I hear the same question from café owners constantly: which till should I actually get. Most of the guides online are written by the EPOS companies themselves, or by affiliate sites earning a commission on whichever one you click through to, so the "comparison" quietly points wherever the money is. This one doesn't have a dog in that fight. I build a loyalty tool, not a till system, so there's nothing here steering you toward any particular provider.
Below is a straight comparison of the systems that come up constantly in café owner conversations, the real UK pricing behind each one, and a short tool that takes your own numbers and tells you which one actually fits, rather than which one has the best advertising budget.
What You're Actually Comparing
Before any of the numbers make sense, it helps to untangle four things that get lumped together under "EPOS system" but aren't actually the same purchase.
A till and a card machine are different jobs. An EPOS system runs your counter: it rings up what's been sold, tracks stock, keeps a record of the day's trade, and usually takes the payment too. A card machine like a Dojo or Teya terminal only does that last part, moving money from the customer's card to your account. It has no idea what a flat white costs or how many you've sold today. Most cafés need both working together, whether that's an EPOS with its own built-in payment processing, or a separate card machine feeding into an EPOS alongside it.
The software and the hardware are two separate decisions. "Which system should I get" is really two questions: which software runs your till, and which physical device it runs on. Some providers bundle both into one purchase, Toast, SkyTab and Clover sell you their own proprietary hardware with their software already on it. Others separate the two entirely: Square and SumUp's software is free and will run on an iPad or Android tablet you already own, which is what the "own tablet or dedicated hardware" question in the tool above is actually asking.
The cheapest "hardware" price is often just a card reader. This trips people up constantly, including us until we checked properly. Square's £19 Reader and SumUp's cheapest device are both small Bluetooth pucks with no screen of their own and no printer. They pair with your phone over Bluetooth, and your phone becomes the till: the screen, the keypad, the thing that sends the receipt. That's a genuinely good option for a market stall or someone just starting out, but it isn't a till in the way a Square Stand (£99, a proper countertop mount, though the iPad itself still isn't included) or a SumUp Solo (its own screen, works without a phone at all) is. Worth knowing which one a headline price is actually describing before you compare it to a system that includes a full standalone terminal.
The peripherals rarely show up in the headline price. A few extras that most cafés end up needing, on top of whatever "from £X" figure a provider leads with:
Receipt printer. Often not included with a bare card reader or entry-level terminal, and only standard in the pricier "complete solution" bundles.
Cash drawer. Same story, usually a bundle inclusion rather than something that comes with the till itself, and only relevant if you're still taking cash.
2D barcode scanner. Matters if you're also selling retail goods, bottled drinks, bags of beans, merchandise, rather than only made-to-order items. Typically another £50 to £150 on top.
Stand or mount. Turns a tablet into something that actually sits securely on a counter instead of sliding around. The Square Stand at £99 is literally just this piece, the iPad still has to be bought separately.
Kitchen display screen. A screen in the kitchen showing incoming orders instead of a printed ticket. Usually priced per device, from around £15 to £19 a month on the systems that offer it as an add-on, or a few hundred pounds to buy outright on the ones that sell it as hardware.
The Four Numbers That Actually Matter
Every EPOS provider leads with whichever number makes them look cheapest. That's marketing, not the real cost of running one in your café. Four figures decide the actual cost, and the headline price is rarely the one that matters most.
The card rate. The percentage taken from every card payment. At real café volumes it's usually the biggest line on the bill, bigger than the software fee. A 0.7 percentage point difference sounds small until you multiply it across a full month of card sales. Worth knowing too, the rate a provider publishes is a starting point, not a fixed price, most will negotiate it down once you're processing a meaningful volume, so it's always worth asking rather than assuming the advertised figure is final.
The monthly software fee. Some systems charge nothing and make it back on the card rate. Others charge a flat fee and offer a lower rate in exchange. Neither approach is automatically better, it depends on your turnover.
The hardware cost. Some systems run on a tablet you already own. Others require proprietary hardware costing several hundred pounds, and in some cases that hardware can't be reused if you switch provider later. One consistent thing worth flagging: every hardware price on this page is shown exclusive of VAT, matching how each provider publishes it themselves, so if you're not VAT-registered, the number you'll actually pay is 20% higher.
The contract length. A few systems here have no contract at all. Others lock you in for one to three years, with renewal notice periods worth reading closely before you sign.
Find Your Best-Fit System
Answer a few questions about how you actually run your café and this works out which system fits, plus an estimated monthly cost at your own numbers.
How the Main UK Systems Compare
The table below is the short version. All figures are UK prices, checked against each provider's own pricing page in August 2026, and shown exclusive of VAT throughout, matching how every provider here publishes its own headline price. If you're not VAT-registered, add 20% to see what you'd actually pay. These are the standard published rates, not necessarily what you'd actually pay, card processing rates especially are often negotiable, particularly once your volume gets into the thousands a month, so it's always worth asking whether a lower rate is on the table before you sign anything.
| System | Software | Card rate | Hardware from | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Free | 1.75% | £19 (reader only) | None |
| SumUp | Free, or £29/mo | 1.69% (0.99% with add-on) | £25 (reader only) | None |
| Epos Now | £25–58/mo | 1.5% (Pro+) or higher on other plans | £150–299 | 12–36 months |
| Clover | No fixed price, customised per business | Reseller-dependent | No fixed price | 18–36 months |
| Toast | £80–150/mo | Quote-based | Included in the subscription | Fixed term |
| PayPal POS | Free (or £0 with Tap to Pay) | 1.75% | £29 (reader only) | None |
| Loyverse | Free core + free KDS, add-ons from £20/mo | Depends on your reader | Own device | None |
| Seamless POS | Free (approved partner) or £24/mo, Pro £39/mo per terminal | 1.6% (Starter) | Own iPad | None |
| SkyTab | £39/mo, £63/mo with kitchen display | Not published for the UK | Included in fee | Often a processing agreement |
| Lightspeed | £75–189/mo, annual billing for the cheapest rate | ~1.5% (est.) | ~£300 (est., peripherals only) | Annual billing |
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Square costs nothing in software and includes products, receipts and basic reporting, with a flat 1.75% card rate and no contract, so it's the fastest system on this list to try and just as easy to leave. Worth knowing the £19 entry price is for the bare card reader, not a standalone till, it pairs with your own phone.
SumUp has the lowest pay-as-you-go card rate of the main systems here, with no monthly fee to access it. It started as a card reader company, so the till side is younger than the payment side, worth knowing once you're past counter-only service.
Epos Now is UK-based with one of the largest install bases of any EPOS provider in the country, and it's built for hospitality specifically. Pricing runs from £150 upfront plus £25/mo for the portable Pro+ card machine (1.5% card rate), up to £299 plus £58/mo for the fuller Countertop 2 terminal, both prices ex VAT. The catch is the contract, most agreements run 12 to 36 months, and a required support package can push the real monthly cost above the advertised price.
Clover isn't sold directly in the UK, it's distributed through bank resellers, and its own FAQ is upfront that pricing is customised per business rather than fixed. There's genuinely no published number to give you here, only a written quote will tell you what you'd actually pay. The hardware is well regarded, and a 200-plus app marketplace gives it more flexibility than most flat-rate systems.
Toast launched in the UK in 2026, so it's newer here than the rest of this list. Starter is £80/month and covers the core till, Essentials at £150/month adds a kitchen display and handheld POS as standard rather than as an extra. Hardware provisioning is included in the subscription rather than a separate upfront purchase.
PayPal POS (formerly Zettle) keeps things simple, a card reader, a flat rate, free software, and money that lands straight in a PayPal account. There's even a genuinely free Tap to Pay option using just your own phone, no reader purchase needed at all. It suits a stall or a simple counter far better than table service.
Loyverse is software only, no hardware of any kind, you always bring your own device, whether that's a personal phone or a terminal you've separately bought from someone like Sunmi or iMin. It's genuinely free, and unusually its kitchen display is free too. Employee management and advanced inventory are the two paid add-ons, £20/month each. It doesn't process payments itself, so your card rate depends on whichever reader you pair it with, SumUp and PayPal Zettle are both confirmed compatible.
Seamless POS is UK-built specifically for cafés, on iPad, with no long-term contract. It's free if you use one of their payment partners, or £24 a month if you bring your own, but that Starter tier doesn't include table plan, kitchen print routing, or staff timekeeping, all of which need the Pro plan at £39/month per terminal. Stock tracking and delivery integration are separate add-ons on either tier. There's also a cheaper Pocket tier that runs directly on the card terminal rather than an iPad, with yet another feature mix, worth a look if a full iPad setup is more than you need.
SkyTab, from Shift4, is an all-in-one system, terminal, printer and cash drawer all included in the £39/month fee, along with delivery and online ordering at no extra charge. A kitchen display is a further £24/month. Its UK card processing rate isn't published anywhere I've found, so treat any figure as a placeholder until you get a written quote.
Lightspeed is aimed at busier or multi-site cafés that have outgrown the systems above. Basic starts at £75/month (that rate needs annual billing), with staff reporting and loyalty tools both requiring the £149/month Core plan. Worth knowing it doesn't sell the core iPad, Mac or payment terminal itself, only the surrounding kit, printer, cash drawer, scanner and stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the cheapest EPOS system for a small UK café?
On processing cost alone, SumUp usually comes out lowest for a small counter-only café, with no monthly fee and the lowest standard card rate of the systems compared here. Square is close behind. Once card volume gets high enough, fixed-fee options with a lower rate can work out cheaper, which is why it's worth running your own numbers rather than assuming the cheapest headline price wins.
Do I need an EPOS system if I already have a card machine?
A card machine like a Dojo or Teya terminal only processes payment, it doesn't run your till, track stock, or store your menu. Most UK cafés use both, an EPOS system for the till and reporting, and either that system's own card reader or a separate card machine feeding into it. If you only have a card machine right now, you effectively don't have a till system yet.
How much does an EPOS system cost per month for a café in the UK?
Software ranges from free to around £70 a month depending on the provider and plan. Hardware ranges from around £20 for a basic card reader to several hundred pounds for a full dedicated terminal. On top of that, most providers take a card processing rate of roughly 1.5% to 1.8% of card sales, which is usually the largest single cost at typical café volumes.
Can I get an EPOS system with no contract?
Yes. Square, SumUp and PayPal POS all operate with no fixed contract in the UK. Epos Now, Clover, Toast and Lightspeed typically involve a contract, usually 12 to 36 months, so it's worth asking for the exact term in writing before signing anything.
Which EPOS system is best for a café that serves food?
Systems built for hospitality, Epos Now, Clover, Toast, or Seamless POS, tend to serve food-led cafés better than payment-first systems like Square or SumUp, since they include kitchen display and table management as standard. The trade-off is usually a higher monthly cost and, in most cases, a contract.
Whichever till you land on, it's worth checking whether your loyalty tools of choice actually talk to it. PerQ currently connects to Square and Epos Now directly, with a Clover integration in progress →
