Free to start, but limited for serious restaurants
Square is popular for its free tier and ease of setup. However, it was built as a general payment processor, not specifically for restaurants, which shows in missing features that matter to busy operations.
| STOVE | Square for Restaurants | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Software Fee | $59 - $199/mo | $0-$60+/mo |
| Online Order Commission | ✓ $0 — Flat fee only | 2.6% + $0.15 per order |
| Contract Terms | Flexible (month-to-month available) | No contract required |
| Hardware | $20-$40/mo per device (lease) or purchase | $299-$799 terminals |
| Payment Processing | 2.6% + $0.10 | 2.6% + $0.10 |
| 24/7 Phone Support | ✓ Real humans, always | Varies by plan |
| Offline Mode | ✓ Full functionality | Limited or unavailable |
| Inventory Management | ✓ Included | Add-on required |
| Payroll & Scheduling | ✓ Included | Add-on required |
| Loyalty Program | ✓ Included | Add-on required |
Real reasons operators make the move to STOVE
We make migration painless. Most restaurants switch in 3-5 days.
Export from Square, import to STOVE in minutes
Use existing iPads or upgrade to STOVE terminals
Quick training - similar interface concepts
No contract to cancel - switch anytime
STOVE keeps working when the internet doesn't. Process cards, print tickets, and sync automatically when you're back online. No more handwritten tickets during outages.
Your data lives in multiple data centers. During a major cloud outage affecting many services last year, STOVE restaurants stayed fully operational while others scrambled.
Real people answer the phone — day, night, weekends, holidays. Average response time under 30 seconds. No chatbots, no "we'll get back to you."
Availability depends on local connectivity and hardware configuration. We design every installation for maximum resilience and will work with you to ensure your setup is bulletproof.
"During a major cloud outage last year, our STOVE system kept taking orders like nothing happened. Neighboring restaurants using other systems were writing tickets by hand. That's when I knew we made the right choice."— Mike R., The Rustic Table, Austin TX
Join 500+ restaurants who made the move. Most save $100-300/month/month.
