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Toast competitors: the POS built for the store counter
Esplanda puts the register, stock, pricing and marketing in one system, made for liquor, convenience, grocery and retail stores and counter-service spots. Esplanda POS is included on every plan.
14-day free trial, no credit card needed to start. Plans from $99 per location per month, Esplanda POS included.
At a glance
Esplanda vs a restaurant-first POS, side by side
A restaurant-first POS is built around tables, tickets and the kitchen. Esplanda is built around the store counter: scan, check the ID, ring the sale, next customer.
| What you’re choosing | Restaurant-first POS | Esplanda |
|---|---|---|
| Built first for | Tables, tickets and the kitchen | Independent stores that sell at a counter: liquor and wine, convenience, grocery and retail, plus counter-service cafes, bars and taprooms |
| The sale | A check that opens with the order and closes at the table | ID-scan age checks, bottle and container deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals, built in |
| Your team | Servers, bartenders and the kitchen line | Cashiers at the counter, with unlimited users and no per-seat fees |
| The catalog | A menu of dishes, modifiers and courses | One catalog runs the sale, the stock count and your ordering, so there’s nothing to reconcile at night |
| Your gear | Set up around the floor and the kitchen | The computer, tablet or phone at your counter, on desktop, iOS and Android. Hardware is optional and bought once |
| Online orders | Built around the menu | Your own online shop on the same stock count as the register, with an age-gated checkout and no percentage of online sales |
| The work behind the sale | Built around the shift: covers, courses and table turns | Ordering, prices and marketing on the same numbers. Visibility advises, Operations prepares the work for your OK, and Done-For-You runs it inside your limits |
Your store
Built for stores that sell at a counter
If your day runs on scans, ID checks, cases and deposits, Esplanda is made for your counter. One system runs the register, the stock, your prices and your marketing.
Built for
- Liquor and wine stores. ID-scan age checks, bottle and container deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals, built into Esplanda POS. See the liquor store POS system.
- Convenience and grocery stores. One catalog runs the sale, the stock count and your ordering. See the convenience store POS system and the grocery store POS system.
- Retail shops. Boutiques and gift shops ring the sale and count the stock in one system. See our POS system for retail stores.
- Counter service. For cafes, bars and taprooms, Esplanda POS can replace the register. See our restaurant management software.
Works with what you have
- Your counter gear. Esplanda POS runs on desktop, iOS and Android, on the computer, tablet or phone you already have. Hardware is optional and bought once.
- Your processor. Payments are optional: every plan runs on the processor you already have, at the same plan price.
- Your delivery apps. On Operations and Done-For-You, one catalog goes to your DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart and Grubhub accounts, and every plan shows each app’s margin after commission.
- Your whole team. Unlimited users, with no per-seat or module fees.
Register to marketing
One system for the counter, and the work behind it
Esplanda POS rings the sale, and the same system runs the ordering, prices and marketing behind it. One catalog, one set of numbers.
- Liquor and wine, built in. ID-scan age checks, bottle and container deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals, right at the counter.
- Keeps selling offline. Sales keep ringing with the internet down and sync when the connection returns.
- One set of numbers. The register, stock counts, purchase orders and margin reports share one catalog, so there is nothing to reconcile at night.
- Runs on what you have. Desktop, iOS and Android, on the computer, tablet or phone at your counter. Hardware is optional and bought once.
See the full POS system with inventory management.
Illustrative example
Ordering
Every sale updates the same stock record your ordering uses. On Operations, purchase orders come ready for one-click approval, and none goes out until you approve it.
Prices
Price changes come ready for one-click approval on Operations. On Done-For-You they run inside the limits you set, and anything outside them comes to you.
Marketing
Campaigns by plan: Visibility recommends, Operations prepares each one for your one-click approval, and Done-For-You runs them inside your limits.
Your online shop
Pickup, curbside and local delivery from the same stock count as the register, with an age-gated checkout and ID at handoff. Esplanda takes no percentage of online sales. See our POS with online ordering.
You stay in charge: on Operations nothing changes a price, sends or spends without your OK, Done-For-You acts only inside the limits you set, and you can switch your store into approve-everything mode at any time. Read why Esplanda is safe to trust.
Cost
What Esplanda costs, and how to compare
One price per location per month, with Esplanda POS included on every plan. Set it beside the full total you pay today.
- Esplanda POSIncluded
- Visibility$99
- Operations$299
- Done-For-You$599
Per location per month · Month to month · No setup fee · Unlimited users · 14-day free trial, no credit card needed to start
Hardware is optional and bought once. Card processing is optional: every plan runs on the processor you already have, at the same plan price. Esplanda also processes card payments as a reseller for First American Payment Systems, a Deluxe company, which approves, funds and owns your merchant account. Rates start at 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and your rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement. See credit card processing for small business.
See full Esplanda pricing and what each plan includes.
Add up what you pay today
- Software. Your monthly bill for every location. With Esplanda, one price per location includes Esplanda POS and unlimited users.
- Hardware. What your counter gear costs you, up front or each month. Esplanda POS runs on the computer, tablet or phone you already have.
- Card fees. Your rate on your monthly card sales, from your current statement. With Esplanda, payments are optional.
- Setup. Any fee to get started. Esplanda has no setup fee.
- Term. How long you are signed up for. Esplanda is month to month.
Switching
Switching from Toast to Esplanda
Moving a store or a counter to Esplanda? Our POS data migration page sets out how a move works, step by step.
Start free
Try Esplanda with the 14-day free trial. No credit card needed to start.
Month to month
No annual contract, no setup fee and unlimited users, on every plan.
Your data stays yours
You can export all of your data, any time — products, customers, sales, purchase orders, suppliers. If you leave, you take everything.
Toast is a trademark of its owner. Esplanda is an independent company and is not affiliated with Toast.
Also looking at Square? See Esplanda vs Square.
Questions
Toast competitor questions owners ask
Who are Toast’s competitors for a store?
For a store, look at a POS built for the counter. Esplanda is built for liquor, convenience, grocery and retail stores and counter service. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, with ID-scan age checks, bottle and container deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals built in, and your stock, prices and marketing run on the same numbers as the register.
What is the best Toast alternative for a liquor store?
Pick a register that does the liquor store jobs right at the counter. Esplanda POS has ID-scan age checks, bottle and container deposits, case breaks and mix-and-match deals built in. It keeps selling offline, and one catalog runs the sale, the stock count and your ordering. See the liquor store POS system.
How much does Toast cost compared with Esplanda?
Esplanda plans are Visibility at $99, Operations at $299 and Done-For-You at $599 per location per month, month to month, with no setup fee and unlimited users. Esplanda POS is included on every plan, hardware is optional and bought once, and the 14-day free trial needs no credit card to start. To compare, add up the total you pay today: software, devices, card fees on your own monthly sales, setup and the term you are signed up for.
Is Toast good for liquor and convenience stores?
Judge any register on the jobs a store counter does all day: an ID scan on every age-restricted sale, a deposit on every container, a single bottle from an open case and a mixed six-pack at the case price. Esplanda POS has all four built in, keeps selling offline, and shares one set of numbers with your stock, pricing and marketing.
Is there a contract with Esplanda?
Esplanda is month to month, with no annual contract, no setup fee and no per-seat or module fees. Start with the 14-day free trial; no credit card is needed to start.
Do I have to use Esplanda’s card processing?
Payments are optional: every plan runs on the processor you already have, at the same plan price. Esplanda also processes card payments as a reseller for First American Payment Systems, a Deluxe company, which approves, funds and owns your merchant account. Rates start at 2.79% + $0.10 in person and 2.89% + $0.30 online, and your rate is set when First American approves your account, from your current statement.
Which Toast competitor is best for online ordering?
For a store, choose an online shop that runs on the same stock count as the register. Esplanda’s online shop for pickup, curbside and local delivery does, with an age-gated checkout and ID at handoff, and Esplanda takes no percentage of online sales. On Operations and Done-For-You, one catalog also goes to your DoorDash, Uber Eats, Instacart and Grubhub accounts.
Can Esplanda replace Toast?
For a liquor, convenience, grocery or retail store, and for counter service such as cafes, bars and taprooms, yes: Esplanda POS can replace the register and is included on every plan. How a move works, step by step, is on our POS data migration page.
Run the counter, and the store behind it
Start free today, or book a demo and we’ll walk through Esplanda on a store like yours.
14-day free trial, no credit card needed to start. Esplanda POS included on every plan, from $99 per location per month.
