Toast Alternatives for Restaurants
Looking for a Toast alternative? A fair, dated look at Square, Lightspeed, TouchBistro, Epos Now, Flipdish and DineHarbor, and who each suits.
Updated 4 min read
On this page
Key takeaways
- People look beyond Toast for different reasons: availability outside the United States, hardware and payment tie ins, add on costs or contract terms.
- Square, Lightspeed, TouchBistro, Epos Now, Flipdish and DineHarbor each publish different amounts, so compare the same setup on all of them.
- We could not open Toast's own pages in October 2026, so this article makes no claim about Toast's prices or contracts beyond what its UK pages showed in search.
- Whatever you pick, ask about hardware lock in, card rates, contract length and data export before you sign.
In short: the best Toast alternative depends on why you are leaving or never started. If it is price, look at Square's free plan. If it is depth, look at Lightspeed or TouchBistro. If it is flexibility over payments and a flat price, look at DineHarbor. We checked each vendor's own page in October 2026 and say where we could not.
A note on Toast first
Toast is a large restaurant platform, best known in the United States, with UK pages that list starting prices. In October 2026 Toast's own site returned an access error to our tools, so we could not confirm its online ordering terms, kiosk, kitchen screens, card rates or contract. Our Toast comparison lists what its UK pages showed in search results, and nothing more. Please read Toast's own page before comparing.
Alternatives at a glance
Prices as of October 2026 from each vendor's page, excluding VAT unless stated.
| Option | Published entry price | Payments | Good fit for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square for Restaurants | Free plan; Plus £69 a month per location (Square UK) | Square's own, 1.75% in person (pricing) | Small venues starting cheaply |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Basic €89 a month (Lightspeed) | Rates not stated | Growing restaurants wanting depth |
| TouchBistro | POS from $69 a month, with payments and hardware from $119 (TouchBistro) | Rates not stated | Table service venues |
| Epos Now | Bundles with a subscription from £54 a month (Epos Now) | Rates not stated | Hardware and support in one bundle |
| Flipdish | POS plus ordering from €99 a month billed annually (Flipdish) | Integrated payments | Takeaway and kiosk focus |
| DineHarbor | Starter £69 a month per location (pricing) | Your own provider | Flat price, own ordering |
Square for Restaurants
Square lets you start with no monthly fee and pay only processing. Add ons are priced by device: kitchen display from £15 a month and a kiosk at £35 a month, and hardware is sold separately. A one person venue can begin cheaply, while a busy restaurant should total the devices. Read the Square comparison.
Lightspeed Restaurant
Lightspeed's three plans include one, two or three registers, with more at €49 each. Kitchen display and QR ordering are included from Core. Its page shows euros while its FAQ mentions pounds, so ask for a UK quote in writing. See the Lightspeed comparison.
TouchBistro
TouchBistro sells a point of sale plan and an Essentials bundle that adds payments and hardware, plus a custom setup. Kitchen display and online ordering are quote only, and it states there is no commission on online orders. The page shows dollars and no country, so confirm UK availability and pricing.
Epos Now
Epos Now's UK page leads with hardware bundles that need a 12 month payments, care and support subscription from £54 a month. Card rates and VAT status are not on that page. Ask for the full total, since several promotional prices appear together.
Flipdish
Flipdish bundles a point of sale and online ordering with your own branded website from €99 a month billed annually, or €129 billed monthly, per site. Kiosks, kitchen display and managed marketing are add ons without a published price, and transaction fees and contract terms are not stated on the page. See the Flipdish comparison.
DineHarbor
Every plan includes the till, kitchen screens, waiter phones, online ordering and QR table ordering for a flat price per location: Starter £69, Growth £129 and Unlimited £219 a month, excluding VAT, with a 30 day trial and no card. It does not sell hardware, does not process cards itself and does not connect to Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat. It has no iPhone app in the App Store yet.
Questions to put to every vendor
- What hardware do I need, and does it only work with you?
- Which card rates apply to my mix of orders, and can I use another provider?
- What is in the monthly price, and what is a paid add on?
- How long is the contract and how do I cancel?
- Can I export my menu, customers and sales if I leave?
Our guides to what a POS costs and switching restaurant POS walk through the sums and the move.
Questions and answers
Why do restaurants look for Toast alternatives?
Common reasons are availability and support in their country, a wish to choose their own payment provider, add on costs, hardware tie in and contract terms. Check each against Toast's own current terms.
Is Toast available in the UK?
Toast has UK pages, including one for London, according to the pages we could see in search results. Check Toast's site for current availability and prices.
What is the cheapest alternative to Toast?
Square publishes a free plan with processing fees, which is the lowest published entry price here. The cheapest total depends on devices, add ons and card volume.
Can I keep my own payment provider?
With some systems yes. DineHarbor connects to your own provider, while Square, SumUp and Epos Now are tied to their own payments. Ask every vendor.
See it in DineHarbor
About the author
Editorial team
The DineHarbor team writes this blog for restaurant owners and managers. Every article is checked against the product before it is published, so what we describe is what the software does.
All articles by DineHarbor team
