Pricing

50 free orders a month. Then 1%.

Your first 50 completed orders each month are included. After that, we charge 1% of the order subtotal before taxes. Free starter kit—leased by MesaOS. No mystery software seat fees for the basics.

Free tier

First 50 orders

$0

  • Up to 50 completed orders / month with no MesaOS platform fee
  • Full POS: orders, payments, menus
  • Reports & day close
  • Roles, PINs, audit trail
  • Free starter kit—leased by MesaOS (print box)

After 50

Platform fee

1%

  • 1% of order subtotal (before taxes)
  • Only on orders past the monthly free allowance
  • Not on tax, tip, or delivery add-ons in that subtotal basis
  • Invoiced with your usage—plain language
  • Card processing is separate (Stripe / Square rates)

Included

Operating system

In the box

  • Inventory, recipes & plate-cost P&L
  • Multi-location reporting & inventory
  • AI Kitchen Setup
  • TV menu boards
  • Payroll shifts & breaks

How the fee works

Simple math you can explain to your bookkeeper

  • Count completed orders in the calendar month.
  • Orders 1–50: MesaOS platform fee is $0.
  • Order 51+: MesaOS fee = 1% × that order’s subtotal before taxes.
  • Example: a $40 food & drink subtotal (before tax) after your free allowance → $0.40 to MesaOS for that order.

Optional per-device monthly charges may apply for registered equipment (iPad, printer, etc.) when you lease through us—ask on a demo. Card brand fees are always your processor’s rates, shown clearly in MesaOS.

Value comparison

Cheaper software. More included.

Big POS brands often charge monthly software seats, sell inventory or AI as extras, and wrap “free hardware” in processing lock-in. MesaOS keeps the platform fee simple—and packs the operating system in the box.

What you get MesaOS Typical big-name POS
Platform / software fee First 50 orders/month free, then 1% of subtotal before tax Monthly fees per screen or “premium” tiers for basics
Starter hardware Free lease — print box + 1 card reader ($0 upfront) Buy terminals, or “free” gear tied to processing commitments
Plate-cost inventory & P&L Included Often an add-on or separate product
AI (Kitchen Setup, Product Coach) Included Rare, limited, or sold as an extra
TV menu boards & payroll Included Commonly extra modules
Multi-location reporting Included Often higher tiers or enterprise pricing
Your data Your own system — not a shared POS pool Usually one shared multi-tenant database with thousands of brands
Card processing Stripe or Square — your processor rates, shown clearly Often bundled rates that are hard to compare side by side

By volume

Example monthly software cost

Same month, same order count. MesaOS platform fee vs what restaurants often pay for Toast-style software + add-ons, and Square’s published Plus / Premium plans. Card processing is separate for everyone—this table is software only.

Monthly volume MesaOS platform fee Toast-style software Square software
50 orders
any ticket size		 $0 ~$69–$300+ $49 / $149
200 orders
~$35 avg subtotal		 ~$53 ~$69–$300+ $49 / $149
500 orders
~$30 avg subtotal		 ~$135 ~$150–$400+ $49 / $149
1,000 orders
~$32 avg subtotal		 ~$304 ~$200–$500+ $49 / $149
1,500 orders
~$40 avg subtotal		 ~$580 ~$300–$800+ $149+

How to read this table

  • MesaOS: First 50 orders free. After that, 1% of the food & drink subtotal (before tax). Example: 200 orders at $35 → about $53 that month.
  • Toast-style: What many restaurants pay for software + add-ons (inventory, online ordering, etc.)—often $150–$500+/month, before card fees.
  • Square: Published plans are about $49 (Plus) or $149 (Premium) per location. Cheaper sticker—but MesaOS includes plate cost, AI, TV boards, and payroll in the platform fee.
  • Card fees: Not in this table. Every POS has them.

Quiet / new spot

50 orders / month

$0

MesaOS platform fee is free. Toast-style software still often runs tens to hundreds a month even when you’re slow.

Busy cafe

500 orders · $30 avg

~$135

MesaOS ≈ $135. Toast-style software+modules often $150–$400+ before you count card fees—and inventory/AI may still be extras.

Full-service night

1,000 orders · $32 avg

~$304

MesaOS ≈ $304 with the OS included. Toast-style stacks (software + modules) commonly land $200–$500+—and climb when you add the tools MesaOS already ships.

Note: Volume examples are illustrative. Toast, Square, SkyTab, and similar names are trademarks of their owners. Competitor figures are typical published plans and common market ranges—not a formal quote. Always confirm current pricing with each vendor. Want a side-by-side with your bill? Request a demo or see Compare.

Hardware

Free starter lease—details on the hardware page

Print box, one card reader, and a home-screen app on tablets you already own. Free to use—leased by MesaOS.

See the kit Compare vs big POS brands

Ready to see the real bill?

Try the live demo, or tell us what you pay today—we’ll compare apples to apples.

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