SumUp POS vs Toast POS
Side-by-side comparison — pricing, features, ratings, use cases. Find which Pos Systems fits you best.
🔍 Independently researched ·
📊 Data-driven
62/100
Free tier
Small businesses in Europe — like cafes, merch stalls, and field-service pros — that want a low-risk, pay-as-you-go card
★ Best
💰 Pricing
🆓 Free tier available
No monthly subscription required, pay only per transaction; hardware purchased separately.
Fee notes:
- Transaction fee: 1.69% per transaction (chip and PIN, contactless, mobile wallets) for standard card payments
- Transaction fee for manually keyed transactions: 2.55% + 0.10 USD
- Chargeback fee: 13.00 USD per chargeback
- Refund: no fee to refund if within same day; otherwise standard transaction fee applies
- No monthly fees, no setup fees, no cancellation fees
⚠ Watch for:
- Chargeback fee of 13.00 USD applies even if you win the dispute
- Refunds after the same day still incur the processing fee
- International cards and Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) may incur additional FX markup
- Hardware costs are not included; prices for card readers range from 29 to 79 USD depending on model
🔧 Features
✓ European✓ No Monthly Fee✓ Pay Per Tx✓ 4m Merchants✓ Smb✓ Free Tier
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- Free POS software with no monthly fees or long-term contracts – This is a huge plus for small businesses and startups with tight budgets. Unlike competitors like Shopify POS (which costs $89/month for basic features) or Square (which has a free tier but pushes paid plans), SumUp's core software includes everything you need to take payments, manage products, and view basic reports at zero recurring cost. You only pay when you make a sale, which is ideal for low-volume merchants.
- Low-cost, portable card readers with reliable Bluetooth – SumUp’s hardware is among the most affordable on the market, starting at around €29 for the basic reader. The readers are compact, charge quickly, and sync easily with your phone or tablet via Bluetooth. The 3G/4G model lets you take payments anywhere, even without Wi-Fi, which is perfect for market stalls and delivery services. This hardware-first approach is a differentiator in a market where competitors like Zettle (iZettle) charge similar prices but might not offer the same range.
- Intuitive dashboard and simple product management – The software was clearly designed with non-technical users in mind. You can add products with photos, set prices, organize them into categories, and apply discounts in a few taps. The dashboard gives a clear overview of daily sales, transaction history, and customer data (if you collect it). This simplicity reduces training time and lets you focus on serving customers, not fumbling with software.
- Multi-currency and multi-language support for European merchants – Since SumUp is headquartered in Europe, it handles multiple currencies and languages out of the box. This is a lifesaver for businesses near borders or those that sell to tourists. The system automatically settles in your home currency, and you can switch languages easily. This localization is a competitive edge over US-centric competitors.
- Regulation-free setup – You can start using SumUp without a lengthy approval process. There's no credit check or extensive paperwork; you just download the app, verify your identity, and order a reader. You can even begin accepting card payments using the app’s “Card Payments” feature with a smartphone’s NFC (though it's slower than a dedicated reader). This immediacy is perfect for businesses that need to start selling quickly.
⚠ Watch out for
- Transaction fees are relatively high compared to competitors with subscription plans – While the free POS software is great, the per-transaction fee of 1.69% for card payments is higher than some competitors if you're doing high volume. For instance, Zettle (iZettle) charges 1.5% for Visa/Mastercard, and SumUp itself offers lower rates (1.49%) if you pay for the SumUp One plan. If you're processing more than €10,000/month, the cumulative fees might exceed what you'd pay with a flat monthly subscription like Lightspeed or Shopify POS.
- Advanced features are locked behind a paid SumUp One plan – The free tier only includes basic reporting, inventory, and single-user access. If you need multiple staff users (with different permissions), advanced analytics, or integrations with accounting software like Xero or QuickBooks, you'll need to subscribe to SumUp One (starting at €39/month). This effectively adds a recurring cost, undermining the “free” appeal for growing businesses.
- Hardware is proprietary and not compatible with third-party peripherals – Unlike open POS systems that allow you to connect any barcode scanner, cash drawer, or receipt printer, SumUp hardware is designed to work only with SumUp’s own accessories. This limits your ability to build a custom setup. For instance, you can't connect a standard cash drawer via USB; it must be a SumUp-compatible one (which they sell, but at an additional cost). This lock-in could be a dealbreaker for businesses with existing hardware.
- Customer support is limited – SumUp primarily offers support through email, a help center, and a contact form on their website. There's no phone support in many countries, and live chat is only available in certain regions. Response times can vary, with some users reporting delays of 24-48 hours. This might be frustrating if you encounter a payment issue during a busy sales period and need immediate help.
- No built-in loyalty program or CRM – While SumUp does allow you to collect customer emails and send promotional emails (via the free plan), there's no advanced loyalty program or customer relationship management (CRM) built in. You'll need to integrate third-party apps (often via the paid plan) to create points-based loyalty or targeted marketing campaigns. For businesses that rely on repeat customers, this could be a missing feature.
🎯 Best for
Small businesses in Europe — like cafes, merch stalls, and field-service pros — that want a low-risk, pay-as-you-go card payment solution without subscription fees.
🚫 Who should skip
Full-service restaurants, large multi-location retailers, and businesses that need deeply customizable POS software for complex workflows.
📚 Learning curve
Minimal — setting up the app and pairing a card reader is straightforward, and the interface is simple enough for staff to learn in a few minutes.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
SumUp POS is a fantastic choice for micro-businesses, pop-up shops, and mobile vendors who need a low-cost, no-contract payment solution with basic inventory and sales tracking. It's also ideal for businesses that want to start taking card payments without a significant upfront investment. However,
54/100
—
US restaurant operators who want a single, purpose-built POS platform that handles front-of-house operations, online ord
💰 Pricing
Pricing not publicly available
Fee notes:
- Payment processing fees: around 2.6% + 10 cents per transaction for standard card-present rates.
- Toast offers a 'Pay-as-you-go' pricing model with no monthly software fee but higher transaction rates (approx. 2.99% + 15c).
- Toast adds a 0.05% fee to the total transaction amount when the transaction is less than $1,000 (i.e., for typical card present transactions). Actually, Toast charges a flat $0.25 fee for each transaction over $1,000 (instead of percentage).
- Hardware: upfront purchase or lease; costs vary by setup (e.g., Toast Flex handheld ~$699, Toast Go 2 ~$399 each).
- Additional services like Toast Payroll, Toast Online Ordering, and Toast Marketing have separate costs; often quoted per month, but not publicly listed.
⚠ Watch for:
- Early termination fee if you sign a 3-year contract and cancel early (default is 3-year term; monthly plan has no contract but higher rates).
- Additional fees for premium support or advanced features add-ons.
- Equipment refund processing fee: 2.5% credit card fee on refunds.
- Chargeback fees: $25 per chargeback.
🔧 Features
✓ Restaurant Only✓ 85k Locations✓ Online Ordering✓ Payroll✓ Us Leader
📋 Assessment
💪 Strengths
- Purpose-built for restaurants: Unlike generic POS systems, Toast is deeply integrated with restaurant workflows. Features like visual table mapping, menu modifiers, kitchen display, and course routing are native to the system, not afterthoughts. This means faster order entry, fewer miscommunications, and a smoother flow from front-of-house to back-of-house. For example, modifiers allow you to customize items (e.g., 'no onions, extra sauce') easily, and course routing ensures appetizers and mains are fired in the correct order.
- All-in-one ecosystem: Toast brings together online ordering, delivery integrations, loyalty, gift cards, payroll, and inventory under a single platform. This eliminates the need for separate software subscriptions and reduces the complexity of managing multiple vendors. For instance, you can offer direct online ordering with no commission fees (unlike third-party apps), and loyalty points are automatically tracked across in-store and online purchases.
- Strong reporting and analytics: Toast's backend provides real-time dashboards and customizable reports. You can track sales by item, labor cost as a percentage of sales, food cost, and even customer behavior. This data helps operators make informed decisions, like adjusting menu prices or optimizing staff schedules. The ability to drill down into hourly sales trends is invaluable for shift planning.
- Mobile and handheld options: The Toast Go handheld lets servers take orders and process payments tableside, reducing trips to fixed terminals and speeding up table turns. Similarly, Toast's counter service solution integrates with kitchen display screens to keep orders flowing. For full-service restaurants, this directly improves guest experience and can increase average check size via upselling prompts.
- Scalability for multi-location: Toast supports multi-location management with centralized reporting, menu updates, and inventory tracking across sites. This is a huge advantage for chains that need consistent operations and the ability to compare performance across venues. The cloud-based system ensures data is always up-to-date.
⚠ Watch out for
- Opaque pricing and long contracts: Toast does not publicly list its pricing. Instead, you must contact sales, negotiate bundles, and sign multi-year agreements. The actual cost hinges on your processing volume (they take a cut of credit card transactions) and which add-ons you choose. This makes it difficult to compare costs with competitors and can lead to surprise fees if your volume changes.
- High hardware cost and lock-in: You are required to use Toast-branded hardware, which is proprietary and expensive. A standard terminal kit can cost over $1,000, and handhelds even more. You cannot use your own iPad or terminal, so initial capital expenditure is significant. This lock-in makes it harder to switch providers later.
- Add-on fees add up: While the base system includes core POS functionality, many useful features are upsells. Payroll, advanced inventory (which includes item-level ingredient tracking), and certain integrations (like online ordering with delivery through third-party apps) come at an additional monthly cost. These can add hundreds of dollars per month, especially for larger operations.
- Customer support can be inconsistent: While Toast offers 24/7 phone, chat, and email support, response times and expertise vary. Some users report long hold times or being passed between agents. The self-help knowledge base is comprehensive, but if you have a critical issue during service, the support experience can be frustrating.
- Internet dependency: As a cloud-based system, Toast requires a stable internet connection. If your internet goes down, you can still process orders offline, but features like online ordering, inventory sync, and real-time reporting are unavailable until connectivity is restored. This is a risk for restaurants in areas with unreliable connections.
🎯 Best for
US restaurant operators who want a single, purpose-built POS platform that handles front-of-house operations, online ordering, delivery, and back-office management in one place.
🚫 Who should skip
Small food stalls, pop-up vendors, or non-restaurant businesses that need a low-cost, flexible, short-term POS without hardware lock-in or multi-year contracts.
📚 Learning curve
Moderate. Basic ordering and checkout are intuitive, but configuring menu modifiers, tax rules, online ordering, and back-office reporting requires dedicated training and practice.
🧑⚖️ Verdict
Toast POS is an excellent choice for restaurants that want a comprehensive, restaurant-specific system with powerful features and analytics. It's particularly well-suited for full-service and quick-service establishments that can afford the upfront hardware cost and are willing to commit to a multi-
📊 Use Case Suitability
Higher score = better fit. Scores from editorial review.
Use CaseSumUp POSToast POS
Pop-up retail shops and sidewalk stands95—
SumUp's portable card readers and no-monthly-fee pricing make it ideal for low-v
Salon and home-service payment collection85—
You can invoice clients and take card payment at their doorstep, though booking
Cafe counter checkouts90—
Simple order entry, inventory tracking, and quick payment suits counter service
Farmers market vendors88—
Standalone battery-powered card reader works without Wi-Fi, and the app keeps tr
Full-Service Table Service Restaurants—98
Toast's tableside ordering, course management, and kitchen display systems are b
Quick-Service / Counter Service—90
Toast supports self-order kiosks, online ordering, and fast checkout lanes, whic
Multi-Location Restaurant Chains—85
Centralized menu, reporting, and inventory controls scale well across locations,
Food Trucks and Pop-Ups—60
Toast offers portable handheld options, but the contract length and upfront hard
🧭 Which One Should You Pick?
Choose SumUp POS if...
- You are: Small businesses in Europe — like cafes, merch stalls, and field-service pros — that want a low-risk, pay-as-you-go card
- 👍 Completely free POS software with no monthly fees or contract.
- 👍 Low-cost, portable card readers that sync to the app via Bluetooth.
- 👍 Trusted by millions of merchants across Europe, with localized payment processing for multiple curre
- 💰 Free tier available
- ⚠ Trade-off: Transaction fees are higher than some competitors if you need premium rate disco
Choose Toast POS if...
- You are: US restaurant operators who want a single, purpose-built POS platform that handles front-of-house operations, online ord
- 👍 Purpose-built for restaurants: deep features like table mapping, menu modifiers, kitchen display, an
- 👍 All-in-one ecosystem: online ordering, delivery integrations, loyalty, gift cards, payroll, and inve
- 👍 Strong reporting and analytics: sales, labor cost, food cost, and custom reports help operators trac
- ⚠ Trade-off: Opaque pricing and long contracts: Toast requires a multi-year service agreement
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Is SumUp POS really free?
Yes, the basic POS software is free with no monthly fees. You only pay a per-transaction fee for card payments, which varies by country and card type. You may also need to purchase a card reader.
What are the card processing fees?
Fees start around 1.69% per transaction for most cards in Europe, though the exact rate depends on your country and the card type. Premium rates are available on a paid SumUp One plan.
Do I need a SumUp card reader or can I use the app alone?
You can use the SumUp POS app for in-person payments only with a SumUp card reader. However, you can also create invoices and accept payments via payment links without the hardware.
Can SumUp POS handle inventory and employee management?
Yes, the free plan includes basic inventory tracking and sales reporting. Advanced features like staff permissions, advanced analytics, and multi-location management are part of the paid SumUp One plan.
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