PayPal Zettle vs. Toast Point of Sale

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PayPal Zettle
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
PayPal Zettle (formerly PayPal Here) is a POS and payment processing system that includes either a mobile card reader or a chip reader (hardware), and is powered by the mobile PayPal Here app. Admins can add up to 1,000 users per account, and the app also includes invoicing, reporting, and inventory management features. The pricing structure for payment processing is: 2.7% per US card swipe. 3.5% + $0.15 to key in cards. 2.9% + $0.30 to invoice. 1% for cross-border transfers.N/A
Toast Point of Sale
Score 7.1 out of 10
N/A
Toast Point of Sale is a cloud-based restaurant point of sale solution provided as the foundation for Toast's all in one restaurant management solution which supports payment processing, as well as customer care, gift cards and loyalty, as well as back of house and back office (HR, payroll, schedule and shift management, etc.).
$69
per month
Pricing
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Starter
$69
per month
Essentials
$99
per month
Growth
$199
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details——
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Top Pros
Top Cons
Best Alternatives
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Small Businesses
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 out of 10
Square POS
Square POS
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Epicor Eagle
Epicor Eagle
Score 8.3 out of 10
Shopify
Shopify
Score 8.8 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(18 ratings)
5.1
(14 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(1 ratings)
6.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
10.0
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PayPal ZettleToast Point of Sale
Likelihood to Recommend
PayPal
I recommend PayPal Zettle quite a bit, actually. Its flexibility is easy enough to use for people who are not used to technology. Square has good traits, too, but since so many people already have PayPal accounts, it makes it much easier to use. It is perfect for everyday use of bot large and small transactions.
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Toast
For restaurants it's great, and that's the only scenario I'm really use to seeing it. However I do have to say that during Christmas time, our city has a craft bizarre where local artists are featured and sell their wares, and this Bizarre was using Toast POS. Therefore, I think it can really span across all avenues. It's great because of how it categorizes menus, and how you can run reports like a p-mix to see your top sellers, and bottom sellers, etc. The more I think of it, now, really any business that sells something and needs to track those sales, could use this POS. A tire store? Sure. A hat shop? Absolutely. The great thing about Toast is that it is just SO customizable! You can even make the buttons different colors, that's how customizable it is. Lastly, the ability to sell online has been a game-changer. I wish there was a little bit better formatting for online ordering, but really, you can add pictures, descriptions, modifiers, use discount codes, and accept gift cards all online. We didn't have to build out an online store, we just had to build out our menu buttons and we were all set.
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Pros
PayPal
  • The PayPal Here hardware connection is very effective, my mobile device recognizes it immediately and the PayPal Here application to receive payments also recognizes it immediately. I don't have to wait a long time like some other POS.
  • Transactions are made instantly, you just have to pass the NFC chip inside the PayPal Here system, and in a second the transaction will be carried out and it will be shown in the history of the PayPal account registered in the POS.
  • It is very easy to provide a receipt to the customer when they use their card within our PayPal Here POS system, as it allows us to digitally send a ticket to the customer and also allows us to send the invoice by email.
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Toast
  • The ability for guest to select a receipt type.
  • Allowing to enter in different types of orders (current in-store orders, future orders, house account orders, and more).
  • The convenience of touch screen use and strong calibration.
  • Ability to swivel tablet from employee to guest.
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Cons
PayPal
  • While swiped payments are easy, manual entry of payment information often fails. This is a major roadblock when you are in the service industry because not everyone who is making payment is on site.
  • In almost every instance of accepting a payment, we have to call in and reverify every piece of information about our business before we are successful.
  • Whatever system they use to determine how high risk your business is can limit your usage if they get it wrong.
  • Customer service is inconsistent at best. Sometimes issues are handled quickly and easily, other time you have to jump through hoops.
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Toast
  • Though sales details are available in real time, the analytics take 2-3 days to post. So if you are looking for specific modifications you'll have to wait.
  • Though you can edit the menus directly from the devices and move them around like you do on a smartphone, it doesn't give you a sorting option. If you're OCD like me, you have to alphabetize my hand.
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Likelihood to Renew
PayPal
There are no monthly costs, the only expense is the card processing fee which is lower than nearly everyone else out there.
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Toast
There are many features I wish Toast had that it currently does not, but we are likely to renew this year because given Toast's recent increase in funding and expanding of their staff, we are hopeful some of these issues will finally be resolved in 2019. Plus, though I've never done it, I'd imagine that switching to another POS system would take a ton of time, money, and resources---things most businesses don't have a lot of. So we'll sit tight with Toast for now and see what they come up with this year in terms of fixing our biggest pain-points.
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Usability
PayPal
I absolutely LOVE this system. It is very fast and easy to use, and integrates with my eCommerce platform perfectly. The card processing fees are really low and the money is in my account quickly, even on weekends! I can either keep the funds in my PayPal account and access them with my PayPal business debit, or I can transfer them to my back (or a combination of these). The funds are always in my bank next business day. Also, it was one of the least expensive solutions out there as far as the hardware goes.
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Toast
Toast POS is a great basic POS tool, having some features I didn't think would be possible at this price point, such as:
  • processing CC payments in "offline mode" in case there is an internet outage
  • kitchen display screens
  • collecting payment from customers using a handheld right at their table
  • pre-approving card payments to assure the customer has enough money to pay for their order, etc
That being said, I still feel that Toast misses the mark on some things that I truly would consider 'common-sense' features, such as:
  • providing hardware that connects the Register Screen (Elo) to the Cash drawer so it doesn't fall off the table when flipped over for customer signature
  • accepting physical and e-gift cards as payment on their own online ordering platform (ToastOO)
  • a Rewards Program that allows for online enrollment, rather than holding up quick-serve lines to sign up
  • a Promo code feature that allows you to add basic restrictions such as Limit 1 per customer, or date/time limitations
  • increasing in-store operations efficiency by creating more straight-forward ways to manage restaurant/ToastOO hours, and Delivery/Takeout quote estimates
Facing these issues after 3+ years has been a frustration. We hope Toast has some solutions in mind that they will be implementing in 2019.
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Reliability and Availability
PayPal
Adding skus was down for 1hr one day, otherwise have never experienced an outage.
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Toast
No answers on this topic
Performance
PayPal
Everything is very fast. Adding products, selling products, processing cards, and receiving funds.
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Toast
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
PayPal
Support hasn't been needed in the 2 years of using PayPal but I have received calls from the company in the past asking about my experience with the device that was sent to me and they were pretty helpful with advice. Support is all over the internet if needed but for emergencies, so it is best to contact them during business hours.
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Toast
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
PayPal
It went very smoothly.
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Toast
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
PayPal
The main selection criteria were ease of use and the presence of a plugin for WooCommerce. However, in practice it turned out that an important factor is also the availability of the product for purchase in a small batch and at an affordable price. I chose PayPal Zettle because I was able to easily and simply purchase it in my country.
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Toast
Toast is so much easier to use than Breadcrumb. The display is so much easier to navigate. The card readers are more quality with Toast. Chownow was hard because it had its own printer, different than our kitchen printer, for to go orders, but now with Toast's all in one ordering we get the to go orders sent to the kitchen with the same ease as if they were getting fired from the main floor.
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Scalability
PayPal
Have not run into any limitations as of yet, with 500 SKUs entered and counting.
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Toast
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
PayPal
  • PayPal Here has allowed us to have a retail presence when we are away from our home location.
  • We have sold literally millions of dollars in merchandise at events over the last several years that we otherwise would not have been able to.
  • The only negative about PayPal Here is that we did not implement it sooner.
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Toast
  • Offline mode has helped with ROI, as we are still able to process credit cards, whereas before we could not and would have to accept cash only.
  • A streamlined and integrated online ordering platform has cut down on the need of a third-party platform.
  • Customer loyalty program has really motivated customers to order more often with higher ticket averages.
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ScreenShots