Best EPOS System UK: Square, Zettle, Epos Now & More Compared

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The decision most businesses face is this: pay-as-you-go with no commitment and a higher flat rate, or a monthly platform fee that pays back only above a certain volume. Get that wrong and you either overpay on every transaction or sign into fees your turnover can’t justify. Everything in this guide works backwards from that trade-off.

Best EPOS picks by business type

These picks are organised by the decision that matters most: cost structure, sector fit, and contract risk. None of them are universally best. Each comes with an explicit condition for when it is the wrong choice.

Best free-plan EPOS: Square vs Zettle vs SumUp vs Loyverse

Square POS. Free plan, £19 Reader, 1.75% flat on all in-person cards including Amex, no contract. The free app covers unlimited products, inventory, staff permissions, and a customer CRM. Most businesses are taking payments within an hour of signing up.

Not right if: card turnover regularly exceeds £10,000–£15,000/month — at that point the 1.75% flat rate is no longer the cheapest option.

Zettle by PayPal. Identical 1.75% rate, £29 Reader 2, no contract. The material advantage is PayPal ecosystem integration: if you invoice via PayPal or run a PayPal-powered online store, Zettle unifies in-person and digital payments in one dashboard. Without that dependency, Square’s lower reader price and deeper retail features give a slight edge.

SumUp POS. 1.69% PAYG or 0.99% on the £19/month Payments Plus plan. At £10,000/month of card takings, 0.99% saves £76/month versus 1.75%. The POS Lite tier is free but lacks table management and split billing; POS Pro (£49/month) adds those for hospitality.

Loyverse. Core POS software permanently free with no transaction commission from Loyverse. You bring your own payment processor (SumUp, Zettle, or Teya integrate directly). Free KDS and customer display screen are unique at this price point. Trade-off: you manage POS and payments as two separate relationships.

Best for retail (multi-location): Lightspeed Retail

Lightspeed Retail (£75–£189/month) includes centralised multi-location inventory, purchase-order management, a built-in eCommerce storefront, and multichannel selling across Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Google Shopping on every plan. If you manage stock across two or more sites, Lightspeed does things that Square, SumUp, and Zettle cannot. The UK card-present rate (~1.49% + 20p) is not published on the pricing page — confirm before signing an annual subscription.

Best for hospitality with delivery integrations: YumaPOS or Epos Now

YumaPOS has Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo built directly into the platform with no middleware. Software from £40/month, hardware bundled at no upfront cost. The problem: you cannot compare total cost before a sales call. Card rate and hardware terms both require a quote.

Epos Now publishes its 1.5% Visa/MC rate (widely cited as 1.7% on comparison sites — the current published figure is 1.5% as of April 2026) and £249 hardware bundle. The 12-month minimum and £54/month care plan are the main friction points. Delivery integrations via the app marketplace (Deliveroo, Order & Pay) rather than natively built in.

Not right if: you need pricing transparency before committing (YumaPOS) or want to avoid minimum contracts (both).

Best for e-commerce + physical retail: Shopify POS

Shopify POS is the only system where online and in-person inventory, orders, and customers are genuinely unified without middleware. POS Lite is free with any Shopify eCom plan (from £25/month). POS Pro (£69/month per location) adds staff permissions, exchange-only returns, and unlimited registers. Using a non-Shopify payment processor incurs a 0.5–2% surcharge — Shopify Payments is the locked-in processor.

Not right if: you are starting in-person-first without an online store (the mandatory eCom plan fee is a sunk cost until online sales develop).

Best EPOS system providers

Top Pick

Square Reader

The right reader for any business that cannot honestly forecast its card volume a year out.

Get Square Reader →

Overview Card details Eligibility Pros & Cons Key Features

Best for: Small businesses wanting a free POS app and no monthly fees

Watch out: 1.75% flat becomes expensive above ~£6,000/month — no volume discount exists

Not ideal if: High-volume sellers who would benefit from Dojo or other negotiated per-transaction rates

Transaction fee1.75% flat (all cards incl. Amex)

Monthly feeNone

Hardware cost£19 +VAT

SettlementNext working day (1–2 days standard)

ContractNo lock-in

Amex acceptedYes — same 1.75% rate

Eligibility: {‘location’: ‘UK only’, ‘minimum_age’: 18, ‘entity_types’: ‘Sole traders, partnerships, limited companies’, ‘prohibited’: ‘Firearms, illegal activities — see Square Acceptable Use Policy’, ‘volume_pricing’: ‘Custom rates available for businesses processing over £200,000 annually’}

Not ideal if: High-volume sellers who would benefit from Dojo or other negotiated per-transaction rates

Watch out: 1.75% flat becomes expensive above ~£6,000/month — no volume discount exists

No monthly fee and no contract — zero downside risk while testing card acceptance

Free POS app usable from day one — most owners taking payments within an hour

Amex accepted at the same 1.75% rate — no surcharge or separate policy needed

Software ecosystem (online store, invoices, appointments) on the same account, no extra fees

1.75% flat becomes expensive above roughly £6,000/month in card takings

Settlement is 1–2 working days unless you pay extra for instant transfer

Bluetooth-to-phone means a flat battery or dropped app stops checkout

Square POS free plan — inventory, CRM, analytics and team management included from day one

Offline mode: accepts payments for up to 24 hours without internet

Hardware range from £19 Reader to £699 Register — scalable as the business grows

Payment links, invoices and online store included — all feed into the same Square account

No monthly fee

Zettle by PayPal

Best if PayPal is already part of how your business gets paid.

Visit Zettle →

Overview Card details Eligibility Pros & Cons

Best for: Market stalls, mobile traders, pop-ups, and small retail or food businesses wanting zero monthly fees and no contracts. The Zettle Terminal is the strongest mobile hardware pick in the UK due to built-in 4G at no ongoing cost.

Watch out: Money lands in PayPal first — one extra transfer step before cash reaches your bank account

Not ideal if: Businesses wanting settlement direct to a bank account — PayPal transfer step adds a day to cash position

Transaction fee1.75% flat (all cards incl. Amex)

Monthly feeNone

Hardware cost£29 +VAT (Reader 2); £149 +VAT (Terminal with 4G)

SettlementMinutes to PayPal; 1–2 days to bank account

ContractNo contract

Amex acceptedYes

Not ideal if: Businesses wanting settlement direct to a bank account — PayPal transfer step adds a day to cash position

Watch out: Money lands in PayPal first — one extra transfer step before cash reaches your bank account

Minutes-to-account settlement into PayPal — the fastest non-myPOS option here

1.75% flat including Amex — matches Square on the in-person rate

Useful for businesses with an existing PayPal invoicing or e-commerce flow

Money sits in PayPal, not a business bank account — one more transfer step before cash is usable

POS app is thinner than Square’s — fine for simple retail, weaker for hospitality

No volume discount structure exists

SumUp POS

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Visit SumUp →

Overview Eligibility

Best for: Small hospitality and retail businesses wanting low-cost full POS software with integrated payments. POS Lite suits very simple setups. POS Pro at £49/month is cost-competitive for businesses processing under ~£2,700/month on card (above which the 0.99% Payments Plus plan outperforms Square).

Epos Now

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Visit Epos Now →

Overview Card details Eligibility Pros & Cons Key Features

Best for: Retail and hospitality businesses wanting a full out-of-box POS bundle with integrated payments, cloud back office, and app ecosystem. Particularly suited to SMEs needing inventory management, staff reporting, and a fixed-location counter setup.

Transaction fee1.5% flat (Visa/Mastercard via Epos Now Payments)

Monthly feeFrom £54/month (care plan with bundle) or £25/device/month

Hardware costFrom £249 (complete POS bundle with 12-month subscription)

SettlementNext working day (same-day available as paid upgrade)

Contract12-month minimum, auto-renewing annually

Amex acceptedYes — at 2.5% (opt-in)

Eligibility: UK businesses. No stated credit or turnover eligibility requirements published.

1.5% flat rate for integrated Epos Now Payments — no variation by card type (Amex excepted)

Full POS bundle from £249 — terminal, cash drawer and printer included in one price

Cloud back office with real-time inventory, staff management and multi-location reporting

100+ app integrations including Xero, QuickBooks, Shopify and Deliveroo

Hospitality add-ons include KDS, table management, online ordering and tableside payment

12-month minimum contracts auto-renew annually — missing the 30-day notice window locks you in for another year

Some bundles carry 36-month contracts with heavy early termination penalties

Add-on costs stack up — accounting, loyalty and online ordering each add £15–£25/month

Amex charged at 2.5% — significantly higher than the standard 1.5% card rate

Trustpilot and Reddit complaints cite aggressive sales practices and difficult cancellation

Complete out-of-box POS bundle — terminal, cash drawer, printer and software included

Cloud back office with real-time inventory, staff management and multi-location reporting

Hospitality add-ons: KDS, table management, order and pay (Yoello), online ordering

100+ app integrations — accounting, eCommerce, delivery and loyalty tools

Lightspeed Payments

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Visit Lightspeed →

Overview Card details Eligibility Pros & Cons Key Features

Best for: Retail or hospitality businesses wanting a deeply integrated POS, payments, and eCommerce platform — particularly multi-location operators who need centralised inventory and reporting.

Transaction fee~1.49% (Lightspeed Payments UK — third-party sourced; confirm direct)

Monthly feeFrom £49/month (Restaurant Lite) or £75/month (Retail Basic)

Hardware costNot published — quote required

SettlementNot published — contact Lightspeed to confirm

ContractAnnual or monthly billing available

Amex acceptedYes

Eligibility: UK businesses. No specific eligibility criteria published. Contact required for custom/enterprise plans.

Deeply integrated POS, payments and eCommerce on one platform — no third-party bridge needed

Multi-location inventory management from a single back-office with stock transfers between sites

1.49% flat rate for Lightspeed Payments — no variation by card type

100+ integrations including Xero, QuickBooks, Deliverect and Uber Eats

Cloud-based with offline mode — continues processing if internet connectivity drops

Monthly fees from £49 rising to £199/month — higher entry cost than standalone card reader options

Hardware prices not published — a quote is required before knowing total setup cost

Settlement timing not confirmed on the UK site — verify before committing

Annual contracts have unclear early termination terms — check before signing

UK transaction rates sourced from third-party reviews — not directly published by Lightspeed UK

Unified POS, payments and eCommerce — in-person and online sales on one platform

Multi-location inventory with transfers, reorder automation and supplier management

Built-in eCom on all Retail plans — multichannel selling to Amazon, eBay, Instagram, TikTok

Advanced reporting with staff commission tracking and forecast replenishment mode

YumaPOS

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Visit YumaPOS →

Overview Card details Eligibility Pros & Cons Key Features

Best for: Hospitality businesses (restaurants, cafes, bars, takeaways, bakeries, fast food) wanting an integrated EPOS with delivery platform integrations (Just Eat, Uber Eats, Deliveroo)

Transaction fee0% commission (card rate via third-party processor — quote required)

Monthly feeFrom £40/month (primary EPOS licence)

Hardware costIncluded in subscription — no upfront cost published

SettlementNot confirmed — verify before signing

Contract30 calendar days notice to cancel

Amex acceptedNot confirmed — verify before signing

0% commission on transactions — card processing cost is the only variable charge

Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo integrations built in — no middleware required

Hardware bundled within the subscription — no large upfront outlay on terminals

Full add-on suite: waiter app, kitchen display, self-serve kiosk and customer app on one platform

30-day notice to cancel — no long minimum contract term published

Card processing rates not published — the cost of taking payments requires a direct enquiry

Settlement timing not confirmed on the primary source — check before signing

Amex acceptance not confirmed — businesses with corporate customers should verify

Contract governed by US law despite UK operations — legal recourse may be more complex

Fewer published independent reviews than larger EPOS rivals

Native integrations with Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo — no middleware needed

Waiter app, kitchen display and self-serve kiosk available as modular add-ons

0% platform commission on transactions — no revenue share on sales volume

YUMAPay standalone terminal: 4G, WiFi and Bluetooth in one device

Shopify POS

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Visit Shopify →

Overview Eligibility

Best for: Retailers who already use or plan to use Shopify for eCommerce and want unified web + in-store stock management. Unmatched for omnichannel retail. Not suited to businesses wanting payment processor flexibility or those processing primarily card-not-present transactions at scale.

TouchBistro POS

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Visit TouchBistro →

Overview Eligibility

Best for: UK sit-down restaurants, pubs, and cafes needing robust table management, detailed ingredient-level inventory, and payment processor freedom. Local network architecture is a significant advantage for venues with unreliable broadband.

Loyverse POS

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Visit Loyverse →

Overview Eligibility

Best for: Startups, micro-businesses, market stalls, small cafes, and food trucks with very limited budgets. The free KDS and loyalty system make it surprisingly capable for simple hospitality setups. Cost scales predictably as the business grows.

Clover UK

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Visit Clover →

Overview Eligibility

Best for: Businesses already banking with Lloyds, AIB, or a Fiserv-connected reseller who want a familiar bank relationship bundled with their POS hardware. The Clover App Market (200+ apps) provides flexibility for businesses with specific integration needs.

How to choose the right EPOS system

Volume breakpoints: when each pricing model wins

Below £5,000/month in card takings: Square or Zettle free plan. £0/month fee, 1.75% rate — lowest total cost at low volume with no commitment risk.

£5,000–£15,000/month: compare SumUp Payments Plus (0.99% + £19/month) against Square (1.75% + £0). Breakeven is at roughly £2,500/month — above that, SumUp’s 0.99% saves money despite the plan fee.

Above £15,000/month: a negotiated-rate terminal (Dojo, TakePayments, or a bank acquirer at 0.7–1.0%) will typically undercut all flat-rate EPOS systems. Epos Now at 1.5% costs £225/month in fees on £15,000 of turnover; a negotiated 0.8% rate costs £120. The EPOS platform fee becomes the comparison point at that level.

Check the contract before you sign

No contract: Square, Zettle, SumUp, Loyverse. Month-to-month with paid add-ons: Shopify POS (monthly eCom plan). 12-month minimum: Epos Now (care plan), TouchBistro. 30 days’ notice: YumaPOS (US law governs). Annual or monthly: Lightspeed (early-termination terms not published — confirm in writing). 18–36 months standard: Clover UK via resellers.

Start no-contract if your business model is still settling. Move to a contracted platform only when volume and workflow are stable enough to commit.

Payment processor lock-in

Four providers force you to use their integrated processor: Square, Zettle, Shopify POS (or pay a 0.5–2% surcharge), and Lightspeed. Three providers let you bring your own acquirer: TouchBistro, Loyverse, and Clover UK. Epos Now offers its own Payments at 1.5% but also supports third-party terminals. YumaPOS uses an unnamed third-party processor.

Processor lock-in matters most once volume grows. If you could negotiate 0.7% with a bank acquirer but your EPOS forces 1.75%, that gap is £1,050/month on £100,000 of turnover.

EPOS system FAQs

What is the difference between POS and EPOS?

POS (point of sale) covers any system where a transaction completes, including a cash register. EPOS (electronic point of sale) means a computerised system. In practice all modern POS systems are electronic, so the terms are used interchangeably in the UK market.

Which EPOS system is cheapest for a new business?

Square, Zettle, and Loyverse all offer permanently free core POS software. Square Reader (£19 +VAT) and Zettle Reader 2 (£29 +VAT) are the cheapest entry hardware. Both charge 1.75% per in-person transaction with no monthly fee. Loyverse charges no commission but requires a separate payment processor (SumUp at 1.69% PAYG or Zettle at 1.75%).

Can I use my own payment processor with an EPOS system?

TouchBistro and Loyverse are both payment-agnostic — you negotiate rates with your own acquirer. Clover UK requires a reseller bank. Square, Zettle, Lightspeed, and Shopify POS lock you into their own processor. Epos Now defaults to Epos Now Payments but also supports third-party terminals.

Which EPOS systems work offline?

TouchBistro is the most robust: it runs on a local network and continues operating without internet. Square and Zettle process payments offline and sync when connectivity resumes. Lightspeed has an offline mode that syncs on reconnect. Epos Now and YumaPOS are cloud-dependent — offline capability is limited.

Which EPOS systems integrate with Just Eat, Uber Eats, and Deliveroo?

YumaPOS has all three built in natively. Epos Now connects via its Order & Pay module (Yoello). Lightspeed Restaurant integrates via Deliverect middleware. Square for Restaurants supports third-party integrations but not native delivery-platform routing. TouchBistro supports delivery integrations via its Delivery add-on.

Fees and hardware prices verified against provider websites, April 2026. Epos Now rate confirmed at 1.5% — not 1.7% as cited on many comparison sites. Lightspeed UK card rate and YumaPOS card rate are not published; both require a direct quote. This page is editorial content, not regulated financial advice.