SpotOn vs Toast Comparison
If you’re looking for a new restaurant point-of-sale system for your restaurant, you’ve probably heard SpotOn mentioned alongside Toast, TouchBistro, NCR Aloha, Square, and others. As one of the leading software and payments companies in the field, SpotOn is a favorite among restaurant operators, managers, and staff alike, thanks to its tremendous value, ease-of-use, and personalized support. While both systems offer comprehensive cloud-based point-of-sale solutions for restaurants, SpotOn consistently scores higher than Toast in real user reviews*.
It's also important to remember that in 2023, when Toast began charging a 99 cent fee directly to guests on all online orders over $10, many Toast users were outraged, going so far as to write open letters to Toast on LinkedIn. And while Toast reversed course on the fee due to customer backlash less than a month later, it still left a bad taste in the mouths of many Toast users.
In contrast, SpotOn has a long track record of offering commission-free online ordering, with no additional fees added on to the end consumer, with full POS integration, 2-way texting, pacing controls, and advanced reporting. It's part of SpotOn's commitment to fair, affordable, and transparent POS pricing.
Let’s take a look at the differences between SpotOn vs Toast POS systems so you can make an educated decision about which solution makes the most sense for your restaurant.
About SpotOn Restaurant POS
SpotOn is a software and payments company that’s quickly garnered a reputation for providing the technology and support that helps local businesses—and the people who run them—to succeed on their own terms. Known for its flexible, cloud-based technology and personalized support, SpotOn offers an end-to-end platform to accept payments, boost revenue, streamline operations, and create exceptional guest experiences. SpotOn’s integrated product set for restaurants includes point-of-sale, online ordering, labor management, QR order & pay, waitlist & reservations, marketing & loyalty, and comprehensive reporting.
In 2023, SpotOn was named Best for Overall Restaurant POS by Nerdwallet.
SpotOn provides intuitive technology that "works the way you work,” and backs it up with a 24/7 support team that make sure it always does—with fairness, flexibility, and a personal touch. Many of SpotOn's employees have worked in hospitality for years and deliver the level of expert service and support that sets SpotOn apart from other POS companies.
About Toast POS systems
Toast is a cloud-based point-of-sale company offering a range of features for restaurants and bars. As a point-of-sale provider, Toast offers online ordering, inventory management, reporting, and much more to help streamline operations. Similar to SpotOn, Toast was recognized by Nerdwallet as a top POS, specifically for dine-in and online business.
Toast vs SpotOn | Capterra comparison
Choosing the right POS system is essential for your restaurant’s operations, but it’s not always easy to compare cloud-based POS solutions with similar offerings. To compare Toast vs SpotOn, we’ve analyzed real Toast reviews and SpotOn reviews from Capterra, a trusted online service that helps organizations find the right software solutions for their operations. Specifically, we’ve analyzed the overall review score for SpotOn and Toast, as well as specific scores across four categories that Capterra tracks: ease of use, customer service, features, and value for money.
As you can see in the comparison grid below, SpotOn scores an overall rating of 4.4 compared to Toast's overall rating of 4.2.
SpotOn Restaurant POS | Toast POS | |
Overall rating | 4.4 | 4.2 |
Ease of use | 4.3 | 4.3 |
Customer service | 4.3 | 3.7 |
Features | 4.3 | 4.1 |
Value for money | 4.3 | 3.9 |
*Results current as of 01/23/2024 based on average score of all Capterra reviews for each respective company
Ease of use
When it comes to ease of use, SpotOn and Toast are neck and neck, both scoring 4.3 out of 5 stars. Users love that SpotOn is quick and easy for staff to learn and that it helps save managers time by making back office changes and real-time menu adjustments on all stations immediately, including across multiple locations.
Customer support
More than in any other category, customer support is where SpotOn outshines Toast and other Toast competitors, with a Capterra score of 4.4 compared to Toast’s score of 3.7. SpotOn users love having a dedicated team to support them, personalized implementation and training, quick response time, local sales reps who meet their needs, proactive support after installation, and overall transparency in communications.
Features
When it comes to features, SpotOn has a score of 4.3, compared to Toast’s score of 4.1. Users love how SpotOn Restaurant POS is customizable to their workflows for both the front-of-house and back-of-house, as well as the easy-to-understand and customizable reporting. Users also appreciate the integrated software solutions that all work together, such as handhelds, QR order & pay, online ordering, waitlist & reservations, digital loyalty, and labor management.
Value for money
When it comes to value, SpotOn once again ranks higher than Toast with a Capterra score of 4.36 compared to Toast’s 3.9. Users appreciate SpotOn’s transparent pricing, lack of junk fees, and the overall features for a fair price. One user even reported that SpotOn’s costs were 90% lower than their previous point-of-sale system company’s.
Toast POS system: overall strengths
According to user reviews, Toast POS systems offer a variety of tools and modernization for its users. In particular, users like that Toast is a tremendous upgrade over old legacy POS systems. Toast also has a good reputation for providing strong features to improve restaurant operations. These features include contactless payments, loyalty programs, robust handhelds, KDS, and more.
Toast POS system: overall weaknesses
Toast users have complained about expensive pricing, including overcharging for unwanted products, which can have a lasting effect on profit margins for restaurants in today’s challenging hospitality environment. Additionally, some users have reported clunky user experiences and subpar customer support, forcing them to switch to Toast POS competitors out of necessity.
SpotOn delivers over Toast
As a restaurant operator, you’re facing increased costs, changing guest expectations, and a seemingly never-ending labor shortage. SpotOn’s team is here to help you overcome those challenges—and whatever challenges come next—with flexible solutions and personalized service and support.
As Kevin Bryla, SpotOn’s CMO and Head of Customer Experience noted with the release of Capterra’s competitive comparison, “It’s an incredibly challenging time to run a restaurant, so we’re focused on simplifying business for operators—delivering strong, stable tech that is easy to use and makes staff training simple; building integrations or partnerships that streamline operations; answering the phone when our clients need us.”
Curious how SpotOn compares against other Toast competitors? Find more SpotOn reviews here, or check out the comparisons below to discover more.
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*This content is provided for informational purposes only. All claims are based on average Capterra ratings from verified user reviews. Ratings are collected on a 1-to-5 basis.