Bars · costs verified September 2026
Best POS for bars in 2026
A bar POS is judged on one Friday night: can it open a tab against a card, hold that card securely for four hours, split the check six ways at close, and do all of it faster than the bartender can pour. Pre-authorization is the feature that separates bar-ready systems from restaurant systems with a bar mode, and both Square and Toast now document theirs. The costs are below, dated.
Competitor figures come from each vendor's own pricing page or a dated 2026 review naming it; Ginger's from gingerserve.com/pricing. Checked September 2026. Prices change; treat this as a dated snapshot and confirm before signing.
Pre-authorized tabs: who supports it and how
Square for Restaurants' bar-tab pre-authorization is fully released to US sellers, per Square's support documentation: it is enabled from the Dashboard under Restaurant settings, the minimum pre-authorization amount can be set anywhere from $1.01 to $250, and it works on iOS devices, Square Register and Square Terminal.
Toast's card pre-authorization is enabled globally in Toast Web under payment options and then per device; once on, any card read on the order screen is pre-authorized, saved to the check, and the tab is named from the cardholder, per Toast's support article on configuring pre-authorization.
Ginger opens and holds tabs on the POS and settles them on the card terminal at close; pre-authorization holds depend on the terminal and processor configuration, so ask us about your setup rather than assuming.
The base POS costs, side by side
| Cost line | Ginger | Square for Restaurants | Toast | Clover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly software | $0 with online ordering; no contract | Free $0 / Plus $49 / Premium $149 per location | Starter Kit $0 / Point of Sale $69+ | Quick-Service Dining $89.95–$109.90 |
| In-person processing | Interchange-plus, as low as 2% + 5¢ | 2.6% + 15¢ Free; 2.5% Plus; 2.4% Premium (+15¢) | 2.49% + 15¢ with hardware bought; 3.09–3.69% + 15¢ pay-as-you-go | 2.3% + 10¢ |
| Hardware | Box, up to two printers and a card terminal included over $40k/mo card volume | Reader $59; Stand $149; Terminal $299; Register $799–899 | Countertop Starter Kit $1,203, or $0 with higher processing | Mini $849; Flex $749; Station Duo $1,899 |
| Contract | No contract | No contract | Two to three years | Software month-to-month; hardware promotions need a 3-year commitment |
Clover's figures are its Quick-Service Dining plans; Full-Service Dining runs $89.95 to $129.85 a month per NerdWallet's May 2026 review. Toast's Point of Sale plan starts at $69 and its paid plans typically carry two- to three-year terms.
What else a bar needs
Split checks that survive a group. Six people, two cards, one cash, and one who left early. The POS should split by item, by seat, or evenly, and reprint the remaining balance without re-ringing.
Speed over depth. Bar menus are short and modifiers are few, so the screen should be a dense grid of pours with the well drinks one tap deep. Judge a demo by taps per round, not by feature count.
Late-night processing. A bar's card volume arrives in a three-hour window, so an outage at eleven is a bad night. Toast's devices enter offline mode 40 seconds after losing connectivity and hold encrypted card payments for authorization on reconnect; Square's Register and Terminal run offline for up to 24 hours; Ginger's POS runs on a Box in the building, so the register keeps working on the local network.
Frequently asked questions
Does Square for Restaurants support pre-authorized bar tabs?
Yes. Per Square's support documentation, bar-tab pre-authorization is fully released to US sellers. It is enabled in the Square Dashboard under Restaurant settings, the minimum pre-authorization can be set from $1.01 to $250, and it works on iOS devices, Square Register and Square Terminal.
Does Toast support bar tab pre-authorization?
Yes. Per Toast's support article, pre-authorization is enabled in Toast Web under Finance, Settings, Payment options, and then on each device under Setup, Device Setup, Payment Processing. Once enabled, a card read on the order screen is pre-authorized, saved to the check and used to name the tab.
What does a bar POS cost per month?
At the software line: Square Free $0, Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location; Toast Starter Kit $0 with higher processing or Point of Sale from $69; Clover Full-Service Dining $89.95 to $129.85; Ginger $0 with online ordering. Processing and hardware move the real total: see the table above for each vendor's published rates.
What happens to open tabs if the internet drops?
It depends on where the POS runs. Toast's devices enter offline mode 40 seconds after losing connectivity and can keep taking cash and encrypted card payments that authorize on reconnect. Square's Register and Terminal take offline payments for up to 24 hours, and pending payments expire after 72 hours if not uploaded. Ginger's POS runs on a Box inside the bar, so open tabs, ordering and printing continue over the local network.
Is there a contract for a bar POS?
Square and Ginger have none. Toast's paid plans typically carry two- to three-year terms. Clover's software is month-to-month, but hardware promotions require a three-year commitment and processing may carry a long-term contract, per NerdWallet's May 2026 review.
See it running before anyone calls you
The live demo opens in your browser with no signup. Ring up an order, split a check, print a ticket. If it fits, we ship a Box and set it up with you.