprise vendors (BentoBox $2k–$5k, Toast typical $500–$1,500). |
| Online ordering | 0% commission OR 2.6% + 30¢ per order | Bundled-and-free at vendors like Fleksa; per-order fee at Square Online and Toast online ordering. On a $30 average ticket × 100 orders/day, this can mean $1,000+/month difference. |
| Add-ons (KDS, loyalty, reservations) | $0–$200/mo total | Bundled with Fleksa; charged separately by Toast, Clover, Square, Lightspeed. Three add-ons can add $100–$200/mo. |
| Hidden / statement fees | $10–$50/mo (varies) | PCI compliance fees ($10–$25/mo), statement fees ($5–$15/mo), batch fees, early termination fees on multi-year contracts. Most common with Clover (sold via resellers). |
Sourced from each vendor's published pricing where available, otherwise from sales-quoted norms. Prices change — confirm before signing. Last reviewed 2026-05-07.
| Vendor | Monthly software | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fleksa | $99/mo Essentials, $199/mo Bundle | Published, monthly billing, no annual contract. Bundle includes POS + ordering + KDS + reservations + website. Choose your processor. |
| Square for Restaurants | $0 Free / $69/mo Plus / Premium custom | Plus tier per location. Card processing locked to Square (2.6% + 10¢). Online ordering 2.6% + 30¢ per order on top. |
| Toast | ~$69/mo Starter; ~$165/mo Essentials; Custom | Per terminal. Hardware required (Toast Flex $799–$1,349). Multi-year contracts standard. Add-ons billed separately. |
| Clover | ~$60–200+/mo (varies by reseller) | Sold through bank resellers — pricing, contracts, processing rates vary widely. Hardware $399–$1,599. Common: 24–36 month contracts. |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | $169 Essential / $229 Plus / $399 Premium / $999 Enterprise | Per location, annual billing. Lightspeed Payments pushed (~2.6% + 10¢). Onboarding fees common ($300–$1,000). |
Line items that rarely appear in the marketing material but show up on the first invoice. Ask about each before signing.
Fleksa publishes pricing because we're not afraid of the comparison. Essentials is $99/mo, Bundle is $199/mo (was $300), per-location pricing applies for multi-location groups. Card processing: choose your own processor — we don't lock you in. Online ordering on direct orders: 0% commission. Hardware: BYOD free, Sunmi terminals from ~$300 if you want managed hardware. Setup: free, self-serve. Minimum monthly commitment: $50. No annual contract. No statement fees. No PCI compliance fee. The price you see is the price you pay.
For a single-terminal independent restaurant, software runs $99–$249/month for a real bundled system. Card processing adds 2.4–3.5% per transaction. For a typical $50k/mo card-volume restaurant, total monthly POS cost lands $1,400–$2,200 including processing.
Hardware ranges from $0 (BYOD) to $1,500+ per terminal for proprietary systems like Toast Flex. Setup fees range from free (Fleksa, Square) to $300–$5,000 (Toast, Lightspeed, BentoBox). Year-1 total cost for a single-terminal independent: $2,500–$8,000.
On software alone, Square Free at $0/month is cheapest. But the 2.6% + 10¢ flat-rate processing makes it expensive at higher volumes. For most restaurants, Fleksa Essentials at $99/month with choose-your-own processor is the cheapest total cost of ownership above ~$30k/mo card volume.
Toast publishes Starter at $0/month with higher processing fees, Essentials around $69/month per terminal, and Custom plans typically $165+/month per terminal once add-ons are included. Hardware (Toast Flex) is $799–$1,349. Multi-year contracts standard. Total year-1 cost for a single-terminal Toast restaurant: typically $4,000–$10,000.
Card processing (2.4–3.5% + $0.10–$0.30 per transaction) is usually the biggest cost. PCI compliance fees ($10–$25/mo), statement fees ($5–$15/mo), per-order online ordering fees (2.6% + 30¢ on Square/Toast), add-on subscriptions ($30–$200/mo), and hardware leasing fees can all stack. Always ask for an all-in quote with every fee itemized.
Software is free, but card processing isn't. Square Free charges 2.6% + 10¢ on every card-present transaction and 2.6% + 30¢ on every online order. For a $50k/mo card-volume restaurant, that's $1,300+/mo in processing — more than a paid bundled POS plus a negotiated processor.
On Fleksa Bundle: ~$199/mo per location = $1,000/mo software, plus your chosen processor's rate, plus optional managed hardware. On Toast Essentials at ~$165/mo per terminal × 5 = $825/mo plus add-ons typically pushing total to $1,500–$2,000/mo plus required hardware. On Lightspeed Plus at $229/mo per location = $1,145/mo. Year-1 TCO: Fleksa typically $20k–$30k, Toast $40k–$60k, Lightspeed $35k–$50k.
Some are, some aren't. Toast and Clover (via resellers) are heavily negotiable on rate and contract length, but fees and add-ons usually stay. Square is non-negotiable on processing rate. Fleksa publishes pricing and doesn't negotiate — what's published is what you pay. Always ask for full written quotes before signing any annual or multi-year contract.
Direct cost: 7–14 days of staff time, hardware replacement if leaving Toast/Clover (their hardware is locked), and any early termination fees on your current contract. Indirect cost: training time. Concierge migration support — included with Fleksa for 30 days — significantly reduces this. For most restaurants, savings within 6 months pay for the move.
Fully transparent. Pricing is published on fleksa.com/pricing. No sales call required to see real numbers. No annual contracts required. No statement fees, no PCI compliance fees, no early termination fees on monthly plans. Toast, Clover, Lightspeed, BentoBox, and Popmenu all require a sales conversation to see real pricing.