TouchBistro vs Square: Cost and Fees Calculator
Enter your volumes to compare estimated monthly costs and fees for TouchBistro and Square across the selling types both offer, using published US pricing.
Full POS system
Estimates combine processing fees and monthly subscriptions on the plans noted above. One-time hardware, setup, and add-ons are excluded. Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and may have changed.
How the TouchBistro vs Square calculator works, and how the two compare
TouchBistro is an iPad-based restaurant POS known for fast, reliable front-of-house service with a built-in offline mode. TouchBistro starts at $69 per month for the POS; payment processing is negotiated through its payment partner rather than published (modeled here at 2.49% + $0.15), and add-ons like online ordering ($50) and reservations ($229) cost extra. Square is an all-in-one flat-rate payments company covering card readers, full POS systems, and online stores. Square charges 2.6% + $0.15 in person on its free plan (readers from $59, Square Terminal $299), and 3.3% + $0.30 online on the free plan; paid plans at $49 and $149 per month lower those rates.
How they are similar: Where they overlap: both TouchBistro and Square cover running a full point-of-sale system, which is what this calculator compares. In both cases the bill is driven by a percentage of each sale plus any fixed per-transaction fee, which is why your average transaction size changes the effective rate as much as the headline percentage does.
How they differ: Only Square offers in-person card readers and online selling, so that side of the business is not part of this comparison. TouchBistro operates as a point-of-sale platform where software subscriptions and card processing come as a package, while Square operates as flat-rate card processing with published per-transaction fees. TouchBistro runs on standard iPads you own outright and keeps working through internet outages, but its unpublished, negotiated processing rates make quotes harder to compare. Square is the strongest all-rounder: one account covers in-person, POS, invoices, and a free online store, with no monthly fee required to start.
Assumptions used in this calculator
- TouchBistro is modeled on: $69 per month; processing negotiated via payment partner (2.49% + $0.15 modeled).
- Square is modeled on: 2.6% + $0.15, free POS software, Square Terminal $299.
- Rates are published or typical US pricing as of mid-2026 and change often; quote-based providers are modeled at representative rates. Always confirm current pricing with the provider.
- One-time hardware, setup, add-on apps, keyed-in transactions, international cards, and chargeback fees are excluded from the monthly figures.