SkyTab vs Toast: Which Restaurant POS Actually Saves You Money?

Toast's pricing looks simple on the surface. Their Starter Kit advertises $0/month. Their Point of Sale plan starts at $69/month. But according to multiple independent sources, the true monthly cost for most single-location restaurants using Toast typically falls between $150 and $500/month for software and add-ons alone—before processing fees.

Processing fees are where the gap widens significantly. Toast's publicly listed in-person processing rate starts at 2.49% + $0.15 per transaction on their paid plan, or 2.99%–3.09% + $0.15 on the Starter Kit. For online orders, the published rate is 3.50% + $0.15.

SkyTab's approach is fundamentally different. With the Dual Pricing program, your effective processing cost can be reduced to 0%. The monthly software fee is $29.99—and that includes online ordering, reservations, KDS, labor management, and reporting. There are no add-on fees for core features.

SkyTab: Everything is included in $29.99/month — online ordering (commission-free), reservations and waitlist management, kitchen display system, labor management and scheduling, reporting and analytics via Lighthouse, contactless QR ordering, mobile handheld ordering, menu management with multi-channel sync, and 100+ third-party integrations.

Toast: Core POS starts at $69/month, but key features are typically additional. According to publicly available pricing guides and third-party reviews, Toast's add-on features—such as online ordering, loyalty programs, email marketing, gift cards, payroll, and advanced scheduling—each carry separate monthly fees. Multiple sources report that restaurants commonly add $100–$300/month in add-ons on top of the base subscription.

SkyTab provides hardware at no cost as part of your subscription. This includes POS terminals, kitchen display screens, and handheld devices (SkyTab Mobile and SkyTab Glass). All hardware comes with a lifetime warranty—if a device fails, it's replaced at no charge.

Toast uses proprietary hardware that, according to their public pricing page and third-party sources, typically costs $799–$1,034+ per terminal when purchased upfront. Importantly, Toast hardware only works with Toast—if you switch POS providers, the hardware cannot be repurposed.

SkyTab offers 24/7 phone support in both English and Spanish at no additional cost, along with dedicated local account managers and remote device access for troubleshooting. Every SkyTab customer is assigned a local support team.

Toast also offers 24/7 support via phone and web messaging, included with all plans. Toast's support is English-language and handled through their centralized support team. Multiple review sources note that Toast's support quality can vary.

SkyTab does not require long-term contracts. There are no early termination fees. If the system isn't right for your restaurant, you can leave without financial penalty.

According to multiple third-party sources, Toast typically requires 2–3 year contracts. Early termination may result in fees covering the remaining hardware balance and potential software fees. Toast's contracts also auto-renew, and their merchant agreement allows processing rate increases with 30 days' written notice.