Sophosic vs Toast
Toast is built for restaurants, and only restaurants. If you are a hair salon, a fitness studio, a retail shop, or a professional services firm, Toast cannot help you. Even for restaurants, the math is tough: $0 to $69 a month for software, plus $494 to $799 or more for hardware that you cannot use with any other processor. Sophosic is multi-vertical. Restaurants, retail, services, professional firms -- one platform works for all of them. Full CRM, AI agent, website builder. $25 to $100 a month. No hardware to buy.
We're obviously biased — we built Sophosic. So we'll be straightforward about where Toast might be the better choice.
Why Businesses Choose Sophosic
Differentiator
Multi-Vertical, Not Restaurant-Only
Restaurants, retail, services, professional firms — one platform for all of them. Toast only does restaurants.
Differentiator
Real Website, Not a Templated Ordering Page
A full website builder with custom pages, SEO, and an embedded AI chat widget — not just a templated ordering page.
Differentiator
Full CRM and AI Growth Engine
45+ CRM modules and a customer-facing AI agent with persistent memory. Toast has neither.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Sophosic | Toast |
|---|---|---|
| Business Types Supported | Multi-vertical: restaurants, retail, services, professional firms | Restaurants only |
| Point of Sale | Native iOS POS with Apple Tap to Pay, offline-first, receipt printing | Proprietary hardware ($494-$799+), restaurant-specific features (KDS, table management) |
| CRM | Full CRM with 45+ modules: leads, deals, invoices, bookings, campaigns, analytics | Basic customer data from transactions — no pipeline, no lead tracking, no campaigns |
| AI Agent | Customer-facing AI with persistent semantic memory, deployed on your website 24/7 | None |
| Website | Full website builder with custom pages, SEO, blog, and AI chat widget | Templated online ordering page — not a real website |
| Hardware Cost | $0 — runs on iPhone you already own | $494-$799+ for proprietary terminals |
| Processor Lock-in | No lock-in — month-to-month, cancel anytime | Hardware locked to Toast's payment processing |
| Restaurant-Specific Features | POS with inventory, bookings, and services — suited for restaurants but not restaurant-specialized | Kitchen display systems, table management, online food ordering |
Business Types Supported
Sophosic
Multi-vertical: restaurants, retail, services, professional firms
Toast
Restaurants only
Point of Sale
Sophosic
Native iOS POS with Apple Tap to Pay, offline-first, receipt printing
Toast
Proprietary hardware ($494-$799+), restaurant-specific features (KDS, table management)
CRM
Sophosic
Full CRM with 45+ modules: leads, deals, invoices, bookings, campaigns, analytics
Toast
Basic customer data from transactions — no pipeline, no lead tracking, no campaigns
AI Agent
Sophosic
Customer-facing AI with persistent semantic memory, deployed on your website 24/7
Toast
None
Website
Sophosic
Full website builder with custom pages, SEO, blog, and AI chat widget
Toast
Templated online ordering page — not a real website
Hardware Cost
Sophosic
$0 — runs on iPhone you already own
Toast
$494-$799+ for proprietary terminals
Processor Lock-in
Sophosic
No lock-in — month-to-month, cancel anytime
Toast
Hardware locked to Toast's payment processing
Restaurant-Specific Features
Sophosic
POS with inventory, bookings, and services — suited for restaurants but not restaurant-specialized
Toast
Kitchen display systems, table management, online food ordering
Total Cost of Ownership
| Cost | Sophosic | Toast |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Software | $99.99 | $0-$69 |
| Hardware | $0 | $494-$799+ |
| 24-Month Total | $2,400 | $494-$2,455 |
When to Choose Toast
If you run a restaurant and need restaurant-specific inventory
Toast is purpose-built for restaurants with features like kitchen display systems, table management, and online food ordering that are deeply integrated into their workflow. If your operation is purely restaurant and you need those specialized tools, Toast delivers them out of the box.
If you need Toast's restaurant-focused hardware (KDS, etc.)
Toast's proprietary hardware includes kitchen display systems and tableside ordering terminals designed specifically for restaurant workflows. If dedicated kitchen-to-server hardware is critical to your operation, Toast's purpose-built equipment may be the right fit.
Why Businesses Switch to Sophosic
Serve multiple business types with one platform
The business owner recognizes Toast's vertical limitation and the gap in CRM, website, and AI capabilities. For multi-concept operators or anyone planning to grow beyond a single restaurant, Sophosic provides a more future-proof platform.
Get a real CRM and customer-facing AI
Sophosic's CRM has over 45 modules including lead management, deal pipelines, and marketing campaigns. Sophia handles customer conversations on your website — taking reservation requests, answering menu questions, and qualifying catering leads. Toast offers none of this.
Eliminate hardware costs and lock-in
Toast requires proprietary hardware starting at $494. That hardware is locked to Toast's payment processing. Switch to a different POS, and that hardware becomes e-waste. With Sophosic, your POS runs on an iPhone with Apple Tap to Pay. Your hardware investment is zero.
Switching is Easy
Create your Sophosic account
Import your data (CSV or API)
Configure your settings
Go live with zero downtime
Our team handles the heavy lifting. Most businesses are up and running within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sophosic's POS handles inventory management, order processing, and receipt printing for restaurants. For highly specialized restaurant features like kitchen display systems or table management, Toast has purpose-built hardware — but Sophosic covers the full business lifecycle including CRM, AI, and website that Toast does not offer.
This is where Sophosic excels. One platform handles both verticals — POS, CRM, AI, and website for your restaurant and your retail operation. With Toast, you would need an entirely separate platform for the non-restaurant business.
Toast's Starter plan has $0 monthly software fees, but requires a hardware purchase ($494-$799+) and a payment processing commitment. The free software comes with higher per-transaction processing rates. Over 24 months, the total cost ranges from $494 to $2,455.
Yes. Sophosic's website builder with integrated e-commerce, bookings, and AI chat enables online ordering, appointment scheduling, and customer engagement — all connected to the same CRM and POS.