Written by Lucas Pistilli Reviewed by Ruairi Shirlow Updated on 24 October 2022 On this page 1. Square for Restaurants - Best overall 2. Zettle - Best for small businesses 3. TouchBistro Restaurants - Best for scaling 4. Epos Now - Best for chains 5. Lightspeed Restaurants - Best for advanced features Our methodology Verdict Best pub & bar EPOS Systems FAQs Expand Our site is reader-supported – by clicking our links, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral. After a thorough research deep dive, we’ve found Square for Restaurants to be the best EPOS system for pubs and bars. It achieves this top spot by combining helpful features – such as a kitchen display system, and table management tools – alongside a killer price.We have pretty good runner-ups as well, which may serve you better, depending on your specific needs. We cover them in this article, so feel free to read on.If you feel like cutting to the chase, you can find the EPOS system best suited to you by having a look below: What's the Best EPOS System for Bars & Pubs? These are the providers we recommend based on our research. Use our cost comparison tool to find the best value service for your businessSquare – Best overallZettle – Best for small businessesTouchBistro – Best for scaling businessesEpos Now – Best for chainsLightspeed – Best for advanced features Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Best Overall Square for Restaurants Clover Lightspeed Restaurants Epos Now SumUp TouchBistro Score 4.8 Score 4.7 Score 4.5 Score 4.3 Score 4.2 Score 4.2 Best for Best overall Best for Best for professional hardware Best for Driving repeat business Best for Managing complex inventories Best for Small businesses Best for Easiest system to use Pricing From £0/month Pricing Custom Pricing From £59/month Pricing From £325 (one-off fee) Pricing From £0/month Pricing From $69 USD/month (prices only in US dollars) Pros Free software planCheap hardwareShift and tip management toolsFree online + QR ordering website Pros Portable card machines with offline functionRegisters with fingerprint loginLarge app store with free native add-ons Pros Great marketing and loyalty toolsOnline and QR code orderingMulti location managementTraining mode Pros Advanced floorplan managementIngredient usage trackingReal time inventory updatesMultiple third-party integrations Pros Free softwarePromotional tools and loyalty programmesInvoicing featureQR code ordering Pros Easy to useTwo tap order functionExcellent KDS systemStaff management (add-on) Cons Limited table plan customisationNo cost vs profit toolsNo ingredient usage tracking Cons Expensive hardwarePricing not transparentNo automated tip sharing Cons Only runs on iOS devicesNo physical terminalNo automated tip management Cons No automated tip sharingNot the easiest system to useHigh upfront costs Cons No offline functionNo built-in reservations toolsNo suitable for large establishments Cons Useful features come as expensive add-onsNo QR code orderingNo physical register Thirsty for a price comparison? Get free quotes 1. Square for Restaurants – Best overall Square for Restaurants 4.8 From £0/month Visit Square Square Review Suitable for Pubs/bars looking for a low-risk, zero contract option Businesses with no more than three locations Businesses who want to integrate an online store Not suitable for Pubs that change their table plan a lot Businesses that need cost management tools Pubs that want to track ingredient usage Pricing See more See less Item typePrice EPOS software Free: £0/month; Plus: £69/month; Premium: custom Card processing fees From 1.75% Card machine £19-£149 + VAT iPad stands (iPad not included) £99 + VAT Register £599 + VAT KDS £549 + VAT OR £15 + VAT/month per device Square pricingHardware: starts at £16.Software: free, £69, or custom. 2. Zettle – Best for small businesses Zettle 4.4 Quick overview Zettle is an EPOS system that is best suited to roadside eateries. For starters, it’s free and its reader is cheap. Granted, Zettle’s reader is not as cheap as Square’s, but it’s still the way to go if you need a quick and simple solution. Led by its pricing, it scores 4.4/5 in our research.Zettle offers plenty of till hardware options. In addition to a reader, you can complete your setup with a cash drawer, a tablet stand, and a printer, for example.If peace of mind is what you're after, you'll love that Zettle accepts payments from 13 card types - which is seven more than Square.It produces reports on sales and staff performance, though they are not as detailed as the ones offered by Square and TouchBistro. It also lacks marketing and loyalty add-ons - something that Square offers.Its contact centre is available on weekdays, between 9am and 5pm (like Square’s), but it lacks the backup feature that is offered by TouchBistro. Read more + Read less - Strengths Free Accepts 13 card types Weaknesses Transaction fee buildup Few business development tools Zettle pricingHardware: starts at £29.Software: free. 3. TouchBistro – Best for scaling businesses TouchBistro 4.2 Pricing From $69 USD/month Get Free Quotes Suitable for Large pubs and bars or ones looking to speed up service Businesses looking for dedicated bar/pub software Users who need seamless KDS integration Not suitable for Owners who want a physical terminal Businesses that want QR code ordering Businesses looking to minimize expenses Pricing See more See less Software typePrice POS software From $69 USD/month KDS From $19 USD/month Advanced reservations From $229 USD/month Marketing From $99 USD/month Loyalty tools From $99 USD/month TouchBistro pricingSoftware: starts at £69. Would you like to save on EPOS Systems? Compare quotes now 4. Epos Now – Best for chains Epos Now 4.3 Pricing From £325 (one-off fee) Suitable for Establishments of all sizes, from small to large Pubs with extensive and complex inventories Business owners who want to minimise monthly overheads Not suitable for Establishments that want automated tip sharing Users who are unfamiliar with EPOS systems Business owners who want to pay nothing upfront Pricing See more See less Item typePrice EPOS software and hardware package From £325 (one-off fee) Payments, care and support subscription From £54 per month Epos Now pricingPackagePriceHandheld£29/month (plus £0 upfront), or £15/month (plus £149 upfront)Complete£47/monthTablet£549/year 5. Lightspeed Restaurants – Best for advanced features Lightspeed Restaurants 4.5 Visit Lightspeed Lightspeed Review Suitable for Businesses who want to pay no upfront costs Pub/bar chains owners looking to expand and grow Establishments who have extensive and complex inventories Not suitable for Businesses who want a physical terminal Pubs/bars that need automated tip management Businesses that change their floor plan frequently Pricing See more See less Item typePrice Starter plan (EPOS software only) £59/month Essential plan (EPOS software only) £109/month Premium plan (EPOS software only) £339/month Enterprise plan (includes hardware) Custom Card processing fees with Lightspeed Payments 0.5%-2% (depending on transaction volume) Lightspeed Restaurants pricingPackagePriceEssentials£59/monthPlus£109/monthPro£339/monthEnterpriseCustom Drinks and some chips could cost you but here, you can… Get free quotes Our methodologyTo find out the best POS systems for pubs and bars, we doubled down on the nitty-gritty in our thorough research on the best POS systems for restaurants.The initial research highlights restaurant features, such as reporting, inventory tools, and menu management, but it also takes price and support into account. These results were then consolidated into the scores featured in this article.We then reviewed our findings and favoured providers based on criteria that is specific to pubs and bars.Ultimately, EPOS systems with competitive pricing and focused on reports and online ordering integration made the ranking. Verdict Combining low price and detailed reporting, it should come as no surprise that Square tops our ranking for the best EPOS systems for pubs and bars. For the punch it packs, it scores a high 4.7/5 in our research.To support our findings, we also gathered feedback from Square’s users. Its scores average an impressive 4.1/5 across five major review aggregators.If you’re still unsure about the right EPOS system for your business, use our quick and free comparison tool. We’ll match you with the providers most suited to your needs, and they’ll be in touch with tailored, obligation-free quotes! Best pub & bar EPOS Systems FAQs What is an EPOS system? EPOS stands for Electronic Point of Sale, and these systems are used by retailers to process customer transactions, keep track of inventory levels, access sales reporting and much more.EPOS covers both the software and hardware that make up a complete system, so this term includes the card readers and software used to take payments. What should I look for in an EPOS system? Alongside their primary function of taking and processing payments, many EPOS systems can help with a whole bunch of other processes. These include loyalty programs, marketing, employee management, stock management, and more.Your requirements will depend on your business, so get clear on what you need – for example, you may want to ramp up your marketing or create clear, flexible table plans. Whatever your requirements, there’s an EPOS system for you. How much do EPOS systems cost? EPOS systems cost, on average, between £90-£180 for starting businesses and more than £800 for multi-location behemoths. The price tag relates to the sum of software and hardware costs (some of which can come as monthly subscriptions), plus setup and transaction fees. Which is the best free EPOS system? Square is the best free EPOS system according to our research, due to its offer of solid reporting and ecommerce integration in its free plan. Which EPOS system is best for small businesses? Square is the best free EPOS system according to our research. Its lack of monthly fees and flat rate pricing benefits startups and new businesses. Which EPOS system is best for retail? Square is the best EPOS system for retail according to our research, scoring high points in each category we tested, such as stock management and ease of use. Its retail-specific variation offers a great amount of features for a low price. Written by: Lucas Pistilli Business Services Expert Lucas is a Brazilian-born journalist and Expert Market’s go-to writer for all things EPOS systems, merchant accounts, and franking machines. Having covered business, politics and technology for many years, he’s driven by his passion for the written word and his goal to help people make well-informed decisions. Reviewed by: Ruairi Shirlow Business Services Researcher Ruairi uses his 3+ years of research experience to uncover insights which can help Expert Market provide the best business solutions for their users. He has done this by meeting with business owners to find out what is important to them and what challenges they face on a daily basis. Ruairi specialises in tools that can be used to grow your business and has done research for a wide range of categories on Expert Market, such as EPOS, Website Builders, and Merchant Accounts.