POS
Square for Restaurants
iPad POS unified with Square payments and ecosystem.
$0–149/mo
What it costs
Three plans: Free ($0/mo), Plus ($49/mo per location), and Premium ($149/mo per location), all on iPad; processing rates step down on higher tiers and hardware is separate. No long-term contract, with free trials on paid plans.
Best for
Single and small-multi independents who want an affordable, easy POS that just works and can start at $0/mo.
Pros
- Genuinely free entry tier with no monthly fee
- Easy to set up and run; clean iPad interface
- Tightly unified with Square payments, online ordering, and ecosystem
- Predictable, transparent flat-rate processing
Cons
- Locked to Square payment processing
- Thinner for complex coursing and large fine-dining floors
- Advanced inventory/reporting gated behind paid tiers
- Less restaurant-specialized than Toast or TouchBistro
Integrations
Native to the Square ecosystem (Square Online, Loyalty, Payroll, KDS); growing third-party app marketplace, though narrower than Toast's.
Alternatives
Toast · Clover · TouchBistro
Our take: The best low-risk starting POS for independents — affordable, friendly, and reliable, as long as you're fine processing payments through Square.
Pricing is the public list rate or a research estimate as of June 2026 — always confirm on a live quote. We take no commission from any vendor; this is for reference.