Toast is the better choice if you want one platform for POS, payments, and reservations under a single vendor. Resos is the better choice if you want a dedicated reservation system with deeper booking features, a free tier, and the flexibility to pair it with any POS you already use.
Key takeaways
- Toast: All-in-one restaurant POS with reservation add-on, starts at $0/month (Starter), reservations bundled in higher tiers
- Resos: Dedicated reservation platform, $0-149/month, free tier with 25 bookings/month, no POS included
- Core difference: Toast is a POS that added reservations. Resos is a reservation system by design.
- Compatibility: They work alongside each other — many restaurants use both
Toast vs Resos at a glance
| Toast | Resos | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Restaurants wanting one platform for everything | Restaurants wanting dedicated reservation management |
| Primary function | POS + payments + operations | Reservations + table management |
| Reservation features | Add-on to POS | Core product |
| Starting price | $0/mo (Starter POS) | $0/mo (25 bookings) |
| Free reservation tier | No (requires POS plan) | Yes (25 bookings/month) |
| Per-cover fees | None | None |
| POS included | Yes | No |
| Setup | Hardware + software installation | Self-service, under 1 hour |
Quick verdict
This isn’t really an either/or choice. Toast and Resos solve different problems.
Toast is a restaurant operating system. It handles your point-of-sale, payment processing, online ordering, payroll, and — as one of many features — reservations. If you’re choosing a POS and want reservations bundled in, Toast makes that simple.
Resos is a dedicated reservation platform. It handles online bookings, table management, guest profiles, waitlists, and no-show prevention. It doesn’t process payments or take food orders. If reservations are important enough to warrant a specialized tool, Resos goes deeper.
Many restaurants use both: Toast for POS/payments and Resos for reservations. There’s no conflict.
When Toast makes more sense
You’re choosing a POS and want simplicity. If you’re opening a new restaurant or replacing your POS, Toast’s bundled approach means one vendor, one bill, one support number. Adding reservations to an existing Toast setup is straightforward.
Reservations aren’t your primary concern. If you’re a fast-casual concept where most business is walk-in or online ordering, Toast’s reservation add-on handles occasional bookings without a separate system.
You value unified data. Having orders, payments, and reservations in one system means Toast can connect what guests order to their reservation history. This unified view can inform marketing and operations decisions.
When Resos makes more sense
Reservations are core to your business. Fine dining, high-volume booking restaurants, and venues where managing the reservation book is a daily priority need deeper tools than a POS add-on provides.
You already have a POS you like. If you’re happy with your current POS (Toast, Square, Lightspeed, or any other), switching just to get reservations bundled doesn’t make sense. Resos works alongside any POS.
You want a free entry point. Resos’s free tier (25 bookings/month) lets small restaurants or those new to online reservations start at zero cost. Toast’s reservation features require a POS subscription.
You need specialized features. Deposit collection, advanced no-show prevention, guest profiles with allergy tracking, and waitlist management are core to Resos. On Toast, reservation features are secondary to POS functionality.
Pricing comparison 2026
Toast pricing
Toast’s pricing is structured around POS plans, with reservation features included or available as add-ons:
| Plan | Monthly fee | Reservations |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Kit | $0/mo | Not included |
| Essentials | $69/mo | Available as add-on |
| Growth | $165/mo | Included in some packages |
Toast also charges payment processing fees (2.49-3.69% + $0.15-$0.35 per transaction). Hardware purchases are separate. See Toast pricing for current rates.
Resos pricing
| Plan | Regular price | Promo price | Bookings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | $0/mo | 25/month |
| Basic | $47/mo | $24/mo | 350/month |
| Plus | $98/mo | $49/mo | 750/month |
| Unlimited | $149/mo | $75/mo | Unlimited |
No per-cover fees. No contracts. No hardware required.
Features compared
| Feature | Toast | Resos |
|---|---|---|
| Online reservations | Yes | Yes |
| Table management | Yes | Yes |
| Waitlist management | Yes | Yes |
| Guest profiles | Basic | Detailed |
| Deposit collection | Limited | Yes |
| SMS reminders | Yes | Yes |
| No-show tracking | Basic | Yes |
| Floor plan editor | Yes | Yes |
| POS system | Yes (core product) | No |
| Payment processing | Yes | No |
| Online ordering | Yes | No |
| Free reservation tier | No | Yes (25/month) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Toast have a reservation system?
How much does Toast cost for reservations?
Should I use Toast for reservations or a separate system?
Can I use Toast POS with Resos?
Is Toast or Resos better for small restaurants?
The bottom line
Toast and Resos aren’t direct competitors — they solve different problems. Toast is a restaurant operating system that includes reservations. Resos is a reservation system that works alongside any operating system.
If you’re building your tech stack from scratch and want one vendor for everything, Toast’s bundled approach is appealing. If reservations are important enough to warrant a dedicated tool — or you already have a POS you’re happy with — Resos delivers deeper features at lower cost.
The good news: you don’t have to choose. Many restaurants run Toast POS and Resos reservations side by side, getting the best of both.
Related comparisons: OpenTable vs Resos | Resy vs Resos | Best restaurant booking systems 2026