# Restaurant ePOS System Pricing in the UK (2026): 6 Systems Compared
Restaurant ePOS pricing in the UK can look simple until card processing, hardware, kitchen screens, online ordering, integrations and support are added.
This guide compares six systems available to UK restaurants, cafés, pubs and takeaways. It focuses on published prices and the questions needed to uncover the full first-year cost.
Quick answer: Square and SumUp offer low-cost entry points with separate payment fees. Lightspeed, Toast and Epos Now provide broader hospitality packages at a higher commitment. Compare the software and payment contract together.
Pricing check: 28 July 2026. Promotional prices, VAT and transaction rates can change. Confirm the current quotation and contract directly with each supplier.
UK restaurant ePOS systems at a glance
| ePOS system | Best starting fit | Published software reference | Payment pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square for Restaurants | Independent cafés, restaurants and growing groups | Free; Plus £69/month per location | 1.75% in person for UK cards |
| SumUp POS | Small cafés, takeaways and simpler hospitality operations | Free; POS Plus £29/month | 1.69% pay as you go or 0.99% on eligible cards with Payments Plus |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Full-service restaurants and multi-site groups | UK page says plans begin at £79/month | Integrated rates depend on plan |
| Toast | Restaurants wanting restaurant-specific hardware and software | Starter from £80/month; Essentials £150/month | Integrated flat-rate quote |
| Epos Now | Hospitality businesses wanting a packaged till bundle | Hardware bundle advertised from £299 | Request complete payment and software quote |
| ICRTouch | Independent restaurants, pubs and multi-site hospitality | Local authorised-partner quote | UK-developed hospitality ecosystem |
There is no single cheapest option. A free monthly plan with a higher transaction rate can cost more than a subscription for a high-turnover restaurant.
How we compared the systems
ChefPin reviewed current UK vendor pages for:
- Restaurant-specific ordering and table functions
- KDS and printer routing
- Integrated card payments and published rates
- Hardware ownership and cost
- Online ordering and delivery integrations
- Inventory, recipes and reporting
- Staff access, shifts and tipping workflows
- Offline continuity
- Multi-site management
- VAT, accounting and data exports
- Subscription and contract transparency
This is an editorial shortlist based on public information, not an operational certification. Inclusion and order are not for sale.
1. Square for Restaurants
Best starting fit: Small and mid-sized operators wanting transparent entry pricing and integrated payments.
Square for Restaurants publishes:
- Free: £0/month plus processing fees
- Plus: £69/month per location plus processing fees
- Premium: Custom pricing for eligible higher-volume businesses
Square lists unlimited devices and locations on Free, while Plus adds advanced functions such as course management, detailed sales reporting and broader support. Its standard in-person rate is currently 1.75% for UK cards.
Hardware and add-ons are separate. The published page lists options such as Square Stand, Terminal, Register, KDS screens, kiosks, loyalty and restaurant inventory.
Check before buying:
- Which functions require Plus rather than Free?
- How many KDS, kiosk and handheld licences are needed?
- What is the blended payment rate across UK and non-UK cards?
- Are iPads and screens included in hardware prices?
- Which delivery, reservations and accounting integrations cost extra?
Possible limitation: A restaurant using several paid add-ons should compare the combined monthly bill rather than the £0 entry price.
2. SumUp POS
Best starting fit: Cafés, takeaways, bakeries and straightforward restaurant operations.
SumUp’s UK pricing publishes:
- Free POS: £0/month
- POS Plus: £29/month
- Pay as you go: 1.69% in-person transaction fee
- Payments Plus: £19/month with a 0.99% in-person rate for eligible debit and credit cards; premium and American Express cards remain at the stated higher rate
The page also lists hardware such as Terminal and Register. SumUp’s hospitality pages describe floor plans, order management and restaurant use cases, but buyers should confirm which features belong to which current plan because separate pages show different hospitality starting references.
Check before buying:
- Which table, kitchen, printer and staff functions are included?
- Does the chosen package support the required peak service?
- Which cards qualify for the lower Payments Plus rate?
- Are online ordering and delivery integrations sufficient?
- What is the cost of each iPad, printer, drawer and kitchen screen?
Possible limitation: Larger full-service restaurants may require more advanced kitchen and multi-site controls than the entry packages provide.
3. Lightspeed Restaurant
Best starting fit: Full-service restaurants, pubs and groups that need a broad hospitality ecosystem.
Lightspeed Restaurant pricing states that UK plans begin at £79 per month for the first terminal. Its pricing page presents Basic, Core and Pro packages with increasing licences and capabilities, while some displayed plan figures may be localised in euros. UK buyers should therefore request a pound-denominated quotation.
Available functions include table and menu management, mobile ePOS, KDS, reservations, online ordering, inventory, reporting and multi-location management. Many are add-ons or integrations.
Check before buying:
- What is the exact GBP price and contract term?
- How many stationary, mobile and KDS licences are included?
- Which payment rate applies at the chosen tier?
- Are inventory, reservations, online ordering and delivery separate?
- What hardware can be reused?
Possible limitation: The broad ecosystem can produce a larger total when several add-ons and device licences are required.
4. Toast
Best starting fit: Restaurants wanting an integrated restaurant-specific platform, hardware and support.
Toast UK pricing publishes:
- Starter: From £80/month
- Essentials: £150/month
- Custom: Tailored quotation
Starter includes cloud POS, reporting, integrated payments, hardware configuration and go-live support. Essentials adds a kitchen display system and handheld POS to the package. Hardware and implementation can still create upfront costs.
Toast uses integrated payment processing. The public comparison refers to a flat transaction rate but requires the commercial quote for the exact figure.
Check before buying:
- What hardware is included versus financed or purchased?
- What card-present and card-not-present rates apply?
- What is the minimum term and exit cost?
- Which add-ons and integrations are included?
- Can existing network and hardware be used?
Possible limitation: An integrated hardware-and-payments model can reduce flexibility to mix suppliers; compare the complete term and switching conditions.
5. Epos Now
Best starting fit: Restaurants seeking a packaged counter setup and a broad app marketplace.
Epos Now Restaurant advertises a hospitality hardware bundle from £299, currently described as including a countertop device, payment terminal and thermal receipt printer.
That headline is primarily a hardware offer. The complete restaurant cost also depends on software, payments, applications, integrations and contract duration. Obtain all of those figures before comparing the bundle with subscription-led competitors.
Check before buying:
- Is the £299 price a purchase, deposit or promotional condition?
- What is the software subscription and minimum term?
- Which payment provider and transaction rates are required?
- Are inventory, KDS, online ordering and bookings included?
- What happens to hardware and data on cancellation?
Possible limitation: Promotional bundle pricing can obscure the recurring contract unless the proposal itemises every charge.
6. ICRTouch
Best starting fit: Independent restaurants, pubs and hospitality groups wanting a locally supported UK system.
ICRTouch develops a UK hospitality ePOS ecosystem around its TouchPoint till software. Restaurant capabilities include table plans, handheld ordering, kitchen management, online ordering, reservations, stock, loyalty and cloud reporting.
ICRTouch is sold and supported through an authorised-partner network, so the final price depends on the local partner, hardware, software modules, installation and support agreement.
Pricing: Request itemised quotations from an authorised UK partner.
Check before buying:
- Which hardware, licences and annual updates are included?
- Who provides onsite and out-of-hours support?
- Which payment, delivery and accounting integrations are live?
- Are PocketTouch, TouchKitchen and TouchOffice Web separate licences?
- What are the hardware warranty and replacement targets?
Possible limitation: Pricing and service can vary by authorised partner, so compare the complete partner proposal and support commitment.
The real cost of restaurant ePOS in the UK
| Cost component | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Software | Per location, terminal, device or user? |
| VAT | Is VAT included in every headline figure? |
| Card processing | UK, non-UK, premium, AMEX, keyed and online rates? |
| Hardware | Till, iPad, stand, reader, printer, drawer and router? |
| KDS | Screen, mount and monthly device licence? |
| Online ordering | Monthly, per-order or payment fee? |
| Delivery integration | Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat connection costs? |
| Reservations | Included or third-party subscription? |
| Inventory | Product stock or ingredient-level recipes and purchasing? |
| Installation | Network, menu build, data migration and onsite training? |
| Support | 24/7 or business hours, and what is the response target? |
| Renewal | Promotional expiry, annual uplift and minimum term? |
Calculate software and payments together
Use this simple estimate:
Annual POS cost = subscription + add-ons + hardware/finance + implementation + card fees + online-payment fees + integration costs
For example, a difference of 0.70 percentage points in the effective card rate equals £7 for every £1,000 processed. At restaurant scale, transaction pricing can outweigh the software subscription.
Do not compare only advertised rates. Calculate the effective rate using the business’s actual mix of:
- UK consumer cards
- Commercial, premium and non-UK cards
- Contactless and chip-and-PIN
- Keyed or card-on-file payments
- Online orders
- Refunds and chargebacks
VAT and digital records
HMRC states that VAT-registered businesses should keep VAT records and submit returns using compatible software under Making Tax Digital for VAT, unless exempt.
A POS does not automatically make the entire accounting process compliant. Ask:
- What VAT information is stored at transaction level?
- Can different rates and zero-rated items be handled correctly?
- How are discounts, refunds, deposits and service charges recorded?
- Is there a direct accounting integration or a reliable digital export?
- Does the connection preserve the required digital links?
- Can the accountant reconcile gross takings, card settlements and cash?
HMRC also explains the records VAT-registered businesses must retain. Obtain professional advice for the restaurant’s particular VAT treatment.
Tips and service charges
The POS should separate tips, gratuities and service charges from food and drink sales and produce reliable staff-allocation reports.
Ask the vendor to demonstrate:
- Optional and mandatory service charges
- Cash and card tips
- Tip adjustments after payment
- Allocation by employee, shift or tronc
- Refunds and chargebacks
- Payroll or tronc exports
- Worker access to relevant records
UK tipping rules and guidance can change. Confirm the current requirements and do not treat a POS configuration as legal advice.
UK ePOS quotation checklist
Send every vendor:
- Venue type and locations
- Number of fixed tills, handhelds and KDS screens
- Tables, covers and peak transactions
- Bar tabs, courses, modifiers and split-bill requirements
- Card turnover and payment mix
- Click-and-collect and delivery platforms
- Reservations, loyalty and gift cards
- Ingredient inventory and purchasing needs
- Accounting, payroll and tronc integrations
- VAT schemes and reporting requirements
- Existing hardware and network
- Opening date, training and support hours
Require the proposal to separate software, payments, hardware, installation, add-ons, integrations, VAT, renewal and cancellation.
Demo workflows
- Table order with modifiers and course firing
- Split bill using different payment types
- Optional and mandatory service charge
- Card tip and staff allocation
- Delivery order routed to the correct station
- Sold-out item updated across channels
- Refund and accounting record
- Internet outage and recovery
- End-of-day cash and card reconciliation
- Full export of sales, menu and customer data
Use the restaurant’s menu and card mix, not a generic demo.
Which ePOS fits which UK venue?
Small café or takeaway
Square Free and SumUp’s entry options deserve consideration. Calculate payment fees at realistic turnover and confirm kitchen requirements.
Full-service restaurant
Compare Square Plus, Lightspeed, Toast, Epos Now and ICRTouch configurations that include tables, courses, handhelds and KDS.
Pub or bar
Prioritise tabs, fast item search, modifiers, service charges, staff controls and resilient offline operation.
Delivery-heavy takeaway
Prioritise order aggregation, menu sync, item availability, kitchen routing and reconciliation across Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.
Multi-site group
Prioritise central menus, location permissions, consolidated reporting, APIs, audit logs and a documented rollout plan.
Red flags
- A “free” system compared without transaction fees
- A hardware offer without the software term
- Rates quoted only for one card type
- VAT not clearly identified
- Essential features described as integrations without their fees
- No outage and recovery demonstration
- No data-export process
- No support during service hours
- A long commitment before operational acceptance
- No written renewal price
Frequently asked questions
How much does restaurant ePOS cost in the UK?
Published software starts at £0 per month from Square and SumUp. Square Plus is £69 per location per month, Lightspeed says UK restaurant plans begin at £79 per month, Toast begins at £80 per month and SumUp POS Plus is £29 per month. Hardware, VAT, card processing and add-ons can be more important than the subscription.
Which restaurant ePOS has the lowest payment fee?
It depends on turnover and card mix. SumUp advertises 0.99% for eligible in-person cards on its £19 Payments Plus plan, while Square’s standard in-person UK-card rate is 1.75%. Custom rates may be available elsewhere. Compare a weighted effective rate using actual transactions.
Is a free POS really free?
Free normally means no software subscription for the entry plan. The restaurant still pays processing fees and may need hardware, KDS, staff, loyalty or inventory add-ons.
Does a POS submit VAT returns?
Some systems connect to accounting software that supports Making Tax Digital, but the restaurant remains responsible for correct records and returns. Confirm the complete digital workflow with the software providers and accountant.
Final recommendation
Shortlist three systems based on service format. Request itemised software, hardware and payment proposals, then calculate the first-year and renewal totals at realistic turnover.
The ePOS rollout changes kitchen and management responsibilities. ChefPin’s chef job description template can help define those duties, and employers can create a ChefPin account when staffing a new venue.
For other markets, see the ChefPin guides for the USA, India, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
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Editorial and commercial policy: This comparison uses publicly available vendor information checked on 28 July 2026. Inclusion is not an endorsement. Product order and editorial conclusions are not for sale. Any paid placement or affiliate link must be clearly disclosed and will not change the methodology.