Food trucks need a POS that can take food orders, ring up customers, and take payments on the go. The best food truck POS software is the one that’s affordable, can accept offline payments, and is easy to use. Our list includes those with prices that range from $0 to $99 per month, with most starting at under $70.
Top 6 Food Truck POS Systems for 2021
Food Truck POS System | Best For |
|---|---|
Best overall food truck POS system | |
Food trucks that operate in multiple states | |
Contactless ordering and payments | |
Robust loyalty programs | |
Streamlined solutions to deliver better speed of service | |
Detailed inventory tracking |
How We Evaluated Food Truck POS Systems
We compared the most popular POS systems based on features that are most important to food trucks: foundational POS features like product tracking, payment processing, and basic timekeeping. A food truck also needs some streamlined foodservice features that are found in a restaurant POS like a loyalty program, a kitchen display system, and ingredient-level inventory monitoring.
Square for Restaurants emerged as the best overall food truck POS based on our evaluation criteria. The software generated the highest total score of 4.41 out of 5. It is our top choice because it is free to use, operates on iPhones, iPads, and Android phones, and has built-in payment processing with offline payments. In addition, Square for Restaurant’s interface is extremely intuitive, so business can get set up and start taking orders right away.
Click through the tabs in the box below to view our full scoring criteria for identifying the best food truck POS.
25% of Overall Score
When you’re in the field, you don’t always know what your internet situation is going to be, so a food truck POS needs to be completely mobile. In addition, the majority of consumers prefer to pay with debit and credit cards or mobile wallets. Food truck owners need the most competitive processing rates to keep margins in line.
25% of Overall Score
An active fanbase is a must for successful food trucks. Your POS should encourage customers to give you their emails and establish a loyalty program to keep them coming back. I awarded points based on whether or not the POS software offers the following: a loyalty program, email marketing, an online ordering page or website, and social media integrations.
20% of Overall Score
This is based on my personal experience testing various POS systems. I considered any stand-out features that differentiate a software from the rest on the list. I also judged each POS’ popularity, value for money, and ease of use.
15% of Overall Score
Depending on a truck’s style, owners may need ingredient-level or product-level inventory tracking capabilities, online ordering features, kitchen display screens (KDS), or workforce management tools.
15% of Overall Score
I looked at whether or not the software offers a free plan and if its paid subscriptions start at below $75 per month. Food trucks are a low price point business, so any POS for this type of business needs to be low cost. Another factor I considered is whether the software was limited to just one terminal or can accommodate multiple.
Square for Restaurants
PROS
- Free POS
- Free integrated online ordering via Square Online Store
- Conversational ordering system streamlines the order process
CONS
- Deep-level reporting requires a Plus or Premium subscription
- Free version cannot re-open closed checks or auto-86 menu items
- Loyalty and marketing modules cost extra
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 4 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
The best thing about Square for Restaurants is that the baseline software subscription is free. All you pay are the processing fees on credit card, debit card, and contactless payment transactions. Square for Restaurants also operates on iPads, and the basic Square POS operates on any Wi-Fi enabled iOS or Android device. You can get started by creating an account on the Square website.
Our evaluation criteria placed Square for Restaurants at the top, with a total score of 4.41 out of 5. The software got perfect marks for its price, payment processing, mobility features, and my personal assessment based on actual exposure to the software and various user reviews. What prevented it from earning a full 5 overall are its loyalty and email marketing features, which come with a fee. Its inventory tracking capabilities are also only at the product level, whereas many other foodservice-related apps offer ingredient-level monitoring.
Square for Restaurants Pricing
- Software subscription fee: Square for Restaurants offers a free subscription tier that can be used on unlimited devices. Its Plus plan, which unlocks some additional functionalities—like detailed reporting—costs $60 per month.
- Hardware costs: The software operates on iPads. It also sells hardware kits that include cash drawers, card readers, kitchen and receipt printers starting at $1,044 per unit.
- Installation/setup costs: Square for Restaurants is a do-it-yourself installation system, so there are no setup fees to pay.
- Payment processing fees: Payment processing is built-in. Current rates are listed on Square’s website as 2.6% + 10 cents per dipped or swiped transaction.
- Additional software: Square’s Loyalty module costs an additional $45 per month, while its Marketing module is priced at $15 per month.
Square for Restaurants offers financing plans for hardware purchases ranging from $49 to $10,000. Those interested can apply via Square’s website. The provider also offers a 30-day free trial on its higher level POS subscriptions. Finally, unlike several other POS brands, Square users are not locked into long-term contracts; you can cancel your subscription at any time.
Square for Restaurants Features
Square designed its POS to be mobile functioning from the beginning, so the system has tons of features for the likes of food trucks. It has a high functioning offline mode that stores credit and debit card transactions if you lose internet connectivity. These transactions are saved in your system for 72 hours and will run automatically when you regain internet access.
Trucks can easily add online ordering for pick up through Square’s Online store, and a delivery function can be added via third-party integrations, or utilizing Square’s in-built Caviar delivery platform. The baseline Square software has an integrated timeclock to log your employee’s hours for payroll.
Trucks that travel between counties or states can also easily change sales tax rates via the Square dashboard. If you have fleets of trucks in various locations, you can set individual rates for each one. Conversational ordering also allows your team to ring in orders in the way customers speak.
What Square for Restaurants Is Missing
Square for Restaurants’ free subscription does not come with 24/7 customer support. For that, you’ll need to upgrade to a Premium subscription. Square, however, maintains a robust online support community that answers virtually any question about the system. Finally, although setting up Square is a DIY affair and you won’t spend money for installation, expect to invest your time in doing so.
Revel Systems
PROS
- Highly customizable system
- Detailed reporting
- Baseline subscription includes loyalty
CONS
- Its massive functionality is more than what small trucks need
- Three-year minimum contract to lock in pricing
- Expensive
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 4 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 0 | OUT OF | 5 |
Revel Systems is a higher-end, cloud-based foodservice POS system that has a variety of hardware configurations. Use Always On mode for conducting business offline, social media integrations to update customers on your location, and advanced tax features to easily comply with sales tax guidelines for different states.
In our evaluation, Revel Systems earned a score of 4.04 out of 5. It achieved perfect marks on its mobility and payment processing features, as well as CRM. The program’s rather steep price and product-only inventory tools are what prevented it from getting a perfect score, which is why it is second to Square for Restaurants on this list.
Revel Systems Pricing
- Software subscription fees: Revel Systems’ fees start at $99 per month for one register. Pricing is contingent on a three-year service contract and fees are billed annually.
- Hardware fees: Food trucks can purchase only the hardware they need through Revel Systems, which offers iPads, stands, self-service kiosks, cash drawers, printers and more.
- Payment processing costs: Revel Systems works with 95% of payment processors through the USAePay gateway. However, locking in the lowest rates for the POS software requires signing onto its in-built payment processor, Revel Advantage.
- Installation and setup fees: Revel Systems comes with a mandatory installation and onboarding fee that includes console training, menu consultation, hardware installation, and payments setup. This starts at $649.
Revel Systems offers payment plans and leasing options for its hardware. It does not currently offer a free trial, but you can schedule a full demo through the company website. The installation fee gets you the provider’s service team to network your terminals, upload your menu, and set up your payment processor. If you’re running a busy food truck on your own, you might be happy to pay for this level of support.
Revel Systems Features
One of the biggest advantages of using Revel Systems is that food trucks can set up multiple tax types and settings to ensure accurate sales tax collection and reporting for different towns, states, and cities. Like most of the food truck POS systems included in our guide, Revel Systems also has an Always On setting that allows businesses to operate and process payments even when you lose your internet connection.
If you use your truck for catering weddings or special events with cash bars, you’ll like Revel Systems’ ability to open tabs with a credit card swipe. It also has an inventory app that can be used to view inventory levels, take manual inventory counts, receive purchase orders, and scan bar codes. In addition, it offers tons of in-built options for digital menus, KDS, customer facing displays, and self-service ordering tools.
What Revel Systems Is Missing
The biggest drawback to Revel Systems is the price. The mandatory installation fee will increase your costs right out of the gate. Committing to a three-year contract to lock in pricing can also be a concern in the fast-paced, tight-margin food truck business. For high volume, multi-state, and multi-truck brands that cater private events alongside regular business, though, Revel Systems is a great fit.
Toast
PROS
- Incredibly easy to use
- Offers rare functions, like contactless ordering and payments
- Always developing new tools
CONS
- Mandatory installation fee
- Must use Toast as payment processor
- Customizations can get pricey
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 2.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 4.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 1.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
Toast is an incredibly well-reviewed, multi-faceted cloud-based POS built specifically for the food and beverage industry. The brand has been making big moves in 2020 to increase its offerings for small and micro-sized food businesses.
Food trucks can benefit from Toast’s fluency with the food business and enjoy hard to find functions, like seamless contactless ordering and payments. Full pricing for the Toast system will depend on the customizations you choose, but the basic subscription for its all-in-one software starts at $69 per month.
Our assessment places Toast third on this list with an overall score of 3.8 out of 5. It achieved a 5 out of 5 score for its mobility and payment processing functionalities and earned a relatively high mark at 4.25 for its food industry-relevant capabilities. However, the absence of a free option and one-terminal-per-software limit pulled its overall rating down. Its loyalty, online ordering, and email marketing features also come with a fee.
Toast Pricing
- Software subscription fees: Toast offers three subscription tiers: Starter, Essentials, and Growth. Its prices range from $69 to $189 per month, depending on the level of functionality you need.
- Hardware costs: Toast offers an exhaustive suite of POS tablets, kiosks, KDS, self-order kiosks, and credit and debit card readers. Its starter kit comes with a Toast Flex tablet, card reader and router for $799. For any other set up, you’ll have to contact Toast for a custom quote.
- Installation and setup fees: Like Revel, Toast requires a one-time implementation fee to get started. This fee will vary based on your business needs, but starts at $499.
- Payment processing fees: Toast customers must use Toast’s in-built payment processing tool. Current rates are listed as 2.49% + 15 cents for in-person Visa, Mastercard, and Discover Card payments.
- Additional software costs: Toast offers online ordering and digital apps at additionally, quoted prices. To access customer loyalty and marketing functions, you’ll need to sign up for Toast’s Growth subscription tier at $189 per month.
Toast offers 0% interest financing for hardware purchases. Payment processing rates will also vary for card-not-present transactions and American Express payments—a Toast representative can give you a custom quote. To get a full picture of what your costs would be, you’ll need to schedule a demo through its website. Toast does not offer a free trial.
Toast Features
Toast is the second most expensive option on our list, but is a good fit for busy food trucks that want a sophisticated, all-in-one solution. Like Square, the software provides food truck POS system and payment processing capabilities in one package. Toast offers more detailed ordering and reporting features, though, and is also automatically configured to accept offline payments. If you lose internet access, the software will store the credit card payment information and run the payment once the device is back online.
Toast’s add-on loyalty and marketing modules allow food truck operators to email customers with customized promotions like birthday offers in addition to a traditional loyalty points program. Its Order & Pay feature also allows customers to scan a QR code and order and pay directly from their personal smartphones for a fully contactless experience.
What Toast Is Missing
The most likely drawback with Toast is that it just might be more machine than what a small food truck needs. You’ll also be locked into its payment processing tool and won’t be able to shop around for the best rates. If your sales and business model support the cost, though, Toast is one of our favorite POS brands across the board.
Rezku
PROS
- Robust suite of functions included in its baseline POS
- Loyalty is included
- Online ordering module is built-in
- No installation fees
CONS
- Surface-level reporting features
- Customer support is not 24/7
- Relatively new player and could still be subject to bugs
- No free plan
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 3.13 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 0 | OUT OF | 5 |
Food trucks rely on their fanbase more than a lot of businesses. The ability to log customer emails and reach out to them personally with promotions or just your truck’s location is invaluable. Like the other POS options on our list, Rezku is a cloud-based POS that operates on iPads. Unlike others, though, Rezku offers its customer loyalty and marketing functionalities in its baseline system. Pricing for the Rezku POS software starts at $79 per month.
Based on our assessment, Rezku achieved perfect scores for its CRM and food industry-specific tools. The software offers loyalty, email marketing, online ordering, and social media integrations with its base plan. It also provides for ingredient-level inventory tracking, KDS, and workforce management. While it performed well in these criteria, it does not have an integrated payment processing tool. Its lowest subscription tier also costs more than $75 per month and is limited to one terminal, which is why its overall score turned out to be lower than the other software on its list.
Rezku Pricing
- Software subscription fees: Cost starts at $79 per month for a single license.
- Hardware costs: Rezku offers several POS hardware packages for mobile or stationary terminals. Pricing starts at $495 for a metal iPad support frame, countertop card reader, and receipt printer. iPad tablets are purchased separately, or users can bring their own iPads. Rezku also offers printers, bar code scanners, scales, and other hardware to build a custom solution.
- Installation/ Setup fees: Like Square, Rezku has no installation or setup fees.
- Payment processing fees: Rezku partners with Vantiv for payment processing, or you can choose your own payment processor. Rates vary depending on the provider you choose.
- Additional software costs: Rezku includes software for KDS, customer facing displays, online ordering, gift cards, and loyalty in its baseline option. For an additional cost, you can add reservations and waitlist functions.
Rezku offers 0% financing for hardware purchases. Its website also shows that a free trial is available, though it does not state how long the trial lasts.
Rezku Features
Rezku POS works via mobile hotspots and mobile data enabled iPads, so the system works even when you don’t have a great Wi-Fi signal. Credit card transactions received in offline mode are saved for up to three days and will be processed automatically once you regain internet access.
Offline payments are EMV and PCI compliant, and Rezku supports contactless payments on credit and debit cards, as well as Apple Pay. The online ordering and payment system encourages customers to input their email addresses, which you can use for customized email campaigns or a loyalty program.
What Rezku Is Missing
The reporting is not in-depth. Like TouchBistro, Rezku comes with loads of built-in reports, but these reports are not customizable. Unlike Square and Toast, Rezku doesn’t yet offer a ton of third-party integrations. Compared to established brands like Revel and Square, Rezku is a younger POS company.
TouchBistro
PROS
- Offers lots of self-service ordering options
- Users can choose their own payment processor
- Options for digital menu boards, customer facing displays, and KDS streamline your order stream
CONS
- Offline payments can be clunky
- Online ordering is an additional cost
- Built-in reports can be limiting
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 2.5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 4 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 1.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
TouchBistro offers simple inventory tracking and sales reporting in a cloud-based, iPad POS. Food truck operators love TouchBistro for its ease of use. This food truck POS combines the speed of a streamlined system with the ability to choose your own payment processor. Self-service kiosks, online ordering, and QR code ordering functions also allow customers to place their own orders. TouchBistro’s pricing starts at $69 per month, and additional features are individually priced.
Based on our criteria, TouchBistro scored low on this list with an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5. While it did get 5 out 5 scores for its payment processing and mobility features, and even with our first-hand testing experience, many of its key CRM capabilities come with a fee. In addition, its inventory tracking capability, which is relevant to food trucks, is not ingredient-level. Finally, aside from not offering a free plan, its software use is limited to one terminal.
Touchbistro Pricing
- Software subscription fees: Monthly fees start at $69 for a single terminal.
- Hardware costs: The system runs on iPads. TouchBistro sells hardware like iPad stands, cash drawers, printers, and card readers at custom prices.
- Installation/ setup fees: There is no setup fee; because like Square, TouchBistro has DIY installation.
- Payment processing fees: TouchBistro has its own flat-rate payment processing solution, or you can choose from a variety of third-party payment processors.
- Additional software costs: TouchBistro offers additional software for online ordering, reservations, and gift cards at prices that range from $25 to $229 per month. A full list is available on the provider’s website.
TouchBistro does not list the prices of its hardware online, so you’ll need to contact the company directly for a custom quote. To test drive the system, you can sign up for a free trial via its website.
Touchbistro Features
TouchBistro operates entirely via the cloud via iPads so it is highly mobile. TouchBistro really shines when you link the POS to digital menu boards, KDS, and self-ordering solutions. This allows you to focus entirely on getting orders out the door while your customers handle their own ordering and payments.
For self-ordering functions, TouchBistro offers QR code based orders that link to your online ordering menu, as well as fully integrated self service kiosks.
What TouchBistro Is Missing
Securing your own payment processor adds a step to processing offline payments. You’ll need to ensure that your card reader records offline payments, then you will need to forward those payments and ensure that you close out the tickets in the POS. TouchBistro offers a ton of great inbuilt reports, but you can’t build custom reports with only the information you want.
ShopKeep by Lightspeed
PROS
- Operates on iPads and iPad minis
- Has a mobile reporting app
- Inventory management is included in the baseline price
CONS
- All-in-one system is less customizable
- Must use built-in payment processing for offline payments
| RATING CRITERIA | Mobility and Payment Processing | 5 | OUT OF | 5 |
| CRM | 3 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Food Industry Tools | 2.75 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Price | 1.5 | OUT OF | 5 |
ShopKeep by Lightspeed is a cloud-based POS system that operates in iPads and Android tablets. Like TouchBistro, ShopKeep by Lightspeed is designed to be a streamlined, all-in-one system that is incredibly easy to use. It offers three subscription tiers with monthly fees ranging from $49 to $179.
In our evaluation of food truck POS systems, ShopKeep by Lightspeed earned only 3.58 out of 5, placing it last on this list. Robust payment processing and mobility features, ingredient-level inventory tracking, and an online ordering capability contributed to its high score. However, many of ShopKeep by Lightspeed’s food truck-relevant features—like loyalty, email marketing, social media integrations, and workforce management—do not come free. It also does not offer a free plan and its paid subscription is limited to one terminal.
ShopKeep by Lightspeed Pricing
- Software subscription fees: ShopKeep by Lightspeed offers three subscription tiers: Basic, Essential, and Advanced. Its prices start at $49 per month for one license at the Basic level and then goes up to $179 for unlimited licenses at the Advanced level.
- Hardware costs: ShopKeep by Lightspeed uses iPads and iPad minis, which can be purchased new for under $400. Hardware kits with printers, card readers, and cash drawers are available through ShopKeep by Lightspeed at custom-quoted prices.
- Installation/ setup fees: Like Square and Rezku, ShopKeep by Lightspeed does not charge a setup fee.
- Payment processing fees: ShopKeep by Lightspeed allows users to choose their own payment processor but also features ShopKeep by Lightspeed Payments as an in-built offering. Current rates are listed at 2.5% + 10 cents for in-person transactions.
- Additional software costs: ShopKeep by Lightspeed includes online ordering and contactless payment functions at the Basic level. If you want customer loyalty and gift card functions, though, you will need the Advanced tier.
ShopKeep by Lightspeed doesn’t offer a free trial, but businesses that see less than $5,000 per month in sales may qualify for a free ShopKeep by Lightspeed account. This free account lets you access ShopKeep by Lightspeed from a single register, with a single login. It includes unlimited inventory, detailed reporting, and limited access to ShopKeep by Lightspeed’s pocket reporting app. Ideally, your truck does better than $5,000 per month, but the free account can allow you to test the system when you are just getting started.
ShopKeep by Lightspeed Features
ShopKeep by Lightspeed is a cloud-based POS that runs on iPads and iPad minis. The system allows you to accept all major payment methods, print kitchen tickets, and take custom food orders. Offline payment capabilities depend on the payment processing provider you choose, but if you want to guarantee offline payments without any additional steps, you’ll need to go with ShopKeep by Lightspeed’s built-in payment processing.
Where ShopKeep by Lightspeed really shines is with inventory management, which is included in the Basic subscription tier. ShopKeep by Lightspeed tracks inventory levels down to individual ingredients and sends low-stock alerts to your phone. If your truck is high volume or you have limited storage space, this can ensure that you purchase ingredients only when you need them, based on your real-time sales data.
What ShopKeep by Lightspeed Is Missing
ShopKeep by Lightspeed is a great option for food trucks that want ingredient-level inventory tracking. However, if you want a system with customer-facing displays, online ordering options, or self-order kiosks you’ll want to explore Toast or TouchBistro.
Bottom Line
Food trucks need a point-of-sale system that is mobile and can help streamline operations to efficiently take and process orders within a minimum amount of time and space. Food truck businesses also need a reliable solution that can still take payments even without an internet connection. This way, food trucks that are on the move never have to worry about missing revenue opportunities.
Square for Restaurants is the best POS system for food trucks because it is free and easy to use and super easy to set up. Businesses can start taking orders right away with minimal upfront costs and can always add additional features like payroll, marketing, and loyalty programs. Visit Square for a demo and to sign up for a free account.
You May Also Like…
- Read our full guide on how to start a food truck business
- Learn how to get a food truck loan to finance your new business
- Make sure your business is covered with food truck insurance
- Get more customers with these food truck marketing tips
Vanessa Doctor contributed to this article.
Submit Your Comment
You must be logged in to comment. Click a "Log in" button below to connect instantly and comment.
LOG IN