Toast suits restaurants first: it's built for busy service, with front of house, kitchen and online ordering connected, and it's used in 180,000 locations. Clover suits businesses that want one POS across food, retail or services, with a wide range of devices and an app store to add tools. If you run a restaurant, start with Toast; if you run a shop, salon or mixed business, look at Clover.
Both are modern cloud POS systems with handheld devices, online ordering and reporting. The difference is focus. I read Clover's home and POS pages, including the small print, and Toast's home page.
Clover and Toast side by side
| Clover | Toast | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Food and beverage, retail and services | Restaurants, plus some retail concepts |
| Scale | 5M+ devices shipped | Trusted by 180,000 locations |
| Devices | Mini, Flex, Station Duo, KDS, Kiosk | Restaurant POS and handheld POS |
| Online orders | Commission-free online ordering | Online ordering, catering and events |
| Add-ons | App Market with Yelp, Homebase, Mailchimp, QuickBooks | Toast IQ, loyalty, email marketing, labour tools |
| Getting started | Account approval first | Free demo |
The Clover rule to know before you order
Clover's own small print says accounts are subject to approval, including credit approval, and devices are only shipped after your application is approved. Once you're approved, it says your system arrives in one business day. So if you're opening soon, apply early rather than leaving the POS to the last week.
Where Toast shines
Toast is built around the pace of a restaurant. It says it's built for peak volume, slim margins and complexity at scale, with front of house, back of house and online ordering working in sync. Toast IQ adds an assistant, and Toast IQ Team covers labour management. It also lists a handheld POS for taking orders away from the counter.
Where Clover shines
Clover's strength is flexibility across business types. You can choose from small card readers to full counter stations, kitchen display screens and self-service kiosks, then add tools from its App Market, such as Homebase for scheduling or QuickBooks for accounts. Its built-in loyalty and marketing let you send promotions by email, text or the Clover app.
Questions to settle first
- Is food service your main business, or one part of it?
- Do you need a kitchen display and handhelds for table service?
- Which accounting, scheduling and marketing tools must it connect to?
- How soon do you open, given approval and shipping times?
For a wider view, see my guide to POS systems for small businesses, and if you run a restaurant, these AI tools for restaurant bookings pair well with either system.
Hardware to plan for
- Clover: Mini, Flex and Station Duo devices for taking orders and payments.
- Clover: a KDS for the kitchen and a Kiosk for self-service ordering.
- Toast: its restaurant POS plus a handheld POS.
- Both: check which devices your accounting and staff tools support.
Clover also offers commission-free online ordering with delivery management and connects to third-party delivery apps. Toast covers online ordering, loyalty, email marketing, and catering and events, so a restaurant can run most guest-facing tools from one system.
Clover's small print also mentions a 90-day trial of its Essentials or Services Growth software for eligible merchants of selected business types, so ask whether your business qualifies before you compare quotes.
My advice on Clover or Toast
If you run a restaurant, café or bar, book a Toast demo and ask to see a busy Friday service from order to kitchen to payment. If you run retail, services or a mixed business, Clover's device range and app store give you more room. Whichever you lean towards, apply or book early, and check that your accounting tool connects before you sign.
Do you make POS or restaurant software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Toast only for restaurants?
Toast is built for restaurants, and its site also lists retail concepts such as convenience stores, bottle shops, grocery and apparel.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Does Clover need approval?
Yes. Clover says accounts are subject to approval, including credit approval, and devices ship only after the application is approved.
How fast does Clover arrive?
Clover says your system arrives in one business day once you're approved.
Which has a kitchen display?
Both offer kitchen tools. Clover lists a KDS device, and Toast connects front of house and back of house.
Can I add other apps to Clover?
Yes. Clover's App Market includes apps such as Yelp, Homebase, Mailchimp and QuickBooks.
How many businesses use Toast?
Toast says it's trusted by 180,000 locations.
Does Clover offer online ordering?
Yes. Clover offers commission-free online ordering with delivery management and connects to third-party delivery apps.
Does Toast have an AI assistant?
Yes. Toast lists Toast IQ, an assistant, and Toast IQ Team for labour management.
Can Clover send marketing messages?
Yes. Clover says you can send announcements and promotions by email, text or the free Clover mobile app.
