Best Free EPOS Software for UK Businesses

Square offers the best free EPOS software for UK businesses. Its free plans don’t skimp on functionality, and it offers a range of free add-ons, such as an online store and scheduling software. Square is also a scalable option since it has paid EPOS software plans for growing businesses, making it one of the best EPOS systems on the market.

Free EPOS software is rare, and most of it is either a short trial or doesn’t offer genuinely useful functionality, which is why we’ve kept our list short, highlighting the top three free EPOS software platforms: Square, SumUp, and Zettle. All of them offer functional free plans suitable for small businesses.

Remember, while the software may be free, you’ll still have to pay transaction fees, and for any hardware, such as card machines or countertop devices. That said, axing monthly software fees is still a major win for a new business or one on a tight budget.

The Best Free EPOS Software: Overview

For a quick overview of each free EPOS software, check out the table below:

1. Square: Best Overall Free EPOS Software

Square is the best overall free EPOS software. It offers not one, but three free EPOS software plans for three sectors: retail, restaurants, and appointment-based businesses. The plans don’t skimp on functionality, making them the best value option for small businesses.

What makes Square a good free EPOS system?

All three of Square’s free EPOS software plans come with features designed specifically for the industries they cater to, and often include tools competitor free plans don’t.

For example, Square’s free retail EPOS software comes with premium features like low-stock alerts and multi-location stock management; the latter is missing from SumUp’s free plan. Meanwhile, with Square’s free restaurant EPOS software, you get access to basic floorplan management and discount scheduling, allowing businesses to schedule discounts for specific items, days, and times. These features aren’t available on SumUp or Zettle’s free plans.

As a bonus, all three of Square’s free EPOS software plans integrate seamlessly with its free online store builder. Plus, Square offers free versions of several add-on tools, including its employee time management software and its shift scheduling software (there’s a five-employee limit on the free plan).

While SumUp and Zettle both offer free ecommerce platforms, SumUp’s time tracking software is reserved for its paid plans only, and neither competitor offers scheduling software, free or paid.

You also don’t technically need to invest in hardware with a Square account, since its EPOS software can be accessed via desktop or a free iOS app. You can also take contactless payments via your smartphone, with Square Tap to Pay, saving you from buying a card machine.

Although if you do want one, Square’s card reader costs just £19 + VAT, making it the cheapest option we’ve found. Likewise, you can get Square’s iPad Stand (2nd gen) for just £99 + VAT. It’s a professional-looking stand with a built-in card machine (a feature SumUp and Zettle’s stands don’t have), which means you don’t need to buy a card machine on top of the stand.

Our experience testing Square

We found Square generally very easy to use. The backend was quite intuitive, and we had no trouble creating menus or listing items. And we appreciated the search function, which helped us find tools quickly.

We did run into a few annoying glitches, however, such as the table plan not appearing in the backend, and we found the process of cancelling orders and adding staff accounts overly complicated.

When it comes to hardware, we tested the Square Terminal, its portable POS device and card machine. While it was easy to access inventory and process payments from the device, we did have issues with the physical design. The card machine was quite wide, so it wasn’t easy to hold in one hand, making it better suited to countertops than table service.

What are the limitations of Square’s free EPOS software?

While you get a lot with a Square free EPOS software plan, as is the case with most free EPOS software, the best features are reserved for paid subscriptions.

For example, Square’s free EPOS system for restaurants doesn’t let you fully customise your floorplan, which isn’t great if you change it frequently or have a complex setup like at-the-counter service as well as table service. But again, Square beats SumUp, which doesn’t even allow for floorplan management on its free plan.

There are also no tools for cost vs profit analysis on Square’s free and paid plans. SumUp has these on its paid plans, while Zettle is also missing them altogether.

Square also has slightly high transaction fees, at 1.75% for in-person sales. You can get slightly cheaper fees of 1.69% with SumUp.

2. SumUp: Best for Busy Cafes

SumUp’s free EPOS software is easy to use and can be downloaded to a phone or tablet. It’s a great option for busy cafes looking for an affordable, low-profile EPOS system.

What makes SumUp a good free EPOS system?

Unlike Square, SumUp only offers one free EPOS software plan, suitable for both retail and hospitality. That said, it’s a little more geared towards hospitality, especially cafes, with features that enable you to create separate eat-in and takeaway pricing available from the free plan.

The features on SumUp’s free plan are a little less advanced than Square’s (there’s no multi-location management on the free plan, for example), but you’ll still be able to access basic sales reports, inventory management, and benefit from core features such as accepting tips and issuing refunds, and creating item variants in your menu (a feature Square offers but Zettle is missing).

One thing SumUp’s free plan offers that neither Square’s nor Zettle’s free plans do is a loyalty and rewards programme builder. Zettle doesn’t offer this tool, whereas Square offers it as a £25 per month add-on. This type of tool is particularly well-suited to local cafes trying to foster customer loyalty.

Like Square, SumUp also has a free online store builder, making it a great option for businesses that sell through multiple channels. However, based on our testing, Square’s online store builder is better.

Like Square, SumUp’s free software is available on iPad, and it also sells an iPad stand for £109 + VAT. This is more expensive than Square or Zettle’s £99 + VAT equivalents, plus it doesn’t include a card machine, available from £25 + VAT with SumUp.

That said, SumUp’s hardware selection remains very affordable. Plus, at 1.69%, SumUp’s card processing fees are cheaper than Square’s or Zettle’s, both of which charge 1.75%.

Our experience testing SumUp

The frontend of SumUp’s EPOS system is very user-friendly, but the backend remains hard to navigate.

SumUp’s frontend has a simple, clear, and responsive interface, with a minimalist design making finding features such as table management, and order cancellation and editing easy. We especially like the “park order” function, which allowed us to quickly adjust items mid-transaction.

However, the backend consistently frustrated us, since its design was much clunkier, and we ran into a lot of slow loading when trying to access reports, bulk imports, or user settings. The sidebar menu would also often cover up other navigation elements, which made completing tasks difficult.

What are the limitations of SumUp’s free EPOS software?

As we’ve touched on, SumUp’s free EPOS software is quite light on features and won’t be suitable for larger establishments.

It’s missing, for example, table plan management, an essential feature for sit-down restaurants, and even its paid plans are missing crucial features such as built-in reservation management and marketing features. These are available for a fee with Square.

Lastly, SumUp’s hardware range is a little limited. It doesn’t, for example, offer a full countertop register, only the tablet stand, whereas Square offers both.

3. Zettle: Best for Food Trucks and On-the-go Businesses

Unlike Square or SumUp, Zettle only offers free EPOS software and has no paid versions. The software it offers is super easy to use, and combined with its compact hardware options, it’s a great option for on-the-go businesses, such as food trucks.

What makes Zettle a good free EPOS software?

Zettle is a great choice if you’re a business that’s just starting out and you want a quick and simple free EPOS system. It’s the easiest system to use out of all the ones we tested, making it a great option for those who’ve never used an EPOS system before.

Zettle EPOS software also packs helpful reporting features that allow you to track sales performance and manage inventory by tracking stock levels and receiving low stock alerts. It even offers a free ecommerce website builder, like Square and SumUp, and can easily be integrated with an existing online store, since Zettle is operated by PayPal, which most website builders offer a plugin for.

Since it’s app-based, you can get started for nothing if you already own a tablet, and you can take contactless payments on your phone, as is the case with Square and SumUp.

There are also some compact hardware options, great for businesses on the go, such as food trucks or pop-up shops. For £99 + VAT, you can get an iPad stand, while Zettle’s cheapest card reader costs £29 + VAT.

Our experience testing Zettle

Zettle is one of the easiest to use EPOS systems that we tested, making it a great option for novice users.

Both the frontend till and backend were well-organised with a minimalist design, making for quick navigation from the get-go. Tasks that we struggled with in other systems, such as editing orders and splitting bills, were much easier to complete in Zettle.

That said, we did run into a few issues. For one, the lack of a search function on the iPad item screen made it harder to find products quickly. We also didn’t love that features such as adding users or connecting accounting took us out of the EPOS app, forcing us to re-login.

What are the limitations of Zettle’s free EPOS software?

As we’ve touched on, like most free EPOS software, Zettle doesn’t have advanced features capable of handling the operations of large restaurants or multi-location stores, such as ingredient tracking and multi-location management.

And, since you can’t upgrade to a more advanced paid version of the software, Zettle is a provider that’s mostly suitable for small businesses that stay small.

On that same theme, Zettle doesn’t sell an extensive range of hardware. It doesn’t have any KDSs, a must for busy restaurants, or fully fledged countertop devices. There’s just the iPad stand, with an optional iPad included. If you want a provider with a more extensive range of hardware, we’d recommend Square.

Is Free EPOS Software Worth it?

Free EPOS software is a great way to start selling quickly. With no contract (and therefore no termination fees), and no monthly fees, it’s a solution that suits new and small businesses.

However, free EPOS software has its limitations. The free version or iteration of a provider’s EPOS software rarely gives you access to the whole range of its features. You’ll usually get access to inventory management and basic reports, but advanced features like bill-splitting or multi-location management are typically reserved for paid software or are available as paid add-ons.

Transaction fees also tend to be higher with free EPOS software than with the paid version, since providers rely on these to generate a profit. For example, with free Zettle POS software, fees are 1.75% per in-person transaction, but with paid Clover POS software, fees start at 1.49%, and can be even lower for high-volume sellers. As your business grows and deals with more sales, high transaction fees can snowball into a big expense.

That’s why it’s important to choose a free EPOS software that’s easily scalable. Most providers that offer free software also have paid versions of it, except Zettle. If you envision your sales increasing and your operations becoming more complex in the future, choosing a provider with tiered EPOS software plans will save you the hassle of having to change providers when you outgrow the free version.

How Much Does an EPOS System Cost on Average?

When it comes to software alone, EPOS systems cost around £50 to £100 per month for small to medium-sized businesses, and £100 to £400 per month for large establishments or multi-location chains.

Hardware is typically a one-time charge and costs £150 to £2,000+, depending on the extent of your setup and the number of locations you’re buying equipment for. For example, Square’s card reader only costs £19, but a full countertop register costs £599.

Some EPOS providers will rent hardware to you and bundle the cost with your monthly software subscription fee. This can be handy if you’re running an operation with several locations, but if you only have one or two, buying hardware upfront will work out cheaper.

Paid providers usually offer price tiers that offer you different levels of features, and are designed for businesses of varying sizes. Lightspeed Restaurant has a pretty typical pricing structure. It has three paid plans: the £69 Basic plan, the £129 Core plan, and the £219 Pro plan.

How We Test Free EPOS Software