Best EPOS Systems in 2026 | UK POS Provider Guide

In 2026, we tested 12 EPOS systems (160 research hours and more than 20 hours hands-on) across six scoring categories.

Square ranked number one for UK businesses because it offers a genuinely usable free plan, clear upgrades (£29 to £69 per month) and transparent in-person processing fees from 1.75% (or 1.6% on select plans). It also includes strong add-ons for marketing, loyalty, and staff management.

Square is not ideal for every operation. It lacks granular profit tools and ingredient-level tracking for complex restaurant groups. If that’s essential, Toast and Lightspeed are stronger. For other alternatives, Shopify leads for omnichannel retail, Clover for pro hardware, and SumUp is the cheapest overall. Read on for what each top EPOS system is best for.

The Best UK EPOS Systems: Summary

Before we begin the in-depth reviews, here’s a quick snapshot of how the top UK EPOS systems compare:

How Do We Test and Rate These EPOS Systems?

We combine hands-on testing with structured research, so our rankings reflect usability, feature depth and total cost.

1. Square: Best for Scaling and Growing Your Business

Square is our top EPOS pick for UK businesses that want to start small and scale, thanks to a strong free plan, simple upgrades, and hardware that expands with you.

Why is Square a top choice for scaling businesses?

Square’s free EPOS software is one of the most usable we tested. It covers key workflows many small businesses need early on, including stock and employee management, plus menu and table tools for hospitality.

Square’s paid plans (£29 to £69 per month) add useful depth without a big pricing jump. For example, Square Retail’s paid plan (from £49 per month, per location) includes more advanced reporting, such as tracking discount use.

Accounting integrations (UK): If you use accounting software, confirm how Square fits your workflow via integrations, add-ons or exports. Common UK tools to check include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Square’s plans offer strong value for growing businesses, especially on software costs. Its in-person processing fee remains 1.75% (or 1.6% on select plans), which is slightly higher than some rivals.

Hardware is another scaling win. You can start with compact card readers or a tablet setup, then move to full countertop kits when you need them, without switching providers.

Square also offers marketing and loyalty tools, plus a free online store builder, which helps businesses grow sales across channels.

Our experience with Square

We found Square easy to use overall. The backend was intuitive, menus and items were quick to set up, and the search function helped us find tools fast.

We did hit friction points in testing, including a table plan that didn’t appear in the backend as expected, plus a clunky process for cancelling orders and adding staff accounts.

We tested the Square Terminal too. Payments and inventory access were straightforward, but the unit felt wide in-hand, so it suited countertop use better than table service.

How could Square improve?

Square currently lacks granular cost versus profit analysis and ingredient usage tracking, which are essential for complex restaurant groups. If you need margin and waste control across multiple venues, Toast and Lightspeed are better fits.

Square also doesn’t include a training mode. If that’s essential for onboarding, Clover, SumUp, Toast and Lightspeed all offer one.

Square’s pricing

Square offers three EPOS products (Retail, Restaurant and Appointments), each with a free plan. Paid tiers start at £29 per month and go up to £69 per month, with custom pricing available for larger operations.

Square is also unusually clear on transaction fees, with a flat 1.75% for in-person payments (down to 1.6% on select plans). Overall, Square provides high value for growing businesses by pairing functional free software with paid plans that remain cheaper than competitors like Lightspeed.

2. Clover: Best for Professional Hardware

Clover is the best EPOS choice if hardware quality is your priority, with strong countertop terminals, a capable handheld, and a slick customer display experience.

Why choose Clover for hardware-first setups?

Clover’s hardware was the best we tested overall. The devices were sleek and responsive, and the handheld Clover Flex (POS device plus card machine) felt lightweight.

The standout option is the Clover Station Pro, a countertop kit with an employee screen, customer-facing display, and card machine. The customer display was particularly intuitive in testing, which is useful when customers want to confirm orders quickly. Clover also includes fingerprint recognition on the Station Pro, which speeds up staff logins during busy shifts.

On the software side, Clover includes tools like low stock alerts and cost versus profit tracking, plus detailed reporting across items, categories, employees and locations.

Accounting integrations (UK): Clover’s app marketplace is a major factor here. If you use accounting software, check whether the connector you need exists for your setup. Common UK tools include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Clover also has an extensive app store, including native tools such as employee time clocks, customer loyalty programs and cash tracking, which helps businesses build a more tailored EPOS setup.

Our experience with Clover

Clover remained easy to use in our testing. The frontend is intuitive and the drag-and-drop table planner is a genuine plus for hospitality.

We did run into backend friction. We had trouble locating discount and loyalty settings, and syncing issues occasionally disrupted the experience.

Hardware was the highlight. The Clover Flex sat comfortably in-hand, making it a good fit for table service.

How could Clover improve?

Clover is likely the most expensive option on this list, with estimated software costs exceeding £50 per month and terminals costing approximately £1,000. This estimate is based on Clover’s US pricing, because Clover doesn’t publish UK pricing clearly.

That cost profile makes Clover less suitable for small businesses trying to minimise spend, especially when cheaper hardware ecosystems exist with Square and SumUp.

Clover is also missing automated tip sharing. If tip pooling is a priority, Square is the strongest option on this list.

Clover’s pricing

Clover offers custom pricing in the UK, which varies depending on the software and hardware bundle your business needs. You’ll typically pay one monthly subscription fee that covers the software and equipment rental.

Transaction fees sit outside the subscription and are negotiated with Clover. The starting point is 1.49% per transaction and fees can be negotiated lower. For medium-sized businesses, we believe you can expect transaction fees to be around 1% + £0.10, which is very competitive compared with many rivals.

3. Shopify: Best for Omnichannel Retail Businesses

Shopify is the best EPOS system for retailers selling online and in-store, thanks to a unified dashboard that keeps stock and sales data aligned across channels.

Why is Shopify strong for omnichannel retail?

Shopify’s key advantage is that its ecommerce and EPOS tools sit in one dashboard. Products can be sold online, in-store or both, and stock levels update across channels, which reduces discrepancies in reporting.

It also supports useful retail workflows, including in-store returns for online purchases and customer profiles that unify online and in-store purchase history. Shopify does not include a built-in loyalty builder like some rivals, so you’ll typically use an app integration.

Accounting integrations (UK): Shopify’s ecosystem is a major advantage here. Because Shopify integrates with more than 8,000 apps, many businesses connect Shopify sales into accounting workflows via third-party connectors. Common UK tools to check include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Shopify also has strong support resources. In the Shopify Help Center, we found a large library of answers and tutorials, plus a forum for troubleshooting with other users.

Our experience with Shopify

We found Shopify’s frontend highly intuitive for checkout, but the backend was difficult to navigate due to the sheer volume of menus.

The frontend layout made checkout, discounts and item search straightforward. The AI assistant helped us troubleshoot quickly.

The backend felt busy, because it’s built to manage multiple sales channels. We often relied on the AI assistant to locate settings like staff accounts and discounts.

How could Shopify improve?

Shopify’s POS is iPad-led. It doesn’t sell physical countertop terminals like Clover, only a tablet stand. If you want a traditional terminal setup, Clover is the better fit.

Shopify is also missing a training mode. That may be fine if most staff only use checkout, but if training environments are essential, most other providers on this page (besides Square) offer them.

Finally, Shopify’s in-person fees can be high on this page, listed as 1.5% to 5%. You can access lower fees with higher ecommerce tiers, but that increases total monthly cost.

Shopify’s pricing

Shopify offers two EPOS tiers: £5 per month (Starter, also called POS Lite) and £69 per month (or £52 per month, paid annually) (Retail, also called POS Pro).

The £5 tier is designed for lightweight selling and it comes with higher in-person fees (listed here as 5%). For full EPOS features, you’ll typically need the £69 Retail plan and ecommerce subscription costs are charged separately (starting from £19 per month). In-person fees can fall as low as 1.5% on higher ecommerce plans.

4. SumUp: Most Affordable EPOS System

SumUp is the most affordable EPOS option on this list, with free software, low-cost paid plans and competitive transaction fees.

Why is SumUp the most affordable EPOS system?

SumUp offers a free EPOS plan and paid tiers only go up to £49 per month. Transaction fees are also lower than Square’s on this page (1.69% versus 1.75%), which helps keep total running costs down.

SumUp does not split plans by retail and hospitality. The £49 per month POS Pro plan is the most suitable for restaurants, since it includes table management, scheduled menu changes and allergen and item variation management.

Accounting integrations (UK): Confirm how you’ll move SumUp sales into your accounts via integrations or exports. Common UK tools to check include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

SumUp also offers a self-service kiosk, which is why we rate it highly for takeaways. The kiosk costs £399, plus £59 per month for kiosk software.

We also like SumUp’s digital gift card creation on the free plan and its £19 per month loyalty add-on via the SumUp Pay app. SumUp also includes a free native ecommerce platform for low-cost online selling.

Our experience with SumUp

SumUp’s frontend is easy to use, but the backend remained slower and harder to navigate in our testing.

The frontend felt clean and responsive and we liked the “park order” function for adjusting items mid-transaction.

The backend caused most frustration. We saw slow loading when accessing reports, bulk imports and settings, plus there were navigation elements that sometimes obscured other tools.

How could SumUp improve?

SumUp doesn’t have an automatic offline function. If you lose internet access, you may not be able to keep processing orders. Many competitors, including Clover, Toast and Lightspeed, offer this function, since it’s a useful backup in a crisis.

SumUp’s pricing

SumUp offers three EPOS plans: the free plan, the £19 per month POS Plus and the £49 per month POS Pro.

Transaction fees are listed here as 1.69% for in-person purchases, and they can be lowered to 0.99% with a £19 per month SumUp One subscription.

SumUp hardware options include three card machines priced between £25 and £169. Since it’s app-based, SumUp does not sell traditional countertop terminals, but it does offer an iPad stand for £109.

5. Toast: Best for Established Restaurants With Complex Operations

Toast suits restaurants that need deeper operational control, with strong tools for recipes, inventory, and profitability.

Why is Toast a strong EPOS for complex restaurants?

Toast supports key restaurant workflows, including daypart menus and menu item variations, which helps venues running lunch and dinner services, or offering customisation.

It also includes food and recipe cost management, low-stock alerts and cost versus profit analysis, which supports margin control and waste reduction.

Toast supports online and mobile ordering, delivery services, takeout tooling and third-party delivery integrations. Toast also allows restaurants to create their own app.

Accounting integrations (UK): Confirm how Toast connects to your finance workflow via integrations or exports. Common UK tools to check include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Toast includes built-in customer tools too, including loyalty programmes and physical and digital gift cards, which is something SumUp is missing. We also liked Toast’s native reservation tools for managing seating and service progression.

Our experience with Toast

We found Toast easy to use overall. The backend navigation was clear and the setup tutorial helped us get started quickly.

We struggled most with setting up discounts, since the option sits behind an “update” button that was not immediately obvious. Lightspeed and Square label discount options more clearly at checkout.

How could Toast improve?

Toast’s tablet app is only compatible with Android tablets. If you want to reuse iPads, Square or Lightspeed are easier fits.

Toast is also one of the more expensive options on this page, with plans starting at £80 per month, before add-ons, like marketing or KDS.

Toast’s pricing

Toast offers three EPOS tiers: the £80 per month Starter, the £150 Essentials and a custom plan.

That makes Toast the highest starting-price option on this list, above Lightspeed’s entry pricing (from £69 per month for Restaurant and £75 per month for Retail on this page).

Toast also offers payment processing and a range of hardware (handheld device, terminal, customer display and KDS), but it doesn’t list pricing for these add-ons here.

6. Lightspeed: Best for Fostering Customer Loyalty Across Multiple Stores

Lightspeed is best for multi-site businesses that want loyalty and marketing built into the system, plus detailed inventory and reporting tools.

Why is Lightspeed strong for loyalty and multi-store operations?

Lightspeed offers Restaurant and Retail products, and both include a wide set of marketing and loyalty tools, such as email and SMS marketing, loyalty programmes, automated campaigns, gift cards, and customer tabs.

Many of these tools are built into the platform, which reduces reliance on third-party integrations. Lightspeed also includes an app store for extra customer tools.

Operationally, Lightspeed includes detailed reporting and cost versus profit insights, plus features designed for multi-location visibility. On Restaurant, Lightspeed Pulse gives real-time data across venues. On Retail, supplier products can be automatically categorised.

Accounting integrations (UK): Confirm what’s available for your plan, whether that’s native integrations, app connectors or exports. Common UK tools to check include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.

Lightspeed is also tablet-based, which supports mobile service, and it offers a handheld device called Lightspeed Tableside.

Our experience with Lightspeed

Lightspeed is feature-rich, but it remained harder to use than most rivals in our latest testing.

Discount creation was overly complex, bulk imports were slow and failed imports were not flagged clearly. We also found some backend navigation icon-heavy, which required too much hovering.

The frontend was smoother. We could process payments and create customer profiles without much trouble, and we liked the flexibility of loyalty and categorisation tools for complex inventories.

How could Lightspeed improve?

Lightspeed is tablet-based only (Android and iOS) and does not offer countertop terminals like Clover.

It also doesn’t include automated tip sharing and changing floor plans in Lightspeed Restaurant requires backend access, which can slow down teams that move tables often.

Lightspeed’s pricing

While Lightspeed publishes EPOS software pricing here, transaction fees and hardware costs are only available upon request.

However, the image below shows a guide to the transaction fees you might expect in monetary terms.

Based on the figures shown, we can estimate potential fee rates. For example, a fee amount of £75 against an income range of £3,850 to £15,379 equates to an estimated rate between 0.49% and 1.95% at that income point.

At higher volumes (between £192,310 and £230,769), the example fee amounts suggest estimated rates between 0.457% and 0.548%. Compared with Square and Shopify, these potential rates are more appealing for higher-turnover businesses, but you’ll still need a quote to confirm your pricing.

How To Choose an EPOS System

To help you out, we’ve listed some of the things you should consider when choosing your EPOS system.

What costs are involved in an EPOS system?

Focus on total cost: software + transaction fees + hardware.

Some providers keep software cheap (or free) but charge higher transaction fees. Our analysis shows a direct correlation between free EPOS software and higher transaction fees, as seen in Square’s 1.75% rate compared with Clover’s starting point of 1.49%.

Also consider how you’ll pay for hardware:

• Upfront purchase: Costs can rise quickly if you need multiple devices or locations.
• Bundled or rented: Some providers package software and hardware into one monthly fee for more predictable costs.

What EPOS features and hardware do I need?

Match the system to how you run service.

Feature needs to check:

• Hospitality: Table management, scheduled menus, modifiers, tips, reservations, KDS workflows
• Retail: Stock depth, barcode workflows, returns, customer profiles, multi-location stock
• Omnichannel: Inventory syncing and unified reporting if you sell online and in-store

Hardware needs to check:

• Table service: Handhelds or tablets for mobile ordering and payments
• Cash + card: Countertop kits with printers and cash drawers, or confirmed compatibility with your existing peripherals

What is the hardware repair and replacement policy?

Hardware failure can stop service. Before you sign, confirm:

• Replacement speed: How quickly can they ship a replacement device?
• Warranty coverage: What’s included, how long it lasts, and what counts as damage.
• Support model: Remote-only or onsite help for complex setups?
• Continuity plan: Whether a spare device is recommended for your setup.

How important is ease of use in an EPOS system?

Ease of use affects training time, service speed and error rates. In our testing, Square and SumUp were easiest to operate, while Lightspeed took longer to master. If you onboard staff often, a training mode can help. Lightspeed includes one.

Does this system integrate with UK accounting software like Xero or Sage?

Accounting fit matters, especially for reconciliation and VAT reporting.

• List your must-have tools first. Common examples include Xero, Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent.
• Then confirm whether EPOS supports direct integrations, app connectors or reliable exports.
• If you use an accountant, ask what format they prefer for reconciliation (daily totals, VAT breakdowns, payout matching).

What should I look for in customer support?

Check support channels and hours, especially if you trade evenings and weekends.

• Phone support: Fastest for urgent payment issues.
• Live chat and help centre: Useful for setup and troubleshooting.
• Opening hours: Confirm weekend and holiday availability if those are key trading days.

What hardware is included in a standard EPOS kit?

There’s no single standard EPOS kit — the exact hardware varies by provider and industry. However, bundles often include:

• POS terminal: Touchscreen interface for orders, payments and key tools. Many providers offer iPad or tablet stands.
• Card reader: Takes chip and PIN, contactless, and mobile wallet payments.
• Receipt printer: Used for receipts, invoices and tickets.
• Cash drawer: Stores cash and connects to the terminal for automatic opening.

Other optional accessories include:

• Barcode scanner
• Customer display
• Kitchen display system
• Integrated scales