Comparison

Katalyst Manager vs Toast Now

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Katalyst Manager

Features
Read full description

The Katalyst Manager App gives you powerful insights at your fingertips anytime, anywhere. Daily Sales numbers, in-depth check and payment info and detailed Reservation info keep you up to date on your business. Best-in-class Reports let you drill down into your operations quick and easy at a revenue center level, location level, and even across multiple locations. Enjoy the ability to be on-the-go with complete insight into your operations!

About

Toast Now

Manage your business operations remotely with real-time sales data, delivery channel control, and team coordination. This app provides insights, allows for stock management, and facilitates communication, all from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Real-time sales data and insights
  • Control delivery channels
  • Manager log communication
  • Multi-location view
  • Remote stock management
  • Team labor management
Features
Read full description

Run your business on the go with Toast Now, Toast’s mobile app designed to give you total freedom. Real-time insights, channel controls, labor management, and more – all conveniently in your pocket. GET IMMEDIATE INSIGHTS Live sales data with hour-by-hour totals and helpful breakdowns, including comparisons to the same day last week and year. CONTROL DELIVERY CHANNELS Curb the flow of orders with easy on-off toggles for online ordering, Local by Toast, and third-party apps like Grubhub. COMMUNICATE & COORDINATE Add and edit entries to your manager log, synced with Toast Web, and reply quickly with simple conversational threads. EASILY TOGGLE BETWEEN LOCATIONS The multi-location view keeps things simple. Log in once and see all your locations and performance in a single place. MANAGE STOCK FROM ANYWHERE Mark items in stock and out of stock so employees can keep customers informed and solve for shortages and in real time. STAY CONNECTED TO YOUR TEAM See who’s clocked in or out, edit employee shifts, and view shift information, including tips earned and break times. Download Toast Now for iOS. Please note: Toast Now is only available for Toast customers.

Screenshots

Katalyst Manager4 screens
Toast Now4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Toast Now at weekly against Katalyst Manager's every 2 months. Katalyst Manager's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Katalyst Manager ships an update every 2 months, Toast Now weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Katalyst Manager versus Toast Now: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKatalyst ManagerToast Now
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.9 (12K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—32.4% of reviews
Number of ratings—12K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB221 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKatalyst LLCToast, Inc.

Bugs and requests

Katalyst Manager

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Toast Now

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Double charging customers and failure to refund
  • Incorrect or outdated data on the reporting page

Requested features

4 requests
  • Weekly/monthly sales and labor reporting
  • Ability to view individual orders/tabs and transaction details
  • Separate reporting for cash vs. credit card sales, tips, etc.
  • Multi-location/group-level sales overview

In-app purchases

None

Katalyst Manager

No in-app purchases

None

Toast Now

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Katalyst Manager free?
Katalyst Manager is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Toast Now free?
Toast Now is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Katalyst Manager or Toast Now have ads?
Neither Katalyst Manager nor Toast Now shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Katalyst Manager or Toast Now?
Katalyst Manager ships an update every 2 months, and Toast Now weekly. Most recently, Katalyst Manager was updated on November 6, 2026 and Toast Now on November 12, 2026.

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