Coffee shop POS cost 2026
Single-location coffee shops with 1-2 terminals: Square for Restaurants Free is the right answer below $30K monthly card volume. Above that, the flat 2.6% + 15c stops being cheap.
A 1-terminal coffee shop with $20K monthly card volume costs about $780/mo all-in on Square Free, plus one-time hardware of $149 for a Stand, $299 for a Terminal or $899 for a Register. SaaS $0. Processing $779 at a $12 average ticket, because the 15c per-transaction fee bites hard on small tickets. PCI $0 statement $0. Toast Starter or talech are alternatives but rarely beat Square at this scale.
Why Square still wins this segment
Square Free has no SaaS line, no contract, free Reader, and a self-serve onboarding that does not require a sales call Square pricing · 2026-09-23. For a single-unit coffee shop under $30K monthly card volume, the math beats every paid alternative.
When to graduate
Threshold to step up: $30K+ monthly card volume, multi-location, complex inventory, deep loyalty needs. At that point Toast Core ($69/terminal/mo) plus a negotiated processing rate becomes cheaper. Lightspeed Restaurant Starter at $69/mo is the alternative for owners who want iPad-based hardware and analytics. Note that Lightspeed renamed this tier: the $69 entry tier is Starter, and the tier now called Essential is $189/mo.
Mobile order-ahead
Mobile order-ahead via Square Online is free on Free plan with the same processing rate. Toast Online Ordering is bundled in Core. Standalone (ChowNow) starts at $99-$199/mo.
talech as an alternative
talech Starter $29/mo per location works for coffee shops with a US Bank business banking relationship talech pricing · 2026-06-20. Outside that channel, Square is cleaner.