Toast vs Servio: an honest comparison for UK venues
Toast is a US-built restaurant platform known for its own Android-based hardware ecosystem and deep enterprise feature set. It's a serious system — and that's exactly why it suits some venues and not others.
| Servio | Toast | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fixed £/month, published openly | Tiered plans plus hardware costs |
| Hardware | None — runs on devices you already own | Toast's own Android-based terminals, typically required |
| Contract | Monthly, cancel anytime | Often multi-year terms |
| QR ordering | Included on every plan | Available as an add-on |
| Kitchen display | Included | Available as an add-on |
| Home market | Built for UK hospitality; UK-based support | US-first platform |
| Time to go live | Same day — import your menu and start | Hardware shipping and installation lead times vary |
Comparison based on publicly available information and typical configurations, July 2026. Toast's offering varies by plan, hardware and region — always check current details with Toast directly.
Choose Toast if…
You're a larger operation that wants a hardware-led ecosystem with handhelds, guest-facing displays and enterprise modules — and you have the budget and timeline for a managed installation and a longer contract.
Choose Servio if…
You're an independent UK venue that wants one fixed monthly price, no proprietary hardware, QR ordering and kitchen display included, and to be live the same afternoon on the tablets you already own.
The pricing, in detail
Toast structures pricing as tiered software plans on top of its hardware — terminals, handhelds and kitchen screens from its own catalogue — commonly wrapped in a term contract, with card processing through Toast's own payments. That model rewards scale: the more stations and modules you standardise on, the more the ecosystem pays off. For an independent venue, though, it means three numbers to negotiate (software tier, hardware, processing rate) before you know your real monthly cost. Servio collapses those three into one: £199/month Growth covers the till, QR ordering, kitchen display, inventory and analytics; hardware is whatever tablets you already own (£0); and payments run through Stripe at Stripe's published UK rates with no markup. The only decision left is plan size — and the founding-venue pilot currently makes that £99/month for your first six paid months, after 30 days free.
Switching from Toast: what it actually involves
Switching from a hardware-led platform sounds like a project, but most of the weight is the hardware itself — which you simply stop needing. Export or photograph your menu, upload it to Servio, and the menu builder recreates categories, modifiers and prices for you. Run Servio alongside your existing till during a quiet service to check the flow, then cut over — venues typically complete this in an afternoon. There's no contract overlap risk on Servio's side: the 14-day trial needs no card, and the plan is monthly from day one. Our guide to migrating your menu without the headache covers the details.
What you get with Servio, on every plan
Servio is one connected system rather than a bundle of modules: a cloud POS till for counter and floor orders, QR table ordering guests use without an app, a kitchen display that replaces paper tickets, and owner analytics that show the day in real numbers. It runs in the browser on the devices you already own, payments settle through Stripe (Servio never touches card data), and the price is on the pricing page, not behind a demo call. You can also see the wider market picture on our comparison page or check the maths in the UK POS cost guide.
Common questions
Is Toast available in the UK?
Toast is a US-built platform that has been expanding internationally; availability, pricing and hardware options for UK venues vary — check Toast's current UK offering directly. Servio is built in the UK for UK hospitality, with UK-based support and Stripe processing at published UK rates.
Does Servio require special hardware like Toast?
No. Toast typically runs on its own Android-based terminals, which you buy or lease. Servio is fully cloud-based and runs in the browser on iPads, Android tablets and phones you already own — hardware cost can genuinely be £0.
Can I leave whenever I want?
With Servio, yes — every plan is month-to-month with no exit fees, and there's a 14-day free trial with no card required. Hardware-led platforms more often use multi-year terms; always check the exit clause before signing.