Most POS comparison articles are written by affiliate sites that earn a commission on whatever you pick. This one is written by a Canadian POS company, so we’re biased too, but we’ll show our work, and most of this checklist applies no matter what you choose.

1. Get the true monthly number

The advertised price is rarely the paid price. Add the terminal fees, the kitchen display, the online-ordering module, loyalty, and whatever percentage of sales the platform takes on orders. Ask every vendor the same question: “What will I actually pay per month at my volume, all-in?” Then ask what happens to that number in year two. (We wrote a full breakdown of what a POS really costs.)

2. Refuse per-order cuts

A percentage of every sale is the most expensive pricing model in hospitality, because it scales with your success and never stops. A flat, predictable cost, or zero, keeps your margin yours. Dinify’s position: we never take a cut of your sales, on any plan. Card processing by Stripe applies to online payments, and that’s the whole list.

3. Keep hardware freedom

Proprietary terminals lock you in twice: the lease, and the switching pain. In 2026 there is no technical reason a POS can’t run in the browser on the phones and tablets you already own. If a vendor insists on their hardware, ask why, and what the exit costs.

4. Think about every guest’s language

Canadian dining rooms are multilingual: English and French, plus the languages of every neighbourhood. A menu guests can read, and ask questions about, in their own language isn’t a luxury feature here; it’s hospitality. Dinify’s menus translate for diners, and the AI Waiter answers questions in the guest’s language on every plan.

5. Make sure taxes and tips are Canadian

GST, HST, PST and Quebec’s rules; tip pooling and server attribution; end-of-day reports your accountant accepts. Ask to see the end-of-day report before you sign anything. If a demo can’t show you sales, tax and tips for a day in one view, closing time will be a spreadsheet.

6. Own your data

Your menu, guests, and sales history should be exportable and yours. Ask: “If I leave in a year, what do I take with me, and what does leaving cost?” The honest answers are “everything” and “nothing”.

7. Weight the switching cost honestly

The best system you’ll never finish migrating to is worth less than a good one you’re live on this week. Ask how long from signup to first order. With Dinify, the menu builds itself from a photo and most restaurants take their first order the same day.

Where Dinify fits

We built Dinify for Canadian independents specifically: dine-in and QR ordering, kitchen display, live floor plan and an AI waiter at every table, running on the devices you already own. Focused products add loyalty, online delivery, kiosk or full POS operations, and Dinify Suite combines them. Built in Canada, priced in dollars that make sense here, with no commission on your sales.

See the platform · What we do · Or book a walkthrough and judge it on your own menu.

Choosing a restaurant POS in Canada: what actually matters in 2026