Toast vs PayPal Zettle
Toast comes out ahead of PayPal Zettle on 4 of the 6 things that decide this, going by what each company publishes and what independent review sites report. The one that matters for you may be one the leader loses.
The verdict
Toast takes it, 4–1 on rounds.
On the published figures and the independent review sites, Toast takes 4 of 6 rounds. Treat that as a starting point and check the current figures on both pages, because prices and plans move.
Choose Toast if…
- • You want Toast's edge on who picks up when the till is down and what customers say on trustpilot
Choose PayPal Zettle if…
- • You want PayPal Zettle's edge on how long you are locked in
Round by round
- Round 1Who picks up when the till is downToast winsToast8/10
24/7 support
Toast Care is included in every software subscription, by phone or web messaging
Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗
PayPal Zettle5/109:00 am - 5:00 pm on weekdays (no timezone)
Zettle help center contact page (PayPal brand); PayPal US/USD pages state no Zettle support hours at all
- phone and chat 6am to 6pm PT daily, against 24/7 support
Source: zettle.com ↗
Toast wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 2How long you are locked inPayPal Zettle winsToast5/10
2 to 3 years
auto-renewing, with early termination fees; the low end is used
- 2 to 3 years, against No contract
Source: posusa.com ↗
PayPal Zettle wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 3What customers say on TrustpilotToast winsPayPal Zettle5/10
1.4 out of 5
TrustScore from 41,713 reviews on Trustpilot
- 1.4 out of 5, against 2.7 out of 5
Source: trustpilot.com ↗
Toast wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.
- Round 4What it costs to get a card readerToast winsToast8/10
$0 upfront for first device
Starter Kit (Pay-as-you-Go), restaurant
Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗
PayPal Zettle5/10$29 first reader (then $79)
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
- $29 first reader (then $79), against $0 upfront for first device
Source: paypal.com ↗
Toast wins this round on what the published sources say.
- Round 5Selling when the internet dropsToast winsPayPal Zettle5/10
Only via third-party SDK apps
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
- Only via third-party SDK apps, against Offline mode takes cards
Source: paypal.com ↗
Toast wins this round on what the published sources say.
- Round 6What the software costsTiePayPal Zettle7/10
No monthly fee
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle), no monthly fee
Source: paypal.com ↗
Nothing to separate them here.
Side by side
- every day, phone and online chat
- 2 to 3 years, against No contract
- 2.7 out of 5, against 3.7 out of 5
- 2-year agreement (Pay-as-you-Go), against Cancel anytime
- 2 to 3 years, against 12 months
- 1.4 out of 5, against 3.7 out of 5
- Only via third-party SDK apps, against Offline payments on every plan
- phone and chat 6am to 6pm PT daily, against 24/7 support
- 1.4 out of 5, against 2.7 out of 5