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Restaurants · head to head

Caviar vs Square for Restaurants

Caviar logo

Caviar

Restaurants

Premium restaurant delivery service

From
$20/order
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Restaurants

Restaurant POS system that works for you

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Caviar limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas; Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: Caviar covers Premium delivery, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Caviar and Square for Restaurants actually diverge.

Attributes where Caviar and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributeCaviarSquare for Restaurants
Starting price$20/orderFree
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierNoYes
Founded20122018

Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Caviar

  • Premium delivery
  • Curated marketplace
  • Order management
  • Quality-focused
  • Analytics
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Square for Restaurants

  • Table management
  • Menu customization
  • Split checks
  • Offline mode
  • Real-time reporting
  • Kitchen display
  • Caviar
  • Postmates

Both cover

  • DoorDash
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Caviar

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Square for Restaurants

  • Point of Sale
  • Order Management
  • Inventory Control
  • Staff Scheduling

Both are used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Caviar

  • Limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas
  • Service fee of 18 percent applied to all orders
  • Not available in all regions as standalone service

Square for Restaurants

  • The Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • KDS and Kiosk are billed per device per month on top of the plan, so cost scales with terminals rather than locations
  • Restaurants processing over $250,000 a year are moved to custom pricing rather than the published rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Caviar

$20/order
  • Standard$25/percent
    • Premium delivery
    • Curated placement

Square for Restaurants

Free
  • FreeFree
    • POS
    • Menu management
    • Basic reporting
  • Plus$60/month
    • Advanced features
    • Live sales
    • Seat management
  • PremiumFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Caviar if

  • You need premium delivery.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want curated marketplace.
Caviar review

Choose Square for Restaurants if

  • You need table management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want menu customization.
Square for Restaurants review

Questions people ask

Is Caviar or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. Caviar starts at $20/order and Square for Restaurants at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Caviar or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $20/order for Caviar and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does Caviar or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
Caviar runs on Web, iOS, Android. Square for Restaurants runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Square for Restaurants for free?
Yes. Square for Restaurants has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Caviar starts at $20/order.
What is Caviar best used for?
Caviar is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can Caviar do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
Caviar covers Premium delivery, Curated marketplace, Order management, Quality-focused. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle DoorDash, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Caviar: What does Caviar charge for delivery?

A service fee of 18 percent is applied to each Caviar delivery order. The delivery fee ranges from $1.99 to $8.99 depending on distance and demand. Customers ordering for pickup pay no order minimums, service fee or delivery fee.

Source
Square for Restaurants: What are Square's main pricing plans for restaurants?

Square offers a free tier and Square Plus. The Free plan has $0 cost with standard processing fees. Square Plus is described as the best value tier and includes lower card processing rates than the free plan.

Source
Caviar: Is Caviar available as a standalone service?

No. Caviar was acquired by DoorDash in October 2019 and now operates as part of the DoorDash platform. DoorDash members with DashPass enjoy waived delivery fees and reduced service charges on Caviar orders.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square have locked-in contracts or can I cancel anytime?

Square explicitly states no hidden fees or locked-in contracts. Customers can cancel or switch anytime. The pay-as-you-go model means you only pay when you take a payment.

Source
Square for Restaurants: Does Square Plus include a free trial period?

Yes, Square Plus offers a free trial, though the specific trial duration is not clearly displayed on the pricing page.

Source
Square for Restaurants: What features does Square Plus add compared to the free plan?

Square Plus includes all free plan features plus advanced POS tools, a loyalty program, email and text marketing (500 free texts, then 3 cents per text), and staff management tools.

Source
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