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Toast's Order Ready Board only works with Toast.

Toast offers a customer-facing board inside its own ecosystem. Hands-free updates need a Toast KDS with an expediter device, and pricing isn't published. Pickup Signal is the focused alternative: it connects to Toast without a KDS, and works the same on Square, Clover or any other register.

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Pickup Signal on any register● Live sync

Side by side.

Pickup SignalToast Order Ready Board
Who can use itAny shop: Toast, Square or Clover sync, or two-second staff entry on any registerToast POS customers only
Hands-free updatesToast orders arrive as Toast sends them, no KDS needed. Square and Clover orders arrive on their own tooOnly orders fulfilled on an expediter KDS; otherwise staff mark each order in Orders Hub
Built aroundThe pickup rush at a made-to-order counterTakeout and delivery visibility, drivers included
HardwareAny TV with a browser, or a cheap HDMI stickRecommended Windows 11 mini-PC stick plus wired keyboard and mouse; Fire TV Stick no longer supported
Multiple TVsUnlimited, each with its own role: Full, Making or ReadyMultiple TVs show the same content
Price$19.99/month per location, published, 30 days freeNot published; the board is absent from Toast’s feature comparison chart

Toast facts as published in Toast’s Order Ready Board documentation and Toast’s pricing page, July 28, 2026. Check Toast’s site for current details.

When each one is the right call.

Choose the Toast board if…

Your shop already runs Toast POS with a Toast KDS and an expediter station. The board is native to what you bought, and staff already bump orders on the KDS.

Choose Pickup Signal if…

You run Toast without an expediter KDS, or you’re on Square, Clover or another register where Toast’s board isn’t available. No kitchen display, no special stick: pair the TV’s own browser and give each screen its own job.

Asked before choosing.

Can I use the Toast Order Ready Board without Toast POS?

No. It is a Toast Web feature gated on Toast accounts. A Square shop or any non-Toast shop can’t buy it. That is the gap Pickup Signal fills.

Is the Toast board automatic?

Conditionally. Per Toast’s documentation as of July 28, 2026, only orders fulfilled on an expediter KDS device are marked ready automatically; otherwise staff mark each order in the Orders Hub. On Pickup Signal the one staff tap is on a phone they already hold.

What does the Toast Order Ready Board cost?

Toast doesn’t say. The board isn’t listed on Toast’s published feature chart. Pickup Signal’s price is on the page: $19.99 a month per location, everything included.

Does Pickup Signal connect to Toast?

Yes. Create Standard API credentials in Toast Web, paste them into Order sources, then add an Orders webhook. Orders arrive as Toast sends them, with a check every 5 minutes to catch anything missed. Creating API credentials needs Toast’s Restaurant Management Suite Essentials or higher.

More comparisons: every way to tell a customer their order is ready · Pickup Signal vs OrderReady's manual number board · text-when-ready services vs a pickup board

See your shop's name on a board in two minutes.

Connect Toast, pair a TV, hand your staff one link.

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