Curbivo vs Toast for Food Trucks: Which One Actually Fits a Mobile Vendor?
By David Urquidi · Updated April 16, 2026 · 6 min read
TL;DR
Toast is a full restaurant POS built for fixed-location restaurants — it includes table management, kitchen display screens, and hardware that assumes you have a building. Curbivo is built for food trucks, not restaurants — branded ordering page, loyalty rewards, and live location updates designed for vendors who move every day. If you have a fixed restaurant, Toast wins. If you have a truck, cart, or pop-up that changes spots, Curbivo fits how you actually work.
The short version
Toast is an excellent POS — for restaurants. It powers tens of thousands of fixed-location restaurants with kitchen display screens, table management, server handhelds, and deep integrations with payroll and accounting. If you run a sit-down restaurant, Toast is a real answer.
A food truck isn't a sit-down restaurant. You don't seat anyone. You don't have a kitchen display screen. You don't route tickets between a bar, a grill, and a pass. You do have regulars who need to know where you're parked today, customers who want to order ahead on their phone, and a menu that changes based on what you ran out of at noon.
Curbivo is the software for that job. No hardware. No sales call. No table management. Just the features that matter when your business has wheels.
Side-by-side: what you actually get
| Curbivo | Toast | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Food trucks, carts, pop-ups | Fixed-location restaurants |
| Hardware required | None — works on your phone | POS terminals, handhelds, KDS (from ~$400+ per device) |
| Sales call to sign up | No — self-serve in 10 min | Yes — Toast sales rep required for most tiers |
| Branded online ordering page | Yes — full brand | Yes — Toast-branded with optional custom |
| Live "find us today" location | Built in | No — assumes fixed address |
| Loyalty rewards | Included from Growth tier | Add-on ($75/mo+ per location) |
| Kitchen display screen | No (you don't need one) | Yes (you pay for one anyway) |
| Monthly cost | $0 / $29 / $79 | $0 Starter (hardware extra); $69+/mo Core |
| Contract | Month-to-month, cancel anytime | 2–3 year hardware contracts common |
| Multi-truck support | Yes — per-truck hours, sold-out, reports | Multi-location for restaurants |
When to choose each
Choose Toast if…
- You run a fixed-location restaurant with table service
- You need kitchen display screens and server handhelds
- You want Toast Payroll and deep accounting integrations
- You have the cash flow and contract appetite for hardware financing
Choose Curbivo if…
- You run a food truck, cart, pop-up, or market stall
- You want to go live today, not in three weeks
- You don't want to sign a hardware contract
- You need location updates, rewards, and ordering in one place
Cost-of-switching math
Say your truck does 200 orders a month, averaging $20 — roughly $4,000 in monthly sales.
Toast (Starter + Toast Go handheld): Software free; hardware ~$400 upfront or financed at ~$40/month; fees around 2.49% + 15¢ in person = roughly $130 in fees. Add Toast Loyalty ($75/mo) and you're at ~$245/month plus hardware.
Curbivo Growth: $29/month flat; fees at 2.9% + 30¢ = ~$176 on $4,000 in online orders. Loyalty, SMS, email, custom domain all included. Total: ~$205/month with zero hardware.
On paper, the numbers get close at that volume. The real difference is what you're paying for: Curbivo spends every dollar on truck-specific features. Toast spends those dollars on a restaurant feature set you don't use.
If you're…
A first-time truck owner just trying to take online orders
Curbivo Starter. Free, 10 minutes to set up, branded page. Don't buy hardware until you know what you need.
A truck owner considering opening a brick-and-mortar soon
Use Curbivo for the truck. When you open the restaurant, evaluate Toast, Square for Restaurants, or Clover for that specific location. Running both isn't a compromise — it's the right fit for two different businesses.
An existing Toast customer adding a truck to a restaurant brand
Keep Toast for the restaurant. Add Curbivo for the truck's online ordering, branded page, and live location. Your customers get a clean ordering page per location; your kitchen keeps Toast.
See a real food truck running on Curbivo: El Cevichazoo HTX — ceviche truck in Houston, TX.
Frequently asked questions
Does Toast work for food trucks?+
Toast can run on a food truck, but it's built for restaurants. You'll pay for POS hardware, kitchen display screens, and table management features you don't need. Setup requires a sales call and often multi-year hardware contracts. For a truck, Curbivo is a closer fit — no hardware, no sales call, and it assumes your address changes daily.
Is there a Toast plan designed for mobile vendors?+
Toast doesn't have a food-truck-specific plan. Toast Starter ($0/month) works for lightweight use, but the feature set is built around a fixed restaurant — fixed address, kitchen display, table service. Curbivo's Starter tier is purpose-built for trucks: branded ordering page, live location, 50 orders/month, 3.5% + 30¢ per order.
What does Toast cost vs Curbivo for a food truck doing 200 orders a month?+
For 200 orders averaging $20, that's $4,000/month in sales. Toast Starter fees (roughly 2.49% + 15¢ in-person, plus hardware financed) run around $120/month in fees plus hardware costs. Curbivo Starter fees at 3.5% + 30¢ are about $200/month, with no hardware. Curbivo Growth ($29/mo flat + 2.9% + 30¢) drops fees to about $145 and includes loyalty, SMS, and custom domain that Toast would charge extra for.
Can I use Toast hardware with my truck?+
You can, but Toast hardware is designed for fixed-location restaurants — it assumes countertops, power, and wired networking. Most food trucks end up paying for Toast Go (handheld) which starts around $400 per device plus monthly fees. Curbivo requires no hardware — your truck's existing phone or tablet is enough.
How long does it take to set up Curbivo vs Toast?+
Curbivo: under 10 minutes, self-serve. Create an account, add a menu, go live. Toast: typically 1–3 weeks, including a sales call, hardware shipment, menu configuration, and a kickoff with a Toast onboarding specialist.
Is Toast overkill for a food truck?+
For most single-truck vendors, yes. Toast is excellent software for a full-service restaurant with table turns, kitchen display screens, and payroll. For a truck that takes walk-ups and online orders, most of Toast is machinery you don't use — but still pay for.
Free to start. Built for food trucks.
No sales call, no hardware, no contract. Set up your branded shop in 10 minutes.
Related comparisons
Comparison: Curbivo vs Toast