TouchBistro vs Toast: Price, Features & What’s Best in 2022
This article is part of a larger series on POS Systems.
Toast and TouchBistro are excellent point-of-sale (POS) systems designed especially for restaurants. Both are great choices, but when considering TouchBistro vs Toast, we found Toast had more features and integrations and was better suited for most restaurants, especially sit-down restaurants with a lounge and a busy kitchen. Meanwhile, TouchBistro is, in general, cheaper, lets you choose your own payment provider, and works on an iPad—making it simpler to learn and deploy. In a nutshell:
- TouchBistro: Best for smaller operations, restaurants with simpler inventories, and those preferring iPads
- Toast: Growing restaurants of all types, especially those wanting a hardy POS system and intense inventory tools
TouchBistro vs Toast At a Glance
Best for | Small restaurants, food trucks, iPad users | Growing restaurants, fast food, delivery |
Monthly fee | $69 per terminal | $0*–$165 |
Available sales channels | In-person/in-restaurant, online, add checkout to an existing site, mobile orders, delivery services, local delivery | In-person/in-restaurant, online, add checkout to an existing site, mobile orders, delivery services, local delivery |
Restaurant features | Very good | Excellent |
Integrations/extensions | Good (restaurant, accounting, business intelligence) | Very Good (restaurant-focused) |
Payment processing | TouchBistro (Good) or third-party merchant accounts | Toast Payments only (Good) |
Mobile app | Reservations and reports | For takeout orders only |
Ease of use | Excellent | Excellent |
Customer support | 24/7 year-round via phone, email, or online chat, resource library | 24/7 year-round via phone, email, or online chat, Toast University, resource library |
Real-world user score** | 4.18 | 4.19 |
*Toast’s Starter Plan comes with a higher payment processing fee.
**User scores are averaged from multiple third-party user review sites.
We’ve been impressed with both Toast and TouchBistro for many years. You’ll find them on several of our best POS lists:
When To Use Each
Most Affordable: TouchBistro
Monthly fee | $69 per terminal | $0 for first terminal, $165 per month |
Contract length | 1 year | 2 years |
Remote launch support fee | $0 | $0 |
In-person/advanced support installation fee | Custom | $250+ |
In-person transaction fee | Interchange-plus (TouchBistro) or third-party | Pay-as-you-go: 2.99% + 15 cents Standard: 2.49% + 15 cents |
Online transaction fee | Interchange-plus (TouchBistro) or third-party | Undisclosed |
Contract length | 1 year | 2 year |
Digital ordering and marketing | $50/month | Additional 0.4% per transaction or $75/month |
Terminal and register pricing | Call for quote | $799 + $69/month (waived with pay-as-you-go) |
KDS system | Call for quote | $499 + $25/month |
Kiosk system | Not available | $769 + $90/month |
Loyalty program | $99/month | $50/month or included in digital ordering plan |
Reservations | $299/month | Via integration |
Gift cards | $25/month | $50/month or included in digital ordering plan |
Marketing | $99/month | Email—$75/month or included in digital ordering plan |
Inactivity fee | None | $85/month after 90 days (waived with pay-as-you-go plan) |
Card reader | Call for quote | $389 + $50/month |
TouchBistro, in general, is the cheaper POS system. It costs $69 per terminal, per month, compared to Toast’s monthly plans which cost $69–$165 per terminal, per month (unless you choose the Starter plan with a pay-as-you-go option). Its online ordering system is also $25 per month cheaper. TouchBistro has interchange-plus payment processing fees and lets you choose your own payment processor from the built-in TB Payments, TSYS, or Square, so you can shop for the best rates, which may save you money over Toast’s payment processing fees.
For hardware, it runs on most iPads, so you may be able to use hardware you already own. However, TouchBistro does offer peripherals like stands and card readers. You need to call for a custom quote for these.
When Toast Is More Affordable
If you have a very small restaurant that only needs one terminal, Toast has a Starter Plan that gives you the basics (including a countertop or handheld terminal) for free with a payment processing fee of 2.99% + 15 cents per transaction. Otherwise, prices start at $50–$69 per month (depending on your terminal selection) with a payment processing fee of 2.49% + 15 cents per transaction. The free plan comes with a POS terminal, tap payment device, router, software, and support. You’ll need to pay for peripherals like a kitchen printer or cash drawer.
You may also find Toast a more affordable option if you are looking for additional tools, such as for marketing and loyalty.
Best for Taking Orders: Toast
Drive-thru management | ✔ | ✔ |
Customizable POS menu | ✔ | ✔ |
Order modifications | ✔ | ✔ |
Course management | ✔ | ✔ |
Set up discounts | ✔ | ✔ |
Table management | ✔ | ✔ |
Manage online and in-person orders | ✔ | ✔ |
Auto-86ing of items | Not available | ✔ |
Open tabs | ✔ | ✔ |
Reopen checks | ✔ | ✔ |
Self-service kiosks | ✔ | ✔ |
Reservations | Add-on | Via integration |
Tableside ordering | ✔ | ✔ |
Toast ranked No. 1 on our list of best restaurant POS software because of its excellent functionality, which includes customizable menus, tableside ordering and payment, and the ability to reopen checks. It also has slightly more robust drive-thru management than TouchBistro. Its inventory system can track and automatically 86 items—another way it stands apart. Overall, it’s an excellent system.
Toast offers a feature-rich POS system that’s easy to use. (Source: Toast)
When To Use TouchBistro
Again, price and choice come into consideration when choosing TouchBistro. While it lacks the ability to auto-86 items, you can still 86 items manually and the stockout will reflect throughout the system. It has its own Reservations add-on for $299 per month, which is competitive compared to Toast’s third-party integrations.
Best for Online Takeout & Delivery: Tied
Takeout management | ✔ | ✔ |
In-house delivery management | ✔ | ✔ |
Work with delivery services | ✔ | ✔ |
Throttle orders | ✔ | ✔ |
Centralized inventory | ✔ | ✔ |
Social sales | ✔ | ✔ |
SMS texting to customers | ✔ | ✔ |
When it comes to online ordering, TouchBistro and Toast are closely aligned—in fact, both make it to our list of the top delivery POS systems. Both have an online ordering system that handles pickup or delivery and lets people order from your website or social media pages. Both have tools to help you manage orders. For example, you can add wait times to throttle orders so your kitchen staff does not get overwhelmed. They also have features for managing your drivers. The information integrates with your marketing and loyalty programs (if you have them).
Both systems integrate with delivery systems through third-party apps. Toast has 11 integrations. Some are direct, such as Grubhub or DoorDash, and some are aggregators like ItsaCheckmate. Toast, meanwhile, only uses the aggregators Deliverect and Ordermark.
TouchBistro, however, is $25 per month cheaper. Toast does include some online ordering in its $165 per month Essentials Plan, but the full Online Ordering tool is only free for the first three months.
Best for Inventory Tracking: Toast
# Products | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Categories, modifiers, groups | Excellent; deep dives | Good; hidden group for tax-free items used as modifiers |
Ingredient tracking | ✔ | Manual updates |
Shelf layout | ✔ | No |
Low stock alert | ✔ | ✔ |
Demand forecasting | ✔ | No |
Waste tracking | ✔ | No |
Vendor management | ✔ | ✔ |
Menu reports | ✔ | Via integration |
In July 2021, Toast acquired xtraCHEF, replacing its strong inventory system with one on overdrive. Set up ingredients by location—down to the shelf, if desired—and even assign people responsibility for a section (such as bartender or line cook). Add products by group, individually, or by recipe. It offers multiple ways to set unit price, either by last cost or an average of the last three, seven, or nine purchases. In addition to low stock levels, you can set par levels, which takes into account regular deliveries when forecasting scarcity. You can manage vendors on the software as well as track waste. Overall, it’s a stronger software for inventory than TouchBistro (and made our best food service POS inventory system list), though it does come at an extra, custom-quoted cost.
Step 1 in inventory creation is setting up an area for the item. (Source: Toast)
When To Use TouchBistro
TouchBistro’s inventory system is simpler, and you need an integration if you want vendor management, but if you have a coffee shop selling prepackaged goods, or a restaurant or pub with a more basic menu, then TouchBistro should fit the bill. If not, you can add integrations like MarketMan for vendor management.
Best for Customer Management: Toast
Reservations | Via integration | Add-on |
Customer profiles | ✔ | ✔ |
Marketing emails | ✔ | New! TouchBistro Marketing (Add-on) |
SMS text marketing | ✔ | Through web app only |
Loyalty programs | Add-on | Add-on |
Coupons | ✔ | ✔ |
Toast overall offers better customer management tools and at cheaper prices than TouchBistro. For $75 a month or 0.4% per transaction, you can get the online ordering and digital marketing plan, which includes marketing and loyalty programs. Toast lets you text customers through its phone while TouchBistro only allows you to text customers through its online ordering web app—something they need to sign up for. Toast ties rewards points to the customer’s credit card, so there are no loyalty cards needed. Toast also tracks customer orders—a great feature for eateries like pizzerias where the customer is likely to order the same thing each time.
Toast makes it easy for customers to sign up and use rewards points. (Source: Toast)
When To Use TouchBistro
One thing we did not see in Toast that TouchBistro includes in its loyalty program is the ability to make special notes, such as if a customer is vegan or has allergies. Toast records purchase history, which may reveal customer dietary restrictions, but does not have a place for you to add notes. TouchBistro’s ability to create a more personal profile could be an asset for family restaurants or those working to build a group of loyal regulars.
Best for Employee Management: Toast
Scheduling | Via integration | Via integration |
Time clock | ✔ | ✔ |
Time off management | Via integration | Via integration |
Payroll Processing | Add-on | Via integration |
Training | ✔ | ✔ |
While both systems are good for employee management, with time clocks and training, plus top-rated integrations for scheduling, Toast takes the lead because it has its own payroll system as an add-on service. Toast Payroll is custom-priced per location, based on pay groups, with a monthly minimum. It charges extra for services like tips management or off-cycle payroll.
While both offer training, we were more impressed with Toast’s videos and its Toast Classroom, where managers can get extra training not only on the software but on running a restaurant in general. Toast also offers live training and written training materials in both English and Spanish.
Toast Payroll works closely with the POS to ensure you have accurate information. (Source: Toast)
When To Use TouchBistro
Real-world users say that they can teach their employees how to use TouchBistro in a matter of hours, so you may not need additional training like Toast offers. In addition, TouchBistro integrates with QuickBooks for payroll or Push Operations for scheduling and payroll. The integrations may be cheaper than Toast Payroll.
Best for Back-office Functionality: Toast
Onboarding | Basic; more with Payroll add-on | Basic |
Reports | Excellent | Good |
Banking Services | Loans | No |
Multi-location management | ✔ | ✔ |
Compliance checks | Wages, Breaks, Overtime | Gratuities |
Business Insurance | ✔ | No |
Integrations | Excellent | Good |
Toast outpaces TouchBistro in back-office operations. While both have an excellent variety of reports, Toast goes a bit further with guest engagement and kitchen operations reports. It has compliance checks for wages and more if you add Toast Payroll. It also offers dozens more integrations than TouchBistro. Toast also offers business assistance, like capital funding for which it charges a fixed fee. You repay automatically through a percentage of every guest payment. TouchBistro does not offer this service.
Kitchen reports give a detailed view of ticket fulfillment and the efficiency of your line staff. (Source: Toast)
When To Use TouchBistro
TouchBistro still offers an excellent variety of reports for sales, labor, staff, menu, payments, and more. You can customize these as well. It does check for tip-credit compliance, but other compliance matters could be covered with an integrated payroll or HR software.
Best for Payment Processing: TouchBistro
Payment types | Varies by payment provider | Credit, debit, check, ACH |
Calculate taxes | ✔ | ✔ |
Calculate tips | ✔ | ✔ |
Split payments | ✔ | ✔ |
Pre-authorized bar tabs | ✔ | ✔ |
QR Codes | ✔ | ✔ |
Invoices | None | In Beta |
Online payments | ✔ | ✔ |
Offline mode | ✔ | ✔ |
TouchBistro takes the lead here because it offers the most variety. You can select your payment provider to get the best deal. You can even add PayPal to your online ordering to make it more convenient for customers. TouchBistro itself offers interchange-plus payment processing, which is often cheaper than fixed pricing. You need to call for a quote.
When To Use Toast
Toast’s payment processing rates are competitive: 2.4% + 15 cents if you have a monthly plan or 2.99% + 15 cents if you use the Starter (pay-as-you-go) plan. If you prefer Toast to TouchBistro, then payment processing is not the reason to reject it. Toast is also working on an invoicing tool, which is an asset for restaurants that cater. TouchBistro has no such tool.
Best Hardware: Toast
Card reader for mobile | None | ✔ |
Card readers for counter or handheld | ✔ | iPad |
POS terminals | ✔ | ✔ |
Third-party hardware compatible | No | Limited |
Kiosk compatible | ✔ | No |
KDS | ✔ | ✔ |
Offline mode | ✔ | Payments |
Digital menu boards | ✔ | No |
Toast offers robust POS hardware designed to handle the heat and other stresses of a busy restaurant and kitchen. It also offers more variety than TouchBistro, including barcode scanners and scales. However, you do need to purchase Toast hardware from them. You cannot bring in your own system.
When To Use TouchBistro
If you love iPads, then give TouchBistro serious consideration. You can use your own iPads or purchase them from TouchBistro. Then you can add other tools like routers, mini servers, kitchen printers, monitors, and more. It has recently discontinued its self-service kiosks and digital menu boards, however. Prices are custom, so contact TouchBistro for a quote.
TouchBistro also offers bundles for small and large venues. (Source: TouchBistro)
Best for Ease of Use: Tied
Onboarding help | Self or Professional (fee) | Self or Professional (fee) |
Store/restaurant setup | Easy and Quick (few hours) | Good (can take weeks) |
Customizable screens | ✔ | ✔ |
Product images | ✔ | ✔ |
Modify orders | ✔ | ✔ |
Store management | ✔ | ✔ |
Website setup | ✔ | ✔ |
Personal assistance | ✔ | ✔ |
User ease of use score | 4.2 | 4.2 |
*We looked to third-party-user-review sites like Capterra, taking into account only the scores in the ease-of-use category.
If you want an easy-to-use POS software for your restaurant, you can’t go wrong with either solution. Both have excellent user interfaces for your waitstaff and administrators. Toast may take longer to get established than TouchBistro, but that depends on the complexity of your menu and inventory. TouchBistro, meanwhile, will require you to integrate with a payment provider.
Even real-world users give them a tie when looking at ease of use. Both earned a 4.2 out of 5 just on customer support. This is an excellent score for SaaS in general and above average for restaurant POS systems.
Best for Customer Support: Tied
Live support | 24/7 year-round via phone, email, or online chat | 24/7 year-round via phone, email, or online chat |
Online help articles | ✔ | ✔ |
Video tutorials | ✔ | ✔ |
Advanced training | No | Toast University |
Advanced support | Remote | In person (additional fee) |
User customer support score* | 3.7 | 3.7 |
*We looked to third-party-user-review sites like Capterra, taking into account only the scores in the customer support category.
We give kudos to both Toast and TouchBistro for having 24/7 year-round live help via phone, email, or online chat. Their help sections are thorough and include illustrations and videos. Both services go beyond how to use the software with white papers on many aspects of restaurant management. Toast provides some additional help, such as with online setup. TouchBistro offers personal help remotely, while Toast has in-person assistance and training available for a fee. Coincidentally, both have the same user score when it comes to customer support, just like they did with ease of use.
Bottom Line
When it comes to Toast vs TouchBistro, Toast is overall a more complete software and better suited for larger restaurants, like sit-down eateries with large menus or with a bar or lounge attached. TouchBistro, meanwhile, is a little cheaper and simpler, but by no means meager in its features. It’s a great choice for smaller restaurants, food trucks, as well as for those who don’t need extensive inventory and like the convenience of an iPad-run software.