Running a restaurant, café or takeaway leaves very little room for slow tills, missed orders or awkward payment delays. When service is in full swing, your POS system needs to do its job quietly in the background: take orders, send them to the right place, process payments and help your team keep tables turning.
The best POS systems for restaurants are as effective at helping you to manage menus, split bills, and add tips as they are at tracking stock, monitoring staff performance, and viewing sales reports. It’s also useful if they connect with accounting or delivery platforms.
In this guide, we compare the best POS systems for UK restaurants and hospitality businesses, looking at costs, card processing fees, hardware, key features and which type of venue each provider is best suited to.
Lightspeed
Lightspeed is what we like to call a proper restaurant POS. It is built for venues with more moving parts: menus, service areas, staff permissions, reporting and payments all tied together.
That makes it a better fit for busy cafés, restaurants, bars and hospitality groups than for a small weekend stall. It costs more than some of the entry-level systems below, but you’re paying for more control. If you want to know what is selling, how staff are performing and where service is slowing down, Lightspeed gives you the tools to investigate that.
Lightspeed POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| Retail POS software | From £66 per month, billed annually |
| Higher retail plans | From £111-£216 per month, billed annually |
| In-person transaction fee | 1.5% with Lightspeed Payments |
| Hardware | Quote-based, depending on setup |
| Additional locations/registers | Extra costs may apply |
Key features
- Advanced inventory management: Track stock, variants, suppliers, purchase orders and product performance
- Retail and hospitality options: Separate POS systems for shops, restaurants, bars and cafés
- Detailed reporting: Monitor sales, staff, margins, stock movement and customer behaviour
- Integrated payments: Take card payments directly through Lightspeed Payments
- Multi-location support: Manage more than one shop, venue or register from the same system
- Ecommerce integrations: Connect your in-store POS with online selling tools
Square POS
If you’re a smaller hospitality business, Square is a sensible starting point because it doesn’t ask for much in the way of upfront cost. The basic POS software is free, the card reader is inexpensive (from £19), and you can be taking payments without getting locked into a long contract.
That will appeal to you if you’re a coffee shop, food truck, pop-up, or small takeaway/casual food business that mainly needs a clean way to take orders and payments, though you may want the more expensive terminal if you have a larger restaurant. You can build a product menu, track sales and add extras later, such as loyalty or team tools.
Square POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS software | Free |
| In-person transaction fee | 1.75% for UK cards |
| Online transaction fee | 1.4% + 25p for UK cards |
| Hardware | From £19 + VAT for Square Reader |
| Virtual Terminal and invoices | 2.5% |
Key features
- Free POS software: Square’s basic point-of-sale software has no monthly fee
- Low-cost hardware: Square Reader starts from £19 + VAT
- Inventory tools: Track products, stock levels and sales from one place
- Online and in-person payments: Take payments in store, online, by invoice or through a virtual terminal
- Reporting dashboard: View sales, refunds, popular products and team performance
- Add-on tools: Access optional extras for appointments, marketing, loyalty and staff management
Shopify POS
Shopify might not be the first POS that comes to mind for a restaurant, but it has a clear use case in hospitality. It works best for food and drink businesses that sell online and over the counter: bakeries taking online orders, cafés selling beans, restaurants doing takeaways.
The main benefit is that you can manage the online and in-person sales in the same place. That can save you a lot of admin if you’re juggling stock, customer data and orders across different channels. If your main need is table service, kitchen printing and restaurant floor management, though, Shopify may not be quite the right fit.
Shopify POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS software | POS Lite included with Shopify plans |
| POS Pro | £66 per month, per location |
| Shopify ecommerce plans | From £5 per month for Starter, with full store plans costing more |
| Transaction fees | Vary by Shopify plan and payment setup |
| Hardware | Card reader and retail hardware sold separately |
Key features
- Omnichannel selling: Sell through your website, social media, markets, pop-ups and physical stores
- Inventory management: Sync stock levels across online and in-person sales
- Customer profiles: Build customer records and view purchase history
- Click and collect: Let customers buy online and collect in store
- Staff permissions: Manage what team members can access, especially with POS Pro
- Retail reporting: Track sales, products, locations and staff performance
SumUp
SumUp is the kind of POS that works well if you want something simple and effective. For a coffee cart, market food trader, small café or casual takeaway, a card reader, free app and clear payment fees may be all you need.
It’s certainly not trying to be a full restaurant management platform, which is part of its appeal. You can take payments, keep an eye on sales and avoid a hefty monthly software cost. As your business grows, you can add more hardware, but SumUp is at its best when you want a lean setup.
SumUp POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS app | Free |
| Payments Plus | £19 per month |
| Pay-as-you-go transaction fee | 1.69% for in-person payments |
| Payments Plus transaction fee | 0.99% for domestic debit and credit cards |
| Online payment fee | 2.5% |
| Hardware | From £35 + VAT for Solo Lite and charging station |
| POS Lite hardware | £249, or £290 with Solo card reader |
Key features
- Free POS app: Take payments, manage products and track sales from the SumUp Business app
- Simple card readers: Choose from compact readers, handheld terminals and countertop POS hardware
- Transparent fees: Pay a fixed in-person transaction fee, with no long-term contract on pay-as-you-go
- Payments Plus option: Pay a monthly fee to reduce domestic in-person card fees
- POS Lite hardware: Use a dedicated tablet-style till with SumUp’s POS software
- Online payments: Accept payment links, invoices and online payments as well as in-person transactions
Epos Now
Epos Now offers a classic, comprehensive EPOS setup: a till on the counter, payment hardware, receipt printer, back-office tools and reports. For a café, pub, takeaway or restaurant that wants something more substantial than a phone and card reader, it should be perfect.
It gives you room to build a setup around how your venue actually runs, whether that means stock control, staff activity or sales reporting. If you’re a smaller operation, you may not need that much structure. But once you have regular footfall, a team on shift and a menu to manage, a proper till system starts to make more sense.
Epos Now costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS software | From £25 per month |
| Hardware | From £249 + VAT |
| Transaction fees | Quote-based |
| Free trial | No |
| Setup/package pricing | Depends on business needs and hardware bundle |
Key features
- Complete POS bundles: Choose packages with a touchscreen terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer and other accessories
- Retail and hospitality tools: Use features built for shops, cafés, restaurants, bars and service businesses
- Stock management: Track inventory, product performance, suppliers and purchase orders
- Cloud back office: View sales, reports and business data from anywhere
- Integrated payments: Connect your POS with card payments through Epos Now Payments
- App integrations: Link with tools such as accounting, ecommerce, loyalty and delivery platforms
PayPal POS
PayPal POS keeps things fairly stripped back. That may be all you need if you run a bakery counter or coffee pop-up where speed and simplicity matter more than restaurant-specific extras.
Features include a basic product library and sales reporting function, and there is no monthly fee for the basic POS app. The limits are worth noting, though: this is not the system you would choose for detailed table plans, kitchen screens or advanced stock control. It is better for straightforward face-to-face payments.
PayPal POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS app | No monthly fee |
| Startup fee | £0 |
| In-person transaction fee | 1.75% for card and contactless payments |
| Hardware | From £29 + VAT for PayPal Reader |
| PayPal Terminal with barcode scanner | £199 excluding VAT |
| Terminal with barcode scanner and printer dock | £249 excluding VAT |
Key features
- No monthly software fee: Use the PayPal POS app without paying a subscription
- Simple card payments: Accept card and contactless payments in person
- PayPal payment options: Useful if your customers already use PayPal
- Portable hardware: Choose from a compact reader or standalone terminal
- Basic product library: Add products, prices and VAT rates to speed up checkout
- Sales reporting: View transactions and fee reports through your PayPal POS account
Revolut POS
Revolut POS could appeal to you if you run a hospitality business and you already use Revolut Business, or want to bring your payments and banking closer together. For cafés, bars, food traders and casual dining businesses, the competitive headline card fees could be a winner.
The question is whether you want that kind of setup. If your business already runs through Revolut, it could feel neat and efficient. If you want a more traditional hospitality EPOS package, with more dedicated restaurant features and a long track record in the sector, you may prefer one of the more established POS providers.
Revolut POS costs
| Cost type | Price |
| POS software | No subscription fee |
| Revolut Reader | £49 + VAT |
| Revolut Terminal | £169 + VAT |
| Card fees | From 0.8% + 2p |
| Revolut Pay fees | From 0.5% + 2p |
| Settlement | Within 24 hours |
Key features
- Low transaction fees: Card fees start from 0.8% + 2p
- Revolut Pay: Accept Revolut Pay from Revolut customers at a lower rate
- Next-day settlement: Receive funds into your Revolut Business account within 24 hours
- Multi-currency payments: Accept payments in multiple currencies
- Portable hardware: Choose the compact Revolut Reader or the larger Revolut Terminal
- POS app integration: Manage sales, inventory and payments through Revolut’s POS app
Worldpay 360 POS
Worldpay 360 POS is for you if you want a packaged setup rather than a do-it-yourself POS. You get the EPOS, hardware and payment processing from one provider, which can be useful for restaurants, cafés and bars that do not want to piece everything together themselves.
It is less flexible than the pay-as-you-go options, partly because of the contract. But if you’re a busy venue that wants a managed till-and-payments system, Worldpay 360 POS has a clear place. It is more likely to suit an established hospitality business than someone just taking their first steps in the industry.
| Cost type | Price |
| Lite bundle | £49 per month |
| Standard bundle | £74 per month |
| Pro bundle | £89 per month |
| Debit card fees | From 0.468% + 2.5p |
| Credit card fees | From 0.914% + 2.5p |
| Commercial card fees | From 2.003% + 2.5p |
| Contract | 18 months |
Key features
- All-in-one bundles: Hardware, software and a Worldpay card terminal included in one monthly price
- Retail and hospitality tools: Options for shops, cafés, restaurants, bars and quick-service businesses
- Business reporting: Track sales, products and performance from the Worldpay dashboard
- Stock and product management: Manage items, prices and inventory from your POS
- 4G backup: Keep trading if your Wi-Fi drops
- Loyalty and customer tools: Build repeat custom with loyalty schemes, gift cards and personalised offers
Which restaurant POS system is right for your business?
The best POS system is the one that fits the way your restaurant, café, bar or takeaway actually runs.
If you are just starting out, or only need to take payments quickly at the counter, a simpler setup from Square, SumUp or PayPal POS may be enough. If you sell food or products online as well as in person, Shopify POS could make more sense. For restaurants with table service, staff rotas, complex kitchens, and more detailed reporting needs, Lightspeed, Epos Now or Worldpay 360 POS may be a better fit.
Before you choose, think about your busiest service. Can staff send orders to the right place quickly? Can customers split bills, add tips and pay without a queue forming? Can you track what is selling, what is being wasted and how your team is performing? Those questions matter more than chasing the cheapest headline price.
Compare the full cost too, including software, hardware, card fees, contract length and any paid add-ons. A cheap POS can become expensive if it slows down service, while a pricier system may pay for itself if it saves time, reduces mistakes and gives you better control over the business.
