Toast vs Shift4

Round by round

1. Round 1How long you are locked inToast wins
   Toast8/10

   2 to 3 years

   auto-renewing, with early termination fees; the low end is used

   Source: posusa.com ↗

   Shift45/10

   Not stated

   Verified 2026-10-13 on official site.

   • 3 years, against 2 to 3 years

   Source: posusa.com ↗

   Toast wins this round on independent review-site data, not on its own claims.

2. Round 2What customers say on TrustpilotToast wins
   Toast8/10

   2.7 out of 5

   TrustScore from 1,489 reviews on Trustpilot

   Source: trustpilot.com ↗

   Shift45/10

   1.4 out of 5

   TrustScore from 450 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.

3. Round 3What the software costsToast wins
   Toast8/10

   Starter Kit from $0/mo

   Starter Kit (Pay-as-you-Go), restaurant

   Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗

   Shift45/10

   $29.99/mo incl. hardware

   Shift4 Dine (ex-Revel/SkyTab) Table-Service Bundle, Standard Pricing (Build Your System)

   • $29.99/mo incl. hardware, against Starter Kit from $0/mo

   Source: dine.shift4.com ↗

   Toast wins this round on what the published sources say.

4. Round 4What it costs to get a card readerTie
   Toast7/10

   $0 upfront for first device

   Starter Kit (Pay-as-you-Go), restaurant

   Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗

   Shift47/10

   $0 upfront (reader in bundle)

   Shift4 Dine (ex-Revel/SkyTab) Table-Service Bundle, Standard Pricing (Build Your System)

   Source: dine.shift4.com ↗

   Nothing to separate them here.

5. Round 5Who picks up when the till is downTie
   Toast7/10

   24/7/365 support included

   Starter Kit (Pay-as-you-Go), restaurant

   Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗

   Shift47/10

   24/7/365 support

   Shift4 Dine (ex-Revel/SkyTab) Table-Service Bundle, Standard Pricing (Build Your System)

   Source: dine.shift4.com ↗

   Nothing to separate them here.

6. Round 6Selling when the internet dropsTie
   Toast7/10

   Offline mode takes cards

   Starter Kit (Pay-as-you-Go), restaurant

   Source: pos.toasttab.com ↗

   Shift47/10

   Takes cards offline

   Shift4 Dine (ex-Revel/SkyTab) Table-Service Bundle, Standard Pricing (Build Your System)

   Source: dine.shift4.com ↗

   Nothing to separate them here.

Side by side

Top ratedToast

Check price

Shift4

Check price

Overall score

7.2

Best

6.1

Price

See price

See price

What the software costs

7.2

5.9

What customers say on Trustpilot

6.7

5.6

Who picks up when the till is down

7.4

7.4

How long you are locked in

5.8

5.0

What it costs to get a card reader

7.8

7.8

Head-to-head findings

What the software costs

Starter Kit from $0/mo

$29.99/month

What customers say on Trustpilot

2.7 out of 5

1.4 out of 5

Who picks up when the till is down

24/7 support

24/7/365 support

How long you are locked in

2 to 3 years

Not stated

What it costs to get a card reader

$0 upfront for first device

$0 upfront (reader in bundle)

What the top plan costs

Point of Sale from $69/mo

—

What each card sale costs

—

2.75% + 15¢ standard rate

Selling when the internet drops

Offline mode takes cards

Takes cards offline

Record

Head-to-head record

9–0

1–5–1

Head-to-heads won

100 %

17 %

Rounds won

58 %

21 %

Pros

• the cheapest plan, per month

Cons

• 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

• $99, against $0
• 3 years, against No contract
• 1.4 out of 5, against 3.7 out of 5
• 2.75% + 15¢ standard rate, against 2.6% + 15¢ in person

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