The 7 Best EPOS Suppliers in the UK

With the UK economy is set to shrink 0.3% in 2023 – according to the International Monetary Fund – you'll need to put in extra effort to stay competitive and engage your clientele.

EPOS systems are key services to do that – and backed by our nearly 15 years of experience, we can say Square is the best EPOS system we analysed, scoring 4.8/5 in our research.

Square gets that title due to its low-cost, intuitive readers – and the fact that it allows you to create a webstore for free. That said, other providers might serve you better depending on your needs, so we've prepared a best EPOS ranking for you to have a clearer view of the market.

If you'd like to cut the chase, you can get free quotes directly from the best EPOS suppliers in the UK through our free comparison tool. However, if you'd like know more about our research's findings, just head to our ranking below.

1. Square: Overall best EPOS supplier

Why we like it

If your business is fairly small or mobile, you can simply download the app onto your mobile device, and along with Square's card-reader, priced at an affordable £16, you have yourself a POS system.

If your business is larger and you want a more comprehensive set-up, you can opt for other hardware items such as a stand, terminal or register. You have the option of scaling as your business grows, the free POS app and affordable card reader means you can use Square as a start-up but as your business expands, you can opt for more hardware and the paid plan, so you can access the more advanced features.

Square scores highly in all of our research areas, so you know the system will provide you with the features you need to manage your business efficiently.

How does Square compare to its competitors?

Square is more suited to retail businesses than the hospitality industry although it does have features relevant to the industry such as, integrated payments, eGift cards, and timecard reports. If you want a hospitality-focused POS system, you might be better suited to TouchBistro which has been designed for the industry. Although it's pricier than Square. A more affordable alternative is Zettle that provides free hospitality point of sale software. Whilst the transaction fees are lower than Square's, the POS system is a lot more basic and has less functionality.

Square's free POS app includes features such as, an integrated website builder, sales reports, and checkout tools. The paid version, priced at £49/month, has more advanced retail features including, advanced inventory tools, smart stock forecasts, and vendor sales reports.

Pricing

• Free – £0
• Plus – £49/month

Transaction fees:

• Chip and pin/contactless – 1.75%
• Virtual terminal/invoices – 2.5%

Hardware:

• Square Reader – £16
• Square Terminal – £149
• Square Register – £50

What makes Square unique?

Square's unique in the amount of features it packs in its free ecommerce integration. Beyond its free EPOS software, Square also allows you to build a webstore for free and start selling online – an incredible tool for business owners keen on expanding revenue to fight the rising business costs in the UK.

2. Vend: Best for scalability

Why we like it

Now part of the Lightspeed family, Vend is cloud-based so you can access reports, inventory and other features from your phone, tablet or laptop even if you aren't physically present. If you travel often or want the security that you can keep an eye on your business even while you're away, cloud-based POS systems such as Vend are a good option.

Vend integrates with various third-party apps such as Xero, Mailchimp, and Shopify. Although some users have found that the Shopify integrations has some issues. Vend offers 24/7 support so you can always get assistance when you need it.

Its inventory solutions are vast, you can automate orders, monitor what is and isn't selling and manage stock across multiple locations. These extensive inventory tools make Vend a good option for retailers or restaurants that have more than one location.

How does Vend compare to its competitors?

Vend is very much designed with retail in mind, so it's not suitable to help restauranteurs and hospitality business owners, like TouchBistro and Clover are. That said, it's one of the few providers we analysed that offers a training mode, which allows staff to be trained without entering live data into the system. It's also one of the only ones to offer customer support on phone, email, and live chat without charging extra for it – a trait it shares with Shopify.

Pricing

• Lean: £39/month
• Standard: £59/month
• Advanced: £99/month

What makes Vend unique?

Vend offers plentiful add-on features, such as advanced reporting and ecommerce integration, that render it the most scalable provider in our research. This is a plus since a scalable POS system helps to prevent overspending, as you can opt for the more expensive tiers once your business has grown.

3. Talech: Best for mobile businesses

Why we like it

All versions are suited to both hospitality and retail businesses with features to manage both types of businesses. These features include inventory tracking, customer management, and order management.

Although the software is easy to use, some users have reported issues with the hardware especially the card reader, which breaks often. Users have also reported that the software can be fairly glitchy and you'll need to contact tech support to fix it, which can be frustrating. Square's software appears to have some of the best user experience with the features and interface being easy to use and intuitive.

For the hospitality industry, you can set up a floor plan with multiple rooms. Having this bird's eye view of your available seats so you can serve new customers quickly and easily. The order management tools include being able to void an item and apply taxes, gratuities and other service charges.

The lowest-priced plan is suitable for mobile businesses such as food trucks, as it offers features suitable for small hospitality and retail businesses, at an affordable monthly fee.

How does Talech compare to its competitors?

As far as paid EPOS systems go, Talech's pricing occupies a middle ground, being more expensive than Square, but considerably cheaper than Toast and Vend. Its reporting tools are also limited (it only offers six), which puts it way behind TouchBistro, which offers over 50.

Pricing

• Starter: £29.99/month
• Standard: £49.99/month
• Premium: £69.99/month

What makes Talech unique?

Talech's the only provider in our research to offer unlimited devices on all of its plans, which is great if you need several people operating the system at once.

4. Lightspeed: Best for bars

Why we like it

Lightspeed offers a wide range of features that are super focused on both the retail and hospitality industry. Because it's so comprehensive we recommend it for businesses that have multiple locations, such as bars, as you can easily manage all your locations from one system.

Lightspeed has an integrated CRM (customer relationship management) system so you can foster better relationships with your customers. You can store customer details, and build their profiles for tailored marketing and loyalty programs. It also integrates with accounting platforms such as Xero and Sage.

How does Lightspeed compare to its competitors?

Lightspeed has a key asset in its CRM system, an organised way to store and manage customer information. It also packs more accounting integrations than Square. However, its customer support team is only reachable via phone and email, therefore lacking the live chat channel that Shopify has. For its part, Lightspeed keeps its live chat functionality open just for its sales team.

Pricing

Lightspeed Retail:

• Lean – £39/month
• Standard – £59/month
• Advanced – £99/month
• Enterprise – custom

Lightspeed Restaurant:

• Essentials -£39/month
• Plus – £79/month
• Enterprise – custom

What makes Lightspeed unique?

Lightspeed has the most comprehensive inventory tools among the providers we researched, so for business owners keen on getting to the nitty-gritty of their stock, it's an ideal choice. It allows you to identify pieces of inventory with a unique serial number, track inventory levels and SKUs across multiple locations, directly import products from over 3,000 preloaded catalogues, among other things.

5. Shopify: Best ecommerce integration

Why we like it

Even if you're a pop up store, you can still benefit from using a POS system to organise and manage all the moving parts of a retail business. Your mobile device can be turned into a POS system at your fingertips by downloading the Shopify Retail POS app on to an Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. The system is customisable so you can personalise it to suit the way you want to use it for your business. For example, you can keep your most popular discounts or products on the front page to make it easier to access.

How does Shopify POS compare to its competitors?

Befitting the fact that it's a product by an ecommerce powerhouse, Shopify POS is best suited to those who want to run their business online. If you're just interested in the POS system for a brick-and-mortar location, systems such as Square are likely to serve you better while costing less.

Pricing

• Basic – £19/month
• Shopify – £49/month
• Advanced £259/month

Hardware:

• WisePad 3 Reader – £49
• 1D barcode scanner – £199
• Zebra Label printer – £159

What makes Shopify POS unique?

Shopify POS' unique selling point is the fact that it allows you to seamlessly integrate your online Shopify store with your physical points of sale, as well as manage them both through one single platform. For business owners who already sell via Shopify, that's a match tough to beat.

6. TouchBistro: Best for restaurants

Why we like it

The system is customisable and offers add-on features so you can build a complete restaurant management system. For example, you can add online ordering, and marketing tools. Whilst this means you don't need to pay for features you don't need or want, it does mean that all these add-ons that you do need can make your monthly fee very costly. Lightspeed might be a better alternative as it offers similar hospitality-focused features without the add-on fees.

How does TouchBistro compare to its competitors?

TouchBistro does not offer a free trial, making it more difficult to make an informed decision. Once you've signed a contract with the provider, it can be difficult to get out of the contract as you'll need to send TouchBistro 30 day's written notice before the end of your contract. Failure to do this means your contract is automatically renewed. Other providers such as Square don't require you to sign a long-term contract, so you have more flexibility. That said, Square doesn't have the same advanced hospitality-focused features as TouchBistro.

Pricing

From £56/month

What makes TouchBistro unique?

TouchBistro packs incredible reporting tools, including total sales, average spend, and payment type – and because it's cloud-based, you can access them wherever you are as long as you're online. This makes a great choice for restauranteurs keen on using data insights to develop new business strategies.

7. Clover: Best for medium-sized businesses

Why we like it

For the hospitality industry, Clover offers relevant features such as, offering customers the ability to view the menu and pay via a QR code on their table. You can also create custom floor plans, customise orders, and track sales in real-time.

Retailers can also use this POS systems as it has an integrated online store, plus the ability to manage your inventory of the online and physical store from one system.

We score Clovers help and support a 3.5, as they offer each customer a dedicated Clover support number.

How does Clover compare to its competitors?

Clover is a good fit for your business if you want sturdy POS hardware and a good payment processor. However, the software itself can be a little difficult, as it lacks some features which can be added via a third party. This means issues with integration, and if something does go wrong you'll need to contact the third party yourself. If you want a more feature-heavy software, Vend or Square are better options.

Pricing

Bespoke.

What makes Clover unique?

Clover boasts some of the sturdiest hardware out there, which makes it a great choice for business owners that require that extra resistance, like an outdoor vendors.

Our methodology

Our research team looked at several areas including:

• Till – this area looks at the hardware a POS provider offers and whether it offers features such as bill splitting and receipt customisation.
• Business management – this research area scores a provider based on the business features and tools such as offline mode, sales forecasting, and detailed reporting.
• Stock management – this looks at the comprehensiveness of stock tools.
• Usability – features such as digital receipts and software set up are taken into account.
• Price – the average price of the system, plus, whether it has a free trial, demo, or plan.

The score of each area is combined to produce an overall score for the provider.

How do I choose an EPOS system?

We get it: with some many providers in the market, picking one can feel daunting. To help you out, we've listed some of the things you must consider choosing your EPOS system.

• Budget

If you're starting out or run a seasonal business, you're better off sticking with providers that offer free software – like Square – so as not to incur a monthly fixed cost.

• Business type

You must be attuned to your business needs: while providers like Clover and Lightspeed serve both retail and hospitality, others don't. Retailers would be wise to look for great inventory management tools, while restauranteurs can greatly benefit from delivery integrations and tableside ordering features.

• Online integration

If part of your business operates online, consider a provider that makes integrating both the physical and virtual parts of your venture as seamless as possible. Out of the ones in our ranking, Square and Shopify POS are the best-equipped to tackle this.