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DoorDash vs Square for Restaurants

DoorDash logo

DoorDash

Software

Food delivery marketplace for restaurants

From
$15/order
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Square for Restaurants logo

Square for Restaurants

Software

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: DoorDash commission rates reach 30% on Premier plan, limiting restaurant profitability; Square for Restaurants the Square KDS and Square Kiosk apps are not available on the free plan
  • They diverge on capability: DoorDash covers Delivery logistics, Square for Restaurants covers Table management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where DoorDash and Square for Restaurants differ
AttributeDoorDashSquare for Restaurants
Starting price$15/orderFree
Pricing modeltransactionsubscription
Free tierNoYes
Founded20132018

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

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 DoorDash

  • Delivery logistics
  • Order management
  • Customer reach
  • Marketing tools
  • Analytics
  • Menu management
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Square for Restaurants

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

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

DoorDash

  • 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.

DoorDash

  • Commission rates reach 30% on Premier plan, limiting restaurant profitability
  • Algorithm-driven order routing can disadvantage restaurants without premium plans
  • Limited control over delivery logistics and delivery time estimates

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

DoorDash

$15/order
  • Basic$15/percent
    • Delivery
    • Pickup
    • Lower visibility
  • Plus$25/percent
    • DashPass visibility
    • Marketing
  • Premier$30/percent
    • Highest visibility
    • Premium support

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 DoorDash if

  • You need delivery logistics.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want order management.
DoorDash 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 DoorDash or Square for Restaurants better?
Neither clearly leads. DoorDash starts at $15/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, DoorDash or Square for Restaurants?
Square for Restaurants has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $15/order for DoorDash and Free for Square for Restaurants.
Does DoorDash or Square for Restaurants run on more platforms?
DoorDash 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. DoorDash starts at $15/order.
What is DoorDash best used for?
DoorDash is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling.
What can DoorDash do that Square for Restaurants cannot?
DoorDash covers Delivery logistics, Order management, Customer reach, Marketing tools. Square for Restaurants covers Table management, Menu customization, Split checks, Offline mode. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DoorDash: What commission rates does DoorDash charge restaurants?

DoorDash offers three plans with commission rates: Basic at 15%, Plus for DashPass customers, and Premier at 30%. Pickup orders carry 6% commission across all plans.

Source
DoorDash: Does DoorDash charge activation fees?

No, DoorDash offers $0 activation fees for all restaurants joining their delivery platform.

Source
DoorDash: What is DashPass?

DashPass is DoorDash's customer subscription service that provides discounted delivery fees, reduced service fees, and exclusive deals for subscribers.

Source
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Related pages

More on DoorDash

More on Square for Restaurants

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