Toast vs Clover - updated 2026-05-24
Toast and Clover are both credible restaurant POS choices. The real decision is whether you need a full POS move, flexible hardware and payment setup, or a branded direct-ordering layer that works with the POS you already have.
The numbers behind the decision
The reason restaurants research Toast vs Clover at all is usually to take back control of online orders from commission-heavy third-party apps. Every figure below is cited to its public source.
Toast lists Online Ordering inside its Digital Storefront suite and positions direct online ordering as commission-free with flat delivery fees, but package pricing should be confirmed with Toast.
Source: Toast Online Ordering · 2026DoorDash's marketplace take rate from restaurants ranges from 13% on basic plans to 30% on Premier plans, before promotional add-ons.
Source: DoorDash Merchant Pricing (public site) · 2026Uber Eats charges restaurants 15-30% commission per delivery order depending on plan tier (Basic, Plus, Premium).
Source: Uber Eats Merchant Pricing · 2026The average independent restaurant runs on a 3-5% net profit margin. Giving 25-30% of online order revenue to a third-party app erases the margin entirely on those orders.
Source: National Restaurant Association Operations Report · 202460% of consumers say they order delivery or takeout at least once a week, and digital channels now account for the majority of off-premise restaurant transactions.
Source: National Restaurant Association State of the Restaurant Industry Report · 2025Stripe's standard online card processing fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction — the platform-agnostic baseline cost of accepting card payments online.
Source: Stripe Pricing · 2026Decision matrix
A Toast vs Clover decision changes hardware, payments, menu workflow, staff training, and online ordering. If the current POS already works, the lower-risk move can be a direct-ordering layer instead of a POS migration.
| Feature | Orderitto | Toast | Clover |
|---|---|---|---|
Primary job | Branded direct ordering layer | Restaurant POS ecosystem | Flexible POS and payments ecosystem |
Best fit | Restaurants keeping a working POS | Full-service, quick-service, and larger operators | Small/medium fast-casual, QSR, retail crossover |
Replaces the POS Orderitto sits beside the POS. Toast and Clover are POS decisions. | |||
Published entry price Clover's exact price depends on plan, reseller, hardware, and processing terms. | $149/mo + $799 setup | $0/mo Starter Kit; POS from $69/mo | $14.95/mo cited by Owner.com; $135/mo hospitality plan cited by Tech.co |
Per-order platform commission on direct orders | 0% | Commission-free ordering language; processing/delivery fees still apply | Confirm plan and provider terms |
Online ordering model | Restaurant-branded web and app ordering | Integrated Toast POS online ordering | Clover restaurant online ordering capabilities |
Hardware dependency | No POS hardware replacement required | Toast hardware ecosystem | Clover hardware ecosystem |
Restaurant-specific depth | Ordering, loyalty, menu, analytics | Deep restaurant POS and operations | Flexible restaurant and retail tools |
Support / offline mode from checked sources | Plan support on Orderitto pricing | 24/7 support and offline mode | Not detailed in checked Clover source |
Processing comparison cited by Tech.co Third-party comparison data can change; confirm current provider rates before signing. | Stripe processing applies | 2.49% + 15 cents | 2.3% + 10 cents |
Which is cheaper?
Toast, Clover, and Orderitto use different cost models. Restaurants should compare monthly software, upfront setup or hardware, card processing, delivery fees, and whether online order volume causes platform cost to rise.
Toast publishes a $0/month Starter Kit for 1-2 terminals, a Point of Sale tier from $69/month, and custom Build Your Own pricing. Toast also positions online ordering as integrated with Toast POS and commission-free with flat delivery fees.
Clover pricing depends on the restaurant plan, hardware, payment provider, and reseller relationship. Owner.com cites a $14.95/month basic subscription, while Tech.co cites a $135/month cheapest hospitality plan. Confirm your live quote.
Tech.co reports Clover at 2.3% + 10 cents and Toast at 2.49% + 15 cents in its comparison. Those third-party figures are useful for orientation, but your exact rate depends on the current agreement you sign.
Orderitto Starter is $799 setup plus $149/month and Pro is $1,299 setup plus $249/month. The tradeoff is flat direct-ordering economics with zero per-order platform commission on direct orders.
When each one wins
Toast is strongest when the restaurant wants a purpose-built restaurant POS, restaurant hardware, integrated online ordering, 24/7 support, offline mode, and a broader Toast operating system.
Clover is strongest when the restaurant wants flexible devices, a restaurant plan that can fit full-service or quick-service, and the ability to work through merchant-services or reseller relationships.
If Square, Clover, or another POS already prints tickets, handles refunds, and runs the floor correctly, replacing it just to improve online ordering can create avoidable training and migration risk.
Toast and Clover pricing can change by package, hardware, reseller, and payment terms. Before signing, request the complete monthly cost, processing rate, hardware cost, contract length, and delivery terms.
Online ordering
A lot of Toast vs Clover research is really about online ordering. The POS comparison matters, but the ordering channel determines who owns the repeat customer relationship.
Toast online ordering uses real-time menus and order flow inside Toast POS, with Google Search and Maps ordering and Toast delivery options. That is useful when Toast is the operating system.
Clover supports online ordering for restaurants, but restaurants still need to verify the exact plan, provider terms, hardware, and processing details for their own setup.
Orderitto is the layer for restaurants that want guests returning through the restaurant's own web and app experience, with loyalty, promos, analytics, and flat platform pricing.
A POS switch means rebuilding menus, retraining staff, replacing hardware, and testing kitchen routing. If the POS is not broken, solve online ordering without making the whole restaurant relearn the stack.
No. Toast and Clover are separate restaurant POS platforms. Toast is built specifically for restaurants and is often evaluated by full-service, quick-service, and larger operators. Clover is more flexible across restaurants and retail, with restaurant plans for full-service and quick-service businesses.
It depends on what you count. Toast publishes a Starter Kit that starts at $0/month for 1-2 terminals and a Point of Sale tier starting at $69/month. Tech.co lists Clover's cheapest hospitality plan at $135/month and reports lower Clover transaction fees than Toast in its comparison. Clover can also be sold through reseller and merchant-services relationships, so restaurants should confirm their exact software, hardware, processing, and contract terms before deciding.
For restaurant POS searches, Clover and Square are two of Toast's most common competitors. Clover is usually compared on hardware flexibility and payment-provider flexibility. Square is usually compared on speed, simplicity, and transparent pricing.
Toast positions online ordering as integrated with Toast POS, using real-time menus and order flow inside Toast. That can be strong if Toast is already the operating system, but it also means online ordering is tied to the Toast ecosystem.
Yes. Orderitto is not a POS replacement. It is a branded direct-ordering layer for restaurants that want online ordering, loyalty, analytics, and zero per-order platform commission on direct orders while preserving a working POS workflow.
Both Toast and Clover position their own direct online ordering as commission-free, but you still pay card processing on every order, plus any delivery fees, plus the POS subscription itself. The marketplace commission problem comes from third-party apps: DoorDash takes 13-30%, Uber Eats 15-30%, and Grubhub bundles roughly 10% + 10% + 5%. The point of a direct-ordering layer like Orderitto, Toast online ordering, or Clover online ordering is to move repeat customers off those marketplaces and onto a channel the restaurant controls.
If your current POS already prints tickets, handles refunds, and runs the floor correctly, solve online ordering first without forcing a full POS migration. A POS switch means rebuilding menus, retraining staff, replacing hardware, and re-testing kitchen routing. Only treat Toast vs Clover as the primary decision when you genuinely need to replace the point of sale, not just improve the ordering channel.
Orderitto gives restaurants branded direct online ordering when the POS works but the ordering channel needs to belong to the restaurant.