Restaurant POS comparison
Toast vs Square vs OS Kitchen — what actually matters in 2026
Payments are table stakes. The decision is whether your floor, kitchen, and production run on one ticket stream — or three apps that drift apart on a Friday night.
We scored platforms on day-of-service POS, kitchen routing, table/QR workflows, back-of-house depth, and five-year total cost including hardware. Competitor cells reflect typical US positioning — confirm current plans with each vendor.
Feature matrix
Restaurant POS at a glance
Feature availability reflects typical positioning — verify current plans with each vendor before you buy.
| Capability | OS Kitchen | Toast | Square |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counter & table POS | Web-based | Terminals | Terminals |
| Kitchen display (KDS) | Real-time bump | Included | Add-ons vary |
| QR table ordering | Same ticket stream | Included | Limited / add-on |
| Production & prep board | Built-in | Not included | Not included |
| Costing (actual vs theoretical) | Beta | Not included | Not included |
| Proprietary hardware required | No | Not included | Not included |
| Multi-brand / ghost kitchen | Included | Limited | Limited |
| 14-day software trial | No credit card | Varies by rep | Included |
| Published software (from) | $29/mo | $0 + hardware/processing | $0 + hardware/processing |
Toast® and Square® are trademarks of their respective owners. OS Kitchen is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Matrix is directional for sales conversations — not a warranty of third-party features.
Decision guide
Which option fits your kitchen?
No platform wins every segment. Use this framing in internal buy-in conversations.
Choose Toast when
You want established US restaurant hardware, deep partner marketplace, and are comfortable with terminal bundles and processing relationships.
Choose Square when
You run a simple counter-first operation, want familiar out-of-the-box hardware, and kitchen complexity is low.
Choose OS Kitchen when
You need web POS + KDS + production on devices you own, run meal prep or ghost brands, or want to avoid a multi-year terminal lease.
Comparison FAQ
Common questions
Answers for finance, ops, and IT reviewers.
Deep dive: Read the full guide on our blog →
Validate fit in 14 days
Run your next service week on OS Kitchen. No credit card for trial · Cancel anytime · Capability sheet available on request.