How much does a restaurant POS cost in the USA?
Last reviewed 2026-08-05 · by the RetailPOS team
The software line is the smallest part of a restaurant POS bill. Hardware and processing dominate — and whether hardware is bought or leased, and whether processing is bundled or brought, is where the real first-year difference lives. Here is the total for a single independent restaurant.
The three cost parts
1. Software (monthly). RetailPOS is $29 Starter / $69 Pro per shop with every feature — kitchen tickets, recipe/food-cost, refunds — and no per-transaction fee.
2. Hardware. Bought once — an iPad ($329) + printer ($230) + kitchen printer/KDS + reader — vs the $0-down, $80–120/month 3-year lease common with bundled restaurant platforms.
3. Processing. Bundled platforms take ~2.49–2.6% + 10–15¢ on every card sale; bring-your-own (e.g. Stripe) lets you negotiate, typically 2.2–2.6% for an independent.
Effective monthly — 1,000 card sales at $8
| RetailPOS (Starter) | Toast (Core) | Square | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software | $29 | $69 | $0–60 |
| Hardware | Bought once (no lease) | ~$90/mo lease | Bought once |
| Processing (~$8k volume) | BYO ~$192 | ~$199 + 15¢×1000 | ~$208 |
| Effective monthly | ≈ $221 | ≈ $508 | ≈ $308–368 |
Figures mirror the like-for-like breakdown in the 2026 cost guide. Toast/Square include processing + (for Toast) a hardware lease; RetailPOS is flat software + bought hardware + your own processor.
When the cheap-on-paper option actually wins
At very low volume (under ~300 card sales/month, single location), a $0-software bundled provider can beat any flat fee on absolute dollars. Above that — and especially across multiple locations — flat software plus bring-your-own processing pulls ahead, because you stop paying a percentage of every sale forever. Full model: how much a POS costs in 2026.
Frequently asked
- Is a restaurant hardware lease worth it?
- Rarely — the 3-year maths almost always favours buying outright. The exception is a shop with no spare capital for the ~$1,000–1,500 up-front cost, and even then a lease should be a temporary bridge.
- What sales tax applies?
- US sales tax is set per state and city, so it varies by location; the POS applies your local rate. Check a rate with the tax calculator.
- Can I really bring my own processor?
- Yes — RetailPOS is bring-your-own-processor on every plan, so you negotiate your card rate directly rather than paying a bundled percentage to the POS.
Open your shop in 30 seconds.
No card. Free until your first 100 sales. Bring your own Stripe; keep your hardware.