The real cost of a POS system is never the sticker price
When you shop for a POS system, you see the monthly fee first. $0 from Toast. $0 from Square. It looks affordable — until you dig into the full picture.
Hardware is usually the first hidden cost. Toast requires proprietary terminals starting at $799. Clover hardware ranges from $599 to $1,799. Square sells readers, stands, and terminals that add up quickly. Before you take a single order, you have already spent hundreds or thousands of dollars on equipment you did not choose and cannot use elsewhere.
Then the monthly fees climb. Base plans rarely include everything you need. Online ordering is an add-on. Loyalty programs are an add-on. Analytics, inventory management, multi-device support — each one comes with its own line item. A plan that starts at $69/month can reach $200-$300 once you assemble the features a real business needs.
And then there are transaction fees. Most platforms charge 2.5%-3.5% plus a fixed fee on every sale. On $10,000 in monthly revenue, that is $250-$350 gone — every month, forever.
What affordable actually looks like
Simplrr takes a different approach. The entire system runs in your browser. There is no hardware to buy. You use the tablet, laptop, or phone you already own. The monthly price includes everything in the tier — no add-ons, no per-feature charges.
- Free: Full POS with offline mode, up to 150 orders/month
- Starter: Unlimited orders, online ordering, menu management
- Pro: Rewards, analytics, inventory, customer profiles
- Max: Everything, priority support, highest limits
Annual billing brings the price down further on every paid tier.
Side-by-side: total cost of ownership
| Toast | Square | Clover | Simplrr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware cost | $799+ (proprietary terminal) | $0-$799 (readers, stands) | $599-$1,799 | $0 (use your own device) |
| Monthly software | $0-$110+ | $0-$60+ | $14.95-$84.95+ | Flat fee, all features included in tier |
| Transaction fees | 2.49%-3.69% + 15-35¢ | 2.6% + 10¢ | 2.3%-3.5% + 10¢ | None |
| Loyalty/rewards | $50+/month add-on | $45-$105/month add-on | Varies by plan | Included in Pro |
| Online ordering | Additional fees apply | Included (with transaction fees) | Additional fees | Included in Starter |
| Contract | 1-2 year terms | Month-to-month | Varies | Month-to-month |
| Offline mode | Limited | Card payments only | Limited | Full offline-first |
Pricing last verified: March 2026
Where the savings add up
Consider a small restaurant processing $8,000/month in sales. Over 12 months:
- Toast (Plus plan): $799 hardware + $828 software + ~$2,400 transaction fees = ~$4,027/year
- Square (Plus plan): $0-$399 hardware + $720 software + ~$2,496 transaction fees = ~$3,615/year
- Simplrr (Pro annual): no hardware + a flat annual software fee + no transaction fees
The numbers depend on your specific volume and plan, but the pattern is consistent. When there is no hardware cost and no per-transaction fee, the total cost stays predictable and low.
The trade-off — in the interest of honesty
Simplrr does not do everything the larger platforms do. There is no integrated payment processing, no payroll, no kitchen display hardware. If you need those, the larger platforms may justify their cost.
But if your priority is a reliable POS that handles ordering, menu management, online orders, and customer rewards without draining your margins — Simplrr does that at a fraction of the price.
Start free — no credit card, no hardware, no commitment.