Comparison · Updated October 6, 2026
Lavu vs Toast for restaurants
Lavu
B-
Lavu is an Albuquerque restaurant technology company founded in 2010 by Andy Lim, and it has a genuine claim to being the first restaurant point-of-sale system built for the iPad. It raised a $15 million investment from Aldrich Capital Partners in 2015 — reported at the time as the largest Series A in New Mexico's history — and has since assembled a full restaurant stack around the till: a kitchen display system, online and contactless ordering, a dual-pricing (cash discount) programme, payroll, back office and its own payment processing under the name Lavu Pay. Through 2026 the company repositioned hard around Marty AI, an overnight analysis layer that reads point-of-sale, labour and inventory data and delivers a "Morning Deposit" briefing of recoverable cash to managers before service, published a comparative report on AI capabilities across seven major restaurant POS platforms in March 2026, and now markets itself as an intelligent financial operating system rather than a till. Independent reviewers place its plans at roughly $59, $129 and $279 a month with a three-year commitment; Lavu itself no longer publishes a pricing page.
Toast POS
B
Toast POS is the leading all-in-one cloud-based restaurant management platform, purpose-built for the food service industry with deep features for ordering, payments, payroll, and analytics, but comes with restrictive multi-year contracts, mandatory payment processor lock-in, and a history of transparency controversies.
VS
Overview
Lavu and Toast both sell a restaurant point of sale with payment processing attached, but they differ in what they tell you before you sign. As of October 2026, Toast publishes its standard prices for a new single-location US restaurant: $69 a month for the Basic software, 2.49% + 15 cents per in-person Visa, Mastercard or Discover payment, and $1,153 for its countertop hardware kit. A pay-as-you-go option cuts the monthly fee and the hardware cost to $0 and charges 3.09% + 15 cents instead. Online Starter Kit orders carry a two-year agreement. Lavu publishes no software prices and no card rates, and its pricing page now redirects to its homepage. What it does publish is its hardware shop and its terms of service. Those terms renew a subscription for the same length as the first term, do not let you cancel before the term ends, and require the person who signs to guarantee the business's obligations personally. Lavu wins on flexibility. It runs on ordinary iPads, and restaurants can use a processor other than Lavu Pay, although its MenuDrive online ordering then charges 2% on every transaction. Toast restricts processing to its own payments, except for select enterprise customers, and runs only on Toast-approved hardware. Toast publishes its deposit schedule and has the better BBB grade. Lavu has the much better Trustpilot score. Payment Review grades Toast B and Lavu B-.
Key Takeaways
- ✓Toast is the better choice for most restaurants that want to know the price before they sign. As of October 2026, it publishes $69 a month and 2.49% + 15 cents per in-person card payment, or $0 a month at 3.09% + 15 cents on pay-as-you-go. Lavu publishes neither its software prices nor its card rates.
- ✓Lavu gives you more choice. It runs on Apple iPads and supports processors other than Lavu Pay. Toast requires its own payments, except for select enterprise customers, and runs only on Toast-approved hardware. If you use MenuDrive online ordering without Lavu Pay, Lavu charges 2% on every transaction.
- ✓Toast's contract terms are clearer. Online Starter Kit orders run two years, renewals run one year at a time, and you need to give 30 days' notice to stop. Lavu does not publish its initial term, renews for the same length as the first term, does not allow cancellation before the term ends, and requires a personal guarantee from the signer.
- ✓Toast deposits card sales the next business day if you batch before 9:30 p.m. ET, otherwise in two, and offers instant deposit for 1.75%. Lavu publishes no funding schedule for Lavu Pay.
- ✓Reputation is split. On 6 October 2026, Lavu scored 4.3 on Trustpilot from 668 reviews against Toast's 2.7 from 1,491. On the BBB, Toast is rated A+ and Lavu A. Both are accredited, and both have customer-review averages near 1 out of 5.
Lavu
Lavu suits independent and small multi-unit restaurants that want an iPad-based system they can partly equip themselves. It also suits operators who want to keep a processor other than the POS vendor's own. Its niche menu tools (pizza builder, combo builder, multiple revenue centres) suit awkward service models. Get every price, the card rate, the initial term and the renewal terms in writing, because Lavu publishes none of them, and remember that the signer guarantees the agreement personally.
Toast POS
Toast suits most independent and small-group US restaurants that want to know the price up front. It suits restaurants that want point of sale, online ordering with third-party delivery integrations, marketing and payroll from one vendor, plus a published next-day deposit schedule and 24/7 support. Accept that you must use Toast's own payments and Toast-approved hardware, and that Toast can change card rates on 30 days' notice. If it does, you can leave without the early termination fee.
Overall Winner
🏆 Winner
Toast POS
Bexpert grade
Runner-up
Lavu
Why?
For most US restaurants, Toast is the better choice, in line with the site's grades (Toast B, Lavu B-). You can see Toast's price before you call sales: $69 a month and 2.49% + 15 cents per in-person card payment, or $0 a month on pay-as-you-go, with a $1,153 hardware kit. A Starter Kit agreement runs two years and renews one year at a time. Software fees cannot rise in that first term, and if Toast raises your card rates you can leave without the early termination fee. Toast also publishes a next-day deposit schedule. Lavu publishes no software price, no card rate and no initial term. Its terms renew for the same length as the first term, bar early cancellation, and require a personal guarantee. Lavu wins on flexibility, with off-the-shelf iPads and a choice of processor that Toast closes to all but select enterprise customers, and on Trustpilot. It belongs on the shortlist for operators who value those things, provided they get every number in writing first.
Feature by feature
Detailed Comparison
Filter Options
Pricing (US, new single-location restaurant, as of October 2026)
| Feature | Lavu | Toast POS |
|---|---|---|
| POS software fee | Not disclosed | $69 a month (Basic, traditional pricing) |
| Toast's countertop Starter Kit shop lists three feature packages under traditional pricing: Basic at $69 a month, Core (adds online ordering and DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub integrations) at $219, and Growth (adds gift cards, loyalty, SMS and email marketing, websites, catering) at $578. Toast says these prices apply to new customers and single locations only. Lavu's pricing URL redirects to its homepage, and no Lavu page states a subscription price. Its terms of service do make a LavuCare hardware-replacement plan a default part of every deal, at $199 a year, payable on the anniversary month of the contract. | ||
| In-person card rate (Visa, Mastercard, Discover) | Not disclosed | 2.49% + 15¢ |
| Toast's rate applies to every traditional-pricing package. Its shop footnotes put American Express at 3.29% + 15 cents in person and 3.89% + 15 cents card-not-present, and offer custom pricing above $500,000 a year. Toast does not publish its Visa, Mastercard and Discover online rate, so there is no online row. Lavu publishes no Lavu Pay rates for any channel. Its payment-processing page promises 'some of the lowest processing rates available' without a figure. Lavu's cash discount (dual pricing) program, available in the US to Lavu Pay customers only, passes card costs to customers who pay by card rather than lowering the rate. | ||
| No-monthly-fee option | Not disclosed | Pay-as-you-go: $0 a month, 3.09% + 15¢ |
| Toast's pay-as-you-go option covers the Starter Kit hardware and Basic software for a higher per-payment fee. Core costs 3.39% + 15 cents and Growth 3.69% + 15 cents, both at $0 a month. Leaving early costs $150 for each month left in the term (Merchant Agreement s8.4). Lavu publishes no comparable plan. | ||
POS software fee
Lavu
Not disclosed
Toast POS
$69 a month (Basic, traditional pricing)
Toast's countertop Starter Kit shop lists three feature packages under traditional pricing: Basic at $69 a month, Core (adds online ordering and DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub integrations) at $219, and Growth (adds gift cards, loyalty, SMS and email marketing, websites, catering) at $578. Toast says these prices apply to new customers and single locations only. Lavu's pricing URL redirects to its homepage, and no Lavu page states a subscription price. Its terms of service do make a LavuCare hardware-replacement plan a default part of every deal, at $199 a year, payable on the anniversary month of the contract.
In-person card rate (Visa, Mastercard, Discover)
Lavu
Not disclosed
Toast POS
2.49% + 15¢
Toast's rate applies to every traditional-pricing package. Its shop footnotes put American Express at 3.29% + 15 cents in person and 3.89% + 15 cents card-not-present, and offer custom pricing above $500,000 a year. Toast does not publish its Visa, Mastercard and Discover online rate, so there is no online row. Lavu publishes no Lavu Pay rates for any channel. Its payment-processing page promises 'some of the lowest processing rates available' without a figure. Lavu's cash discount (dual pricing) program, available in the US to Lavu Pay customers only, passes card costs to customers who pay by card rather than lowering the rate.
No-monthly-fee option
Lavu
Not disclosed
Toast POS
Pay-as-you-go: $0 a month, 3.09% + 15¢
Toast's pay-as-you-go option covers the Starter Kit hardware and Basic software for a higher per-payment fee. Core costs 3.39% + 15 cents and Growth 3.69% + 15 cents, both at $0 a month. Leaving early costs $150 for each month left in the term (Merchant Agreement s8.4). Lavu publishes no comparable plan.
Best For Your Business
Recommendations based on your business type
Independent restaurant that wants to know the price before signing
Recommended
Toast POS
Toast publishes what a new single-location restaurant pays: $69 a month plus 2.49% + 15 cents in person, or $0 a month at 3.09% + 15 cents on pay-as-you-go. Lavu publishes no software price and no card rate, so you can only compare it against a quote.
Restaurant that wants to keep its current card processor
Recommended
Lavu
Lavu documents use with processors other than Lavu Pay. Toast requires its own payments for all but select enterprise customers. Lavu publishes no list of supported processors, so confirm yours is integrated. Budget for the 2% fee its terms charge MenuDrive customers who do not use Lavu Pay, and ask in writing about the monthly outside-processor fee third-party reviewers report, which no Lavu page mentions.
Operator who wants iPad hardware it can buy and replace itself
Recommended
Lavu
Lavu runs on standard Apple iPads, which its shop sells from $499, and its terms leave the devices to you. Toast runs only on Toast-approved hardware.
New restaurant short on startup cash
Recommended
Toast POS
Toast's pay-as-you-go plan puts the Starter Kit hardware and Basic software at $0 upfront and $0 a month, for 3.09% + 15 cents per card payment. A receipt printer and cash drawer add $428, and leaving early still costs $150 for each month left in the term. Lavu publishes no comparable plan, and its complete countertop station lists at $2,374.
Owner who needs predictable cash flow
Recommended
Toast POS
Toast publishes its schedule: next business day if you batch by 9:30 p.m. ET, two business days otherwise, with instant deposit for 1.75%. Lavu publishes no funding schedule for Lavu Pay.
Lavu: Best for 2 use cases
Toast POS: Best for 3 use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this comparison
As of October 2026, Toast's Starter Kit for a new single-location US restaurant costs $69 a month for Basic software. In-person Visa, Mastercard and Discover payments cost 2.49% + 15 cents, and the countertop hardware kit costs $1,153. Pay-as-you-go cuts the monthly fee and the hardware cost to $0 for 3.09% + 15 cents per payment. Lavu publishes no software prices or card rates, and its pricing page redirects to its homepage. It does publish hardware prices: a complete iPad countertop station with receipt printer and cash drawer is $2,374 (Toast's kit with the same two items is $1,581) and a Wi-Fi handheld bundle $1,270. Its terms also add LavuCare at $199 a year to every deal by default.
With Toast, yes, unless you are one of the select enterprise customers Toast lets use another processor. With Lavu, no: its help centre covers merchants who are not on Lavu Pay, although Lavu publishes no list of the processors it integrates with. Lavu's terms do charge MenuDrive online-ordering customers 2% on all transactions unless they use Lavu Pay, and its cash discount program is for Lavu Pay customers only.
Not Lavu itself. Its terms say it does not directly handle card processing and works through third-party gateway and processing partners. Its help centre says Lavu Pay is powered by CardConnect, and merchants manage statements and batches in the CardPointe portal. Lavu's iPad app has also integrated Adyen since February 2025, and every POS bundle in its shop now ships with an Adyen NYC1 reader. Ask which processor your account will use and get its agreement, because it is a separate contract from your Lavu subscription.
Toast's online Starter Kit orders carry a two-year agreement and renew a year at a time unless you give 30 days' notice. Leaving early costs the rest of the term's software subscription fees, or $150 for each remaining month on pay-as-you-go. Lavu does not publish its initial term; third-party reviewers (Merchant Maverick, POSUSA) report three years. Its terms renew the subscription for the same length as the first term and say you may not cancel before the term ends, with no prorated refund. The person who signs also guarantees the business's obligations personally.
No. Toast's pricing FAQ says its services may only be used on approved Toast hardware. Lavu is an iPad app, and its terms make you responsible for providing compatible devices. Its shop sells iPad minis from $499 and 13-inch iPad Airs at $735.
It depends where you look. On 6 October 2026, Lavu scored 4.3 on Trustpilot from 668 reviews against Toast's 2.7 from 1,491. On the BBB, Toast is rated A+ and Lavu A, and both are accredited. Both have BBB customer-review averages near 1 out of 5: Lavu 1/5 from 23 reviews, Toast 1.11/5 from 74.
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