Blog / August 21, 2026
Integrated restaurant POSA Toast POS alternative with no monthly software fee
The Ser.vi POS has $0 monthly subscription. On POS orders the fee is 3.0% + 20¢, paid by the restaurant by default. You can pass it to customers with a cash discount program, and most of our POS restaurants do. That covers platform fees and credit card processing. Hardware is separate and offered on terms — ask about payment options.
Updated October 2026. Competitor prices are quoted from their official pricing pages, with dates.
Short answer
Ser.vi is a Toast POS alternative for independent restaurants with $0 monthly software. On POS orders the fee is 3.0% + 20¢, paid by the restaurant by default; you can pass it to customers with a cash discount program. Online ordering is 0% commission (the guest pays 5% at checkout), and QR order-and-pay runs on the same menu. Hardware is separate and offered on terms. There's no contract unless you finance hardware.
Ser.vi vs Toast vs Square for Restaurants: published pricing
| Ser.vi | Toast | Square for Restaurants | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly software | $0 | "Starting at $0/month" per Toast's pricing page; other plans quoted by sales | $0 Free, $49 Plus, $149 Premium, per location |
| Who pays card processing | Restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢ on POS (can pass to customers with cash discount program) | Rate not listed on Toast's pricing page (Toast says it's a payment facilitator) | The restaurant: 2.6% + 15¢ in person on Free, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus, 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium |
| Online orders | 0% commission; guest pays 5% at checkout | Not priced on the pricing page | Commission-free ordering profile; online card fee 3.3% + 30¢ (Free) or 2.9% + 30¢ (Plus, Premium) |
| Hardware | Separate, on terms | Upfront hardware and implementation; only approved Toast hardware; 0% financing by application | Hardware sold separately (from $59 per Square's page) |
| Contract | None, unless you finance hardware | Not stated on the pricing page | Plus and Premium: cancel or switch anytime |
| QR order and pay | Included, table and counter | Not priced on the pricing page | QR code ordering listed on plan features |
Toast: pos.toasttab.com/pricing, page last updated August 20, 2026, read October 7, 2026. Square: squareup.com restaurant pricing, read October 7, 2026. Prices change; check each vendor's page before you decide.
What a Toast alternative should save you
Most POS bills have three parts: software, card processing, and hardware. Toast and Square both publish a $0 starting plan, so the software line alone doesn't settle it. The bigger number is processing. On Square Free, a $40 in-person ticket costs the restaurant $1.19 (2.6% + 15¢). On Ser.vi, the restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢ on that ticket — or you can pass it to customers with a cash discount program, and most of our POS restaurants do. Then add per-device fees for a kitchen display or kiosk, and the price of hardware you can only use with one vendor.
When Toast, Square, or Ser.vi is the better fit
Stay with Toast
If you want one vendor for POS, payroll and team tools and you're fine with Toast-approved hardware. Toast's pricing page offers payroll bundles and 24/7 support with every subscription.
Pick Square for Restaurants
If you'd rather absorb card fees than show a fee to guests, or you already run Square for retail. Square Free has no monthly fee.
Pick Ser.vi
If you want $0 monthly software, card processing paid by the customer at checkout, 0% commission online ordering and QR order-and-pay on one menu, and no contract unless you finance hardware.
Switching from Toast to Ser.vi
Toast's own pricing page says its services run only on approved Toast hardware, so plan on new devices when you leave. Ser.vi hardware is offered on terms; we'll go over options on a demo. Setup takes one week from the time we receive everything we need.
The integrated POS without the monthly bill
Counter, table tabs, bar tabs, and tableside pay — connected to online ordering and QR self-service.
$0 monthly subscription
No monthly POS software fee. A small convenience fee at checkout, paid by the customer, covers Ser.vi platform fees and credit card processing.
Ser.vi hardware
Hardware is separate and offered on terms — ask about payment options. Online ordering uses your own compatible tablet and printers.
All order types
Fast counter service, open table tabs, bar tabs, split payments, comps and voids, gift cards, and tableside payments.
Zero-commission online orders
The same menu powers direct online ordering at 0% commission — not a separate, paid add-on with marketplace rates.
QR order & pay
Self-service at the table or counter to cut lines and labor, printing to your existing printers.
No contract unless financing
Online ordering has no contract. The POS also has no contract unless you want hardware financing. No setup fee on the POS.
A Square for Restaurants alternative too
Square for Restaurants sits in the same category as Toast: a capable POS that typically charges restaurants a monthly software fee on top of card processing. We are not quoting Square or Toast rate cards here — those change by plan and sales channel. The difference with Ser.vi is the model.
Ser.vi POS software is $0 a month. On POS orders, the restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢, which covers platform and card processing; you can pass it to customers with a cash discount program. Hardware is separate and offered on terms — ask about payment options. Online ordering runs on your own compatible tablet and printers. No contract unless you want hardware financing.
Online ordering is not a separate marketplace bolt-on. Direct orders are 0% commission, on your branding, with the same menu as the POS and QR codes. Optional marketing plans — Save & Promote $249/mo, Grow & Retain $449/mo, Inspire & Connect $749/mo — are there if you want SEO, ads, email, and a branded app. See pricing and the POS product page.
Our hardware — on terms. Ask about payment options.
Ser.vi has served restaurants since 2016. One week setup from the time all required information is received. Online ordering has no contract. POS has no contract unless you want hardware financing.
Counter, tabs, and bar
One interface for walk-up, table tabs, bar tabs, and phone orders.
Staff pins & reporting
Secure staff pin login, comps and voids by server, real-time reporting from any device.
Payments your way
Cash, credit, gift cards, split payments. Choose your processor, or a flat-rate partner.
Same menu everywhere
POS, online ordering, and QR self-service share one menu.
“Their online ordering met our separate weekend menu requirements that others could not. Our customers are happy and love the new platform, and it works with our pickup lockers.”
Andrew Dimatos
Midland Bagels
Questions restaurants ask
- How much does the Ser.vi POS cost?
- No monthly subscription and no setup fee. The POS runs on a 3.0% + 20¢ per transaction fee that the restaurant pays by default. You can pass it to customers with a cash discount program, and most of our POS restaurants do. That rate includes credit card processing. Hardware is separate and offered on terms.
- Is Ser.vi a Toast POS alternative with no monthly fee?
- Yes. Ser.vi is an integrated restaurant POS with $0 monthly software subscription. Unlike typical restaurant POS platforms that charge a monthly software fee, the restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢ per transaction covering platform and card processing. You can pass it to customers with a cash discount program. Online ordering has no contract. The POS also has no contract unless you want hardware financing.
- Can I use my existing tablets and printers?
- It depends on the product. Online ordering runs on equipment you already have — your own tablet and kitchen printers, as long as they're compatible. We'll confirm compatibility before you start. Hardware is separate and offered on terms. Ask us about current options and terms.
- Is Ser.vi also a Square for Restaurants alternative?
- Yes. Square for Restaurants is in the same category: a restaurant POS that typically charges a monthly software fee plus processing. Ser.vi has $0 monthly POS subscription, hardware on terms — ask about payment options, and includes zero-commission online ordering and QR self-service on the same menu. Marketing is separate.
- Does Ser.vi include online ordering?
- Yes. Online ordering is free to you at 0% commission — you keep the order total. The guest pays 5% at checkout. There is no monthly fee and no contract. Marketing is separate. Delivery apps typically charge 25–30% commission and keep the customer data. Optional marketing plans are Save & Promote $249/mo, Grow & Retain $449/mo, and Inspire & Connect $749/mo.
- Is there a contract?
- Online ordering has no contract — you can cancel any time. The POS also has no contract unless you want hardware financing. If you do, the hardware comes with a term agreement. If you don't need financing, there's no POS contract either.
- Is there a free Toast alternative?
- Ser.vi has no monthly software fee for the POS or online ordering. Guests pay 5% on online orders. On in-store POS orders the fee is 3.0% + 20¢; you can pass it to customers with a cash discount program, and most of our POS restaurants do. Hardware is separate and offered on terms, so "free" means free to run the software, not free hardware.
- How much does Toast cost per month?
- Toast's pricing page says plans start at $0 a month, with upfront costs for hardware and implementation; other plan prices come from Toast's sales team. Check pos.toasttab.com/pricing for current terms.
- What are Toast's fees?
- Toast's pricing page doesn't list a card processing rate. It says upfront costs are hardware and implementation, and that its Pay-as-You-Go plan uses an all-in-one platform rate. Ask Toast for a written quote. On Ser.vi, the restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢ on POS orders, which includes processing. You can pass it to customers with a cash discount program.
- Can I buy hardware separately from my POS software?
- With Ser.vi, yes: the software has no monthly fee and hardware is separate, offered on terms. The POS has no contract unless you choose hardware financing. Toast's pricing page says its services run only on approved Toast hardware.
- Who pays card processing on Ser.vi?
- The guest pays 5% at checkout on online orders. On POS orders the restaurant pays 3.0% + 20¢ by default; you can pass it to customers with a cash discount program, and most of our POS restaurants do.
See the POS on our hardware
Free personalized demo. No commitment, no credit card. Online ordering has no contract.
By requesting a demo you agree to our Privacy Policy.