Mountain Stream
Mountain Stream is a specialized cloud-based platform providing automated royalty accounting and financial reporting tools designed specifically for book publishers to streamline complex author payments and rights management.
Toast
Toast is an all-in-one point of sale and restaurant management platform designed to help you streamline operations, increase sales, and create better guest experiences through integrated technology.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Mountain Stream | Toast |
|---|---|---|
| Website | mountainstream.com | toasttab.com |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2016 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | London, UK | Boston, USA |
Overview
Mountain Stream
Mountain Stream is a dedicated royalty accounting platform built to handle the unique financial complexities of the publishing industry. You can move away from error-prone spreadsheets and automate the entire lifecycle of author payments, from importing sales data to generating professional royalty statements. The system handles various formats including physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks across multiple currencies and territories.
You can manage complex contract terms, tiered royalty rates, and sub-rights income within a single secure environment. By centralizing your data, you reduce the time spent on manual calculations and ensure your authors receive accurate, timely reports. It is designed for small to mid-sized independent publishers who need enterprise-grade accuracy without the overhead of legacy systems.
Toast
Toast is a comprehensive restaurant management platform that centralizes your entire operation into one system. You can handle everything from front-of-house point of sale transactions to back-of-house kitchen displays and inventory tracking. Whether you run a small cafe, a busy full-service restaurant, or a multi-location franchise, you can customize the hardware and software to fit your specific service model and workflow.
You can manage your staff with integrated payroll and scheduling tools while building guest loyalty through built-in marketing and rewards programs. The platform also enables you to expand your reach with online ordering and delivery integration, ensuring you never miss a sale. By putting all your data in one place, you can make faster, more informed decisions to grow your business and improve your bottom line.
Overview
Mountain Stream Features
- Automated Royalty Calculation Calculate complex royalties automatically across different formats and territories to ensure your authors are always paid accurately.
- Sales Data Import Upload sales files from major distributors like Amazon and Ingram directly into the system to eliminate manual data entry.
- Contract Management Store and track specific contract terms, including escalation clauses and sub-rights splits, in one searchable digital database.
- Statement Generation Create professional, easy-to-read PDF royalty statements for your authors with just a few clicks during your reporting period.
- Advance Tracking Monitor author advances and recoupment status in real-time so you know exactly when a title starts earning profit.
- Multi-Currency Support Manage global sales easily by converting international revenue into your functional currency for consolidated financial reporting.
Toast Features
- Point of Sale. Process orders and payments quickly with durable hardware designed to withstand the heat and spills of a busy kitchen.
- Kitchen Display System. Connect your front and back of house instantly so your kitchen staff can manage tickets and prep times efficiently.
- Online Ordering. Take orders directly through your own website and skip the high commissions of third-party delivery apps.
- Inventory Management. Track your food costs in real-time and manage your stock levels to reduce waste and improve your margins.
- Payroll & Team Management. Simplify your administrative work by syncing timesheets directly with payroll and managing employee benefits in one place.
- Guest Loyalty Programs. Create custom rewards and email marketing campaigns to keep your customers coming back and increase their lifetime value.
Pricing Comparison
Mountain Stream Pricing
Toast Pricing
- 1 terminal included
- Cloud-based POS software
- Payment processing integration
- Customer engagement tools
- Real-time reporting
- Standard support
- Everything in Quick Start, plus:
- Advanced POS functionality
- Table management
- Menu management
- Kitchen display system access
- Multi-location management
Pros & Cons
Mountain Stream
Pros
- Significantly reduces time spent on end-of-period reporting
- Handles complex sub-rights and co-edition splits easily
- Excellent customer support with deep publishing industry knowledge
- Clean interface makes navigating author contracts intuitive
Cons
- Initial data migration requires careful preparation
- No public pricing available without a sales consultation
- Limited integrations with smaller niche book distributors
Toast
Pros
- Intuitive interface makes training new staff quick and easy
- Reliable offline mode keeps you taking orders during internet outages
- Hardware is specifically built for heavy restaurant use
- Seamless integration between online ordering and the kitchen
Cons
- Requires use of Toast for payment processing
- Contract terms can be long and difficult to exit
- Customer support response times vary during peak hours