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Toast POS

by Toast, Inc. · POS Integration

Cloud POS and operations platform built for restaurants and food-forward retail.

Updated August 2026 · By the ERP Research Editorial Team · Independent and vendor-neutral.

Works with
QuickBooks
Deployment
Cloud
Company size
SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
Pricing
Tiered software subscription plus hardware and payment-processing fees, with a Pay-As-You-Go option
Founded
2011
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Overview

Toast is a cloud-based point-of-sale and business-management platform built by Toast, Inc. (NYSE: TOST), founded in 2011 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The system runs on Toast's own Android-based terminals and handhelds and is used primarily by restaurants, with a growing retail line for stores that also sell food or drink. Toast reports 171,000+ restaurant locations as of Q1 2026 and 180,000+ total locations across its restaurant and retail base as of Q2 2026.

Beyond order entry and payments, Toast bundles an operations suite (POS, catering and events, mobile order and pay, retail inventory), a marketing suite (email, loyalty, gift cards, advertising, guest CRM), a digital storefront suite (commission-free online ordering, branded websites, branded mobile app, third-party delivery routing), a payroll and team-management suite, and xtraCHEF by Toast, an invoice-automation, recipe-costing and inventory product Toast acquired that also syncs sales data into QuickBooks Online. An AI layer, Toast IQ, surfaces sales, labor and menu insights and can complete some tasks directly from a chat interface, included at no additional cost.

Toast markets its own hardware line (Flex countertop terminal, Toast Go 3 handheld, self-ordering kiosk, kitchen display system, guest display terminal, Toast Tap card reader) around durability and offline reliability, and operates as a payment facilitator rather than a direct card processor. It documents 200+ third-party integrations through its Partner Directory.

Screenshots & demo

Demo video from the vendor's YouTube channel. Screenshots sourced from Toast, Inc..

Modules & capabilities

Toast POS covers 23 of 54 capabilities we track in this category (+1 partial)

43%
  • Offline-resilient checkoutOffline mode keeps orders, tickets and card payments running without internet
    Core strength
  • Mobile POS
    Not evidenced
  • Self-service / kiosk checkout
    Not evidenced
  • Split & partial paymentsTable and tab management with check splitting
    Supported
  • Returns, exchanges & layaway
    Not evidenced
  • Customizable checkout UIConfigurable display modes and order views, including dark/light mode
    Supported
  • Quotes & draft orders
    Not evidenced

“Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.

Common use cases

  • Running a full-service or quick-service restaurant's front-of-house, kitchen routing and payments on one system
  • Adding a commission-free online ordering channel and branded website without third-party marketplace fees
  • Running a hybrid retail-and-food-service concept, such as a bottle shop or bakery with a counter, on a single POS
  • Automating restaurant accounts payable and syncing daily sales journal entries into QuickBooks Online via xtraCHEF
  • Managing labor costs, scheduling and tip pooling across multiple locations from one back office
  • Consolidating third-party delivery orders from Grubhub, Uber Eats and DoorDash onto a single kitchen display screen
  • Financing new-location buildouts or equipment through Toast Capital loans

Strengths & considerations

Strengths

  • Purpose-built, spill-resistant hardware line designed for restaurant/retail floor conditions, with offline mode for outages
  • Owns the stack from POS to payroll to guest marketing to accounting (via xtraCHEF), reducing the number of separate systems an operator reconciles
  • Commission-free online ordering and branded storefronts, positioned as an alternative to paying marketplace commissions
  • Large documented footprint: 200+ integrations and 171,000+ restaurant locations as of Q1 2026
  • Toast IQ AI layer included at no additional cost rather than sold as a separate add-on

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ERP integrations

QuickBooksxtraCHEF Sync for QuickBooks Online
Prebuilt connector
Pushes to ERPDaily sales journal entriesGL codes

Requires a premium xtraCHEF subscription; automatically creates daily sales journal entries in QuickBooks Online mapped once to sales categories and GL codes, syncing as fast as within 24 hours.

Connector details independently verified against vendor marketplaces and documentation; last checked 2026-08-20.

Pricing

Full Toast POS pricing breakdown — cost at 25/100/500 seats, competitor rates & FAQs

Model
Tiered software subscription plus hardware and payment-processing fees, with a Pay-As-You-Go option
Starting price
$0 for the first hardware device on the Pay-As-You-Go plan

Toast quotes tiered software pricing after a demo based on hardware, locations and payment volume; it is not published as fixed plan prices. Upfront costs are hardware and implementation, which vary by hardware package; 0% interest hardware financing is available by application. The Pay-As-You-Go plan sets the first device's hardware cost to $0 (software and processing fees still apply, and an $85/month inactivity fee may apply). Toast is a payment facilitator that partners with processors rather than a direct card processor. Get an independent shortlist with pricing guidance below.

What does Toast POS cost?

Toast POS prices by quote, like most of this category. Here is what actually drives your number — and what to ask before you get one.

  • Transaction volumethe number of payments, invoices or orders you push through it each month (3 of 13 vendors here).
  • Entities & locationslegal entities, sites or warehouses covered by the licence (3 of 13 vendors here).
  • Named usersa per-seat subscription, so cost scales with how many people need access (2 of 13 vendors here).

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2 of the 13 vendors we track in this category publish no list price at all.

Technical & security

Hosting
SaaS (cloud-based, runs on Toast's Android hardware)
Compliance
PCI DSS
Mobile app
Yes

About the vendor

Founded
2011
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Employees
~6,500
Ownership
Public (NYSE: TOST)
Notable customers
Caribou Coffee, Rebel Cheese, Trick Dog, Bodhi, Caribe Royale Orlando

Alternatives to Toast POS in POS Integration

Toast POS — frequently asked questions

Is Toast POS only for restaurants?

No. Toast also serves retail businesses, especially hybrid concepts that combine retail with food or beverage service, such as wine shops, bakeries and cafes. Toast reports serving thousands of retail stores in addition to 171,000+ restaurant locations as of Q1 2026.

Does Toast POS work if the internet goes down?

Yes. Toast's offline mode lets staff continue placing orders, printing tickets and receipts, and taking card payments during an internet or network outage, syncing automatically once connectivity is restored.

What does Toast POS cost?

Toast does not publish fixed software tier pricing; it quotes a plan after a demo based on hardware, locations and payment volume. Its Pay-As-You-Go plan prices the first hardware device at $0, with software and processing fees layered on top, and 0% interest hardware financing is available by application.

Does Toast POS integrate with QuickBooks?

Yes, via xtraCHEF Sync, a premium xtraCHEF by Toast feature that automatically creates daily sales journal entries in QuickBooks Online mapped to the operator's GL codes, without manual data entry.

Is Toast a payment processor?

Toast is not itself a card processor; it is a payment facilitator that partners with processors to provide integrated, PCI-compliant payment acceptance across its own hardware.

Compare Toast POS head-to-head

Free PDF · Vendor-neutral · No sales calls

The POS Integration Buyer's Guide

Before you commit to Toast POS, see how it sits against the 13 POS integration systems we track — on capability, ERP integration depth and what each one actually charges for.

POS Integration Buyer's Guide

13 systems compared · 2026

ERP Research

  • Toast POS compared side-by-side with 12 alternatives
  • ERP integration checklist — what to verify before you shortlist
  • The pricing questions that change the quote
  • A Toast POS evaluation brief, included with the guide
Free Download

POS Integration Buyer's Guide

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Get a quote for Toast POS

Toast POS publishes a list price, but the number you pay depends on volume, modules and integration scope. Tell us your setup and we'll come back with a realistic figure and the alternatives worth quoting against it.

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