What's the best POS system for a restaurant or coffee shop?

Toast and TouchBistro are built specifically for hospitality, with table management and kitchen display integrations. Square and Lightspeed are strong general-purpose options that also handle a café or small restaurant well, with a broader ecosystem if you expect to add retail or multiple sites later.

Is a POS system the same as a card reader?

No — a card reader just takes payment. A POS (point-of-sale) system is full till software that also manages stock, staff, sales reporting and often bookings, usually with its own card payment built in or bundled. See our card readers comparison if you only need payment, not the full till software.

Home / POS Systems

Updated for 2026

Compare the best POS systems for retail and hospitality

Full point-of-sale tills that manage stock, staff and sales in one system — compared on industry fit and who they suit best.

This UK POS system comparison covers the platforms most restaurants, coffee shops and retailers actually shortlist — from single-till setups to multi-location hospitality groups. Every system below is scored on the same criteria: software cost, hardware requirements, industry fit and contract terms.

Pricing checked: 30 July 2026 POS pricing is software-led rather than volume-led, so this table uses rather than a live fee calculator.

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Best overall

Square — no contract, transparent pricing, and dedicated Retail/Restaurants software as you grow.

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Best value

Loyverse — a genuinely free core POS app with no seat or store limit, plus paid add-ons only if you need them.

⭐

Best for ease of use

Lightspeed — clear published UK pricing and strong built-in inventory tools for independent retailers.

Provider	Best for	Monthly software cost	Hardware	Est. annual software cost	Contract	WMP score	Action
Square	All-in-one for small retail/hospitality	£0 base (Retail Plus £49/mo optional)	Reader £19, Terminal £149, Register £649 (+VAT)	£0	None	★★★★☆4.5/5	See Square pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Square details Inventory Included on Retail Plus; basic stock tracking on free tier Staff management Staff accounts and permissions included Payment processing 1.75% in-person, bundled — no separate acquirer needed Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — squareup.com/gb
Shopify POS	Businesses already selling on Shopify online	£25-£1,800/mo by plan + POS Pro £69/mo/location	Smartphone/tablet + card reader; accessories extra	£300	Monthly (Plus: 1-3yr)	★★★★☆4.4/5	See Shopify POS pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Shopify POS details Payment processing In-person: 1.7% (Basic), 1.6% (Grow), 1.5% (Advanced), custom (Plus) — no fixed fee Inventory / staff Full inventory, unlimited staff and rich customer profiles on the POS Pro add-on Multi-location Supports 1,000+ locations Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — shopify.com/uk/pos/pricing
Loyverse	Budget-conscious small retail & hospitality	Free (add-ons from £5/store/mo)	Works on existing tablets/phones/Android POS — no proprietary hardware	£0	None	★★★★☆4.2/5	See Loyverse pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Loyverse details Core app Genuinely free — POS, Back Office reporting, Kitchen Display and Customer Display all included, no seat/store limit Paid add-ons Unlimited Sales History £5/store/mo, Employee Management £20/store/mo, Advanced Inventory £20/store/mo (annual billing = 2 months free on all three); 14-day free trial, no card required Free-tier limitation Sales history/reporting is time-limited on the free tier (widely reported as ~31 days, but not confirmed in Loyverse's own copy) Payment processing Via third-party partners only (SumUp, Zettle, Shift4 for the UK) — Loyverse doesn't set or publish the transaction fee itself Support Free tier: self-serve help centre + community forum only, no live chat. Paid add-on subscribers get 24/7 live chat Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — loyverse.com/pricing
Lightspeed	Retailers needing strong inventory management	£75/mo Basic, £149/mo Core, £189/mo Plus	Priced separately; varies by business	£900	Not disclosed	★★★★☆3.8/5	See Lightspeed pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Lightspeed details Inventory Strong built-in inventory management across all tiers, plus loyalty and eCommerce Extra costs Additional locations and registers charged separately; one register included per plan Payments Integrated payment processing included Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — lightspeedhq.com/uk/pricing
Toast	Established, feature-rich restaurant POS	From £80/mo (Starter), £119+/mo (Point of Sale)	£500-£1,200+ per terminal (outright)	£960	Not disclosed	★★★☆☆3.5/5	See Toast pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Toast details UK fit — important Toast markets a genuine UK presence (14% of the UK's "top restaurants" per its own figures), but the platform was originally designed exclusively for the US market — check feature/support parity for UK-specific needs before committing Payment processing 2.49% + 15p in-person on paid plans, bundled Features Kitchen display system, online ordering, loyalty, labour management (some as paid add-ons) Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked (pos.toasttab.com pricing page blocked automated access)
TouchBistro	Full-service restaurants wanting their own acquirer	From ~£59/mo (Solo), £129/mo (Dual), £249/mo (Team)	iPad-based; hardware financing available for 2+ terminals	£708	Annual minimum (UK)	★★★☆☆3.3/5	See TouchBistro pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full TouchBistro details Payments — important No TouchBistro Payments product in the UK — you must bring your own acquirer/payment processor separately Features Floor plan and table management, menu management, staff management, 24/7 support included Add-ons Kitchen display, inventory, loyalty, reservations and marketing priced separately — total can exceed £200/month Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party UK sources (converted from USD pricing)
EPOS Now	UK retail & hospitality wanting bundled hardware	From £54/mo (Complete Solution bundle)	From £199-£349 (promotional pricing seen)	£648	12 months (bundle)	★★★☆☆2.9/5	See EPOS Now pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full EPOS Now details Payment processing Flat rate for Visa/Mastercard/Diners/Discover, opt-in second rate for Amex/JCB/UnionPay — exact % not publicly disclosed Features Inventory tracking, staff scheduling (via Deputy integration), multi-location support Support Phone 0800 2 945 945 Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — eposnow.com/uk/pricing (promotional pricing, exact ongoing rate needs confirming)
Clover	Businesses with an existing reseller bank relationship	~£9.99-39.99/mo (indicative)	Clover Flex ~£21+VAT/mo rental (indicative)	~£120 (indicative)	Reseller-dependent	★★☆☆☆2.3/5	Get a Clover quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Clover details Important caveat Clover is sold in the UK exclusively through bank resellers (e.g. Lloyds Cardnet, AIB Merchant Services) with no published UK price list — every figure here is indicative only and your reseller may quote differently Processing fee Reported flat rate ~1.49% on all card types (reseller-dependent, not officially confirmed) Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party sources (official clover.com pricing page returned no usable content)
Vend	Existing Vend customers only	Being merged into Lightspeed pricing	iPad-based	Not disclosed	Not disclosed	★★☆☆☆2.5/5	See Vend pricing (opens in a new tab)
View full Vend details Important caveat Lightspeed acquired Vend and is actively migrating users to "Lightspeed Retail X-Series" — the Vend brand still exists and can technically be signed up for, but new features are being built for Lightspeed, not Vend. Migration is expected to complete within 12-24 months Recommendation New customers should likely consider Lightspeed directly rather than signing up to Vend Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — cross-checked third-party sources
Revel (Shift4)	Multi-site hospitality via a Shift4 partner	Not publicly disclosed	Dedicated POS hardware	Not disclosed	Custom agreement	★★☆☆☆2.4/5	Get a Revel Systems quote (opens in a new tab)
View full Revel Systems details Important caveat Revel Systems was acquired by Shift4 in 2024 and its features are being merged into Shift4's own product (branded "Shift4 Dine", formerly SkyTab) — Revel as a standalone brand is being phased out Pricing No transparent UK pricing published; custom quote or third-party partner required Pricing checked 30 July 2026 — revelsystems.com redirected to shift4.com during our check

Pricing and hardware bundles vary by provider, sector and reseller — always confirm current terms directly with the provider. We may earn a commission when you sign up through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure and Editorial Policy.

Industry fit

Which POS system suits your industry?

Restaurants & cafes

Toast, TouchBistro and Square all offer table management, kitchen display integration and tipping built in.

Retail

Lightspeed and Vend lead on inventory depth, purchase orders and multi-location stock transfers.

Already selling online?

Shopify POS syncs stock and orders directly with your existing Shopify store to avoid double entry.

Just need a card reader, not a full till?

See our simpler comparison of standalone card readers.

Compare card readers