Toast is a cloud restaurant POS you rent: a monthly software subscription, with hardware and card processing from Toast. Resto is a restaurant POS you buy once and run on your own hosting. This page sets out how they differ, including where Toast is the better choice.
At a glance
| Toast | Resto | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay for the software | Monthly software subscription | One-time licence: $21 Regular, $129 Extended |
| Where it runs | Toast’s platform | Your own hosting, with your own database |
| Hardware | Toast hardware. Its pricing page says the service works only on devices Toast approves | Runs in a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera). Resto does not sell hardware |
| Card payments | Processed through Toast, which is a payment facilitator working with processing partners | Online card payments through Stripe Checkout, plus cash on delivery and pay at counter |
| Support | 24/7 phone or web messaging, included in every software subscription | 6 months of support with every licence |
| Works offline | Yes, Toast lists an offline mode | Yes, orders queue on the device and sync when the connection returns |
| Updates | Handled by Toast | Every future update is free for the life of your licence |
What Resto includes
All of this comes in the one licence, with no add-on modules to buy:
- Point of sale with modifiers, combos, split payments, tips and refunds
- Kitchen display with per-station tickets and bump and recall
- Tables and a waiter app that runs on a phone
- Recipe-based inventory that deducts ingredients on every sale and tracks food cost
- Online ordering and delivery: a branded QR menu, online store and dispatch board
- Reservations and a waitlist
- Double-entry accounting, staff shifts and payroll
- Multiple branches, each with its own stock, tables, staff and prices
- A REST API, and English plus seven more languages, including Arabic right-to-left
The Resto page has the full list and a live demo.
How the costs are structured
Prices on Toast’s side depend on your quote, your sales volume and your hardware, so we don’t print them here. You can work out your own five-year figure for both:
| Toast | Resto | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Monthly subscription from your quote, times 60 months | The licence price, once |
| Hardware and set-up | Hardware and implementation, upfront or through a plan, as Toast quotes you | Hardware you already own or choose yourself |
| Hosting | Not applicable | A $10 a month hosting plan or VPS does the job, so $600 over 60 months |
| Card processing | At the rate Toast quotes for your volume | Stripe’s own fees on online card payments; nothing for cash |
If you would rather not look after a server, we offer a managed self-hosted service from $20 a month where we manage your installation. The own versus rent page works through five years of both.
Where Toast is the better choice
- One company for hardware, software and card payments. If you want a single vendor and a single number to call, Toast is built that way.
- 24/7 support in the subscription. Toast includes round-the-clock support in every software plan. Resto’s support is 6 months from purchase.
- Terminals and processing from your POS vendor. Resto does not supply card terminals. If you need in-person card payments built into the POS, check the Resto page or ask us before you buy.
- No installation of your own at all. A subscription means someone else runs everything.
- Track record. Resto’s first release was in August 2026. Toast has been serving restaurants for far longer.
Where Resto is the better choice
- You pay once. No monthly software subscription, and updates are free for the life of your licence.
- Your data stays with you. Orders, customers and recipes live in your own database on your own hosting.
- Ordinary hosting is enough. Resto needs no Node.js, Redis, WebSockets, queue workers or cron. If your host runs Laravel and MySQL or MariaDB, Resto runs there. See the server requirements.
- You choose your own hardware. It runs in a browser, so you are not tied to one vendor’s devices.
- You get the source code. You can modify it, within the terms of your licence.
- Several branches in one system, and eight languages including Arabic.
What you take on
You install Resto on your hosting once, following the install guide in the documentation, and apply updates by copying files and running migrations. You also keep your own backups. If you would prefer not to, the managed service from $20 a month covers the installation for you, and we’ll add the details once the service pages are ready.
Questions
Does Resto charge for card payments?
No. Online card payments go through Stripe Checkout, and Stripe charges its own fees under its own terms. Cash on delivery and pay at counter involve no processing.
Does Resto work if the internet drops?
Yes. Orders are queued on the device and synced automatically when the connection returns, so a replayed order is never duplicated. Toast also lists an offline mode on its pricing page.
Which licence does a restaurant need?
The licence guide explains Regular and Extended. In short, Extended is the one that lets you charge your own customers for the software as a service.
Can I try Resto first?
Yes, there is a live demo to log in to and click through.
Do I need to run a server?
Resto runs on ordinary shared hosting, or a VPS if you prefer. If you would rather not touch hosting at all, ask about our managed service, which starts at $20 a month.
Statements about Toast come from Toast’s own pricing page, which we read on 6 October 2026. Toast changes its plans and prices, so check its site for current figures.