Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Memberful vs Toast

Memberful logo

Memberful

E-Commerce

Membership platform for creators to sell subscriptions, courses and gated content

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Toast logo

Toast

E-Commerce

Cloud POS platform for restaurants and hospitality

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Toast has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Memberful charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.; Toast starter tier lacks advanced features; most capabilities require paid plans above $69/month
  • They diverge on capability: Memberful covers Membership checkout, Toast covers Point of sale.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Memberful and Toast actually diverge.

Attributes where Memberful and Toast differ
AttributeMemberfulToast
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierNoYes
Platformsweb, apiWeb, iOS, Android, Tablets, Web browsers
Founded20132011

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

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 Memberful

  • Membership checkout
  • Flexible subscriptions
  • Member management
  • Landing page builder
  • Dynamic paywalls
  • Third-party integrations

Only in Toast

  • Point of sale
  • Order management
  • Kitchen display system
  • Employee scheduling
  • Customer management
  • Inventory tracking
  • Analytics & reporting
  • Delivery integration

What people use each for

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

Memberful

  • Selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing websitenot Toast
  • Gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywallnot Toast
  • Running a WordPress site with paid member-only contentnot Toast
  • Offering one-time purchases alongside recurring membershipsnot Toast

Toast

No use cases recorded yet. See the Toast review.

Where each one falls short

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

Memberful

  • Charges a 4.9% transaction fee on top of the flat monthly fee on the Standard plan.
  • Requires a separate Stripe account, adding setup complexity compared to all-in-one checkout platforms.
  • Lacks built-in course-hosting depth found in dedicated learning management platforms.
  • No free plan beyond the pre-launch trial period; charges begin once payments go live.

Toast

  • Starter tier lacks advanced features; most capabilities require paid plans above $69/month
  • No free tier for advanced features like employee scheduling, inventory, or loyalty programs
  • Setup and training time required for complex multi-location deployments
  • Payment processing tied to Toast ecosystem; limited flexibility for alternative payment processors
  • Hardware costs can be substantial for full-featured setups with multiple terminals and kitchen displays

Pricing, plan by plan

Memberful

$49/month
  • Standard$49/month
    • 4.9% transaction fee
    • Full platform access
    • Free until you go live
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom volume-based rates
    • Premium services and success management
    • Dedicated migration support

Toast

Free
  • Starter KitFree
    • Cloud-based POS
    • Payment processing
    • 1-2 terminals
  • Point of Sale$69/month
    • Custom hardware configurations
    • Advanced reporting
    • Core POS features

Which should you pick?

Choose Memberful if

  • You need membership checkout.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want flexible subscriptions.
Memberful review

Choose Toast if

  • You need point of sale.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Tablets, Web browsers.
  • You also want order management.
Toast review

Questions people ask

Is Memberful or Toast better?
Neither clearly leads. Memberful starts at $49/month and Toast at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Memberful or Toast?
Toast has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Memberful and Free for Toast.
Does Memberful or Toast run on more platforms?
Memberful runs on web, api. Toast runs on Web, iOS, Android, Tablets, Web browsers.
Can I use Toast for free?
Yes. Toast has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Memberful starts at $49/month.
What is Memberful best used for?
Memberful is most often used for selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website, gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall, running a wordpress site with paid member-only content, offering one-time purchases alongside recurring memberships. Of those, selling paid membership subscriptions from an existing website and gating podcast, newsletter or course content behind a paywall are not what Toast is typically brought in for.
What can Memberful do that Toast cannot?
Memberful covers Membership checkout, Flexible subscriptions, Member management, Landing page builder. Toast covers Point of sale, Order management, Kitchen display system, Employee scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Memberful: What does Memberful cost?

Memberful's Standard plan costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, while larger organizations can get custom volume-based rates on the Enterprise plan.

Source
Toast: What is the cost of Toast POS?

Toast offers a free Starter Kit tier for one or two terminals with POS and payment processing at no upfront cost, though costs are built into payment processing rates. Paid plans start at $69/month for the Point of Sale plan, with Custom tier available via quote for advanced features.

Source
Memberful: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Memberful can be used for free while setting up a membership site, with no charges incurred until the creator goes live and starts accepting payments.

Source
Toast: Does Toast include online ordering?

Yes. Toast offers online ordering capabilities where customers can order via QR code while seated (Order & Pay) or through standalone online ordering integrated with the POS for kitchen automation.

Source
Memberful: What does Memberful integrate with?

Memberful integrates with WordPress, Mailchimp, Discord and Kit, among other tools, to connect membership data with existing sites and marketing systems.

Source
Toast: Does Toast offer drive-through capabilities?

Yes. In April 2026, Toast launched a drive-thru product supporting voice ordering through integrations, allowing restaurants to automate drive-through workflows.

Source
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