Toast alternative for restaurants

Stop paying $69+ a month — take back control of your restaurant tech

TastyIgniter is free, open-source, and self-hosted. No monthly SaaS fees, no proprietary hardware lock-in.

See TastyIgniter in action
No monthly platform fees
You own your customer data
Open-source and self-hosted
Set up in under 10 minutes

TastyIgniter vs Toast

An honest side-by-side comparison.

Feature
TastyIgniter Free to install
Toast
Commission per order
0%
0% (no per-order commission)
Monthly fee
Free (hosting ~£5–10/month)
From ~$69/month (software) plus hardware costs
Customer data ownership
100% yours
Stored on Toast servers
Brand control
Your own ordering page, fully customisable
Integrated POS hardware and 24/7 phone support included with subscription
Self-hosted option
Yes
No
Open source
Yes
No
Customisation
Full — themes, plugins, source code
Within platform limits
Setup time
Under 10 minutes
Varies; typically includes onboarding

Who is it for?

We believe in honest comparisons. Here is where each option shines.

TastyIgniter is best for

  • Independent restaurants who want to avoid recurring SaaS costs
  • Operators who prefer choosing their own hardware and hosting
  • Developers and agencies who want to customise and extend the platform
  • Multi-location owners who want one system without per-location licensing

Toast may be better if

  • You want an all-in-one POS with integrated hardware and payments
  • You need 24/7 phone support and a managed, fully supported stack
  • You prefer a single vendor for POS, online ordering, and payments

Why restaurants switch

No monthly fees eating your margins

The core platform is free. Pay only for your own hosting — typically £5–10 per month — instead of recurring SaaS subscriptions.

Self-hosted — your data, your server

Your customer and order data lives on infrastructure you control. No vendor risk, no surprise price increases.

Fully customisable

Open-source code, a plugin marketplace, and custom themes. Extend and adapt the platform to fit how your restaurant actually works.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Many restaurants use TastyIgniter for direct online ordering while keeping their existing POS for in-house operations during a transition period.
Add the link to your Google Business Profile, social media bios, email campaigns, and in-restaurant materials. A QR code on menus and receipts makes it easy for dine-in customers to order again online.
No. The setup wizard gets you running in under 10 minutes. Developers are optional — useful if you want custom integrations or a bespoke theme. Prefer a hand? We can help you set up.
Stripe, PayPal, Mollie, Authorize.net, and Square — plus cash on delivery and pay-on-collection options.
The TastyIgniter Marketplace is a library of community-built extensions and themes — payment gateways, loyalty tools, branded storefronts, and more. Many are completely free, and nothing beyond the core platform is required to start taking orders.
Yes. You can recreate your menu in TastyIgniter's admin panel in minutes. Categories, items, modifiers, and images can be added manually or imported depending on your setup.

Ready to take back control?

Install TastyIgniter free and run your restaurant on your terms — no monthly platform fees.

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