Top POS and Booking Software 2026

Pull your last three merchant statements and divide total fees by total volume processed. That's your effective rate. If it's above 2.9% for a typical restaurant card mix, you're likely overpaying. Most processors quote low "qualified" rates but bury fees in statement charges, PCI compliance, and downgrades. Use our Effective Rate Calculator to see your real number.

Flat-rate (like Square's 2.6% + 10¢) charges the same regardless of card type. Simple, but you overpay on debit cards. Interchange-plus passes through the actual card cost plus a fixed markup — typically cheaper for restaurants doing $30K+/month, but statements are harder to read. If your volume is under $20K/month, flat-rate is usually fine. Above that, interchange-plus often saves 0.2–0.4%.

Most POS platforms let you export historical data as CSV before you cancel. The new system usually can't import it directly into their reports, but you'll have it for your records. The real pain is re-entering your menu, modifiers, and employee permissions. Budget 2–4 hours for setup on a simple menu, longer for complex operations. Ask your new vendor about data migration support — some offer it free during onboarding.

Depends on your volume. If you're doing under 50 reservations a week, the built-in tools in Toast, SpotOn, or Lightspeed are usually enough. But if no-shows are killing your Friday nights or you want prepaid deposits and guest CRM features, a dedicated platform like Tock pays for itself fast. The key question: are you losing more than $300/month to no-shows? If yes, a reservation system with deposits is worth it.

Focus on three things: (1) offline mode so you can still ring sales when internet drops, (2) menu modifier flexibility so your servers aren't fighting the system during rush, and (3) reporting that shows item-level sales and labor percentage without exporting to Excel. Skip features you won't use in year one — you can always add inventory management or loyalty programs later. Most importantly, understand the contract: watch for early termination fees and processing minimums.

If you're doing $5K+/month through DoorDash or UberEats, yes. Third-party apps take 15–30% per order. A commission-free platform like Owner.com or ChowNow charges a flat monthly fee instead — usually $200–500/month. Do the math: if you're paying $1,500/month in commissions, switching saves $1,000+/month. The tradeoff is you lose marketplace discovery, so it works best for restaurants with existing customer bases who just need a better ordering channel.