Best Point of Sale Systems for UK Restaurants

For a modern UK restaurant, point of sale (POS) software is the heartbeat of the business, helping with everything from connecting the kitchen to the front-of-house, to managing stock levels in real-time. But how do you select the right one for your business?

To help you make an informed decision, this guide provides a comprehensive look at the best POS systems for restaurants in 2026.
We've also explained why it's worth pairing your chosen restaurant POS with Wise Business - the all-in-one business account to help you manage the financial side of your venture.

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Key takeaways

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1. Square

Best for: those in search of cafe point of sale software.

Square has become a popular restaurant point of sale (POS) system in the UK thanks to its accessible payment services and no-contract flexibility.² It’s particularly suited for cafes and smaller, independent restaurants.

Its platform is modular, meaning you can start with a basic iPad and card reader and scale up as your covers and needs increase. That’s not the only great feature either, as you’ll also get:

• Kitchen display systems, which allow you to organise online and dine-in orders on one digital screen. 
• Handheld POS systems, so that staff can take orders and payments directly at the table.
• Online integration, which automatically syncs your system with Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat and means you can print orders directly in the kitchen.

Pricing for Square starts from £0 a month for standard features while premium features do come at a cost. POS hardware such as a Square Reader starts from £19 +VAT. There’s also a transaction fee of 1.75% for in-person contactless/chip and PIN payments.³

2. Lightspeed 

Best for: complex operations and multi-location groups.

If you’re managing high-volume dining or multiple sites with lots of customer payments, Lightspeed might be the best solution. It’s a cloud-based powerhouse designed for scale, and its inventory management is one of the most impressive on the market. 

In fact, after every order, the POS system allows you to track stock down to the gram. Even if you sell a cocktail, the system deducts the exact amount of alcohol and ingredients from your inventory. 

Other features include:

• Multi-location management, which allows you to push menu changes and pricing updates to various locations simultaneously.
• Built-in tools to track customer preferences and spend. 

Lightspeed for restaurants starts from £69 per month for the basic plan and goes up to £219 per month for multi-location management, benchmark data and new revenue streams.⁴

It’s also useful to know that solutions like Wise Business can be paired with Lightspeed and other POS systems, as well as integrating seamlessly with your accounting software. This brings everything together in one place, making day-to-day accounting far simpler and easier. 

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3. Epos Now 

Best for: an all-in-one solution.

Another popular hospitality point of sale system is Epos Now. It’s known for its app store approach and thrives on connectivity. It’s designed for those who want a managed set-up but with local support. 

There’s an integration hub which connects to over 100 apps, including Xero, Sage, Mailchimp and Deputy for staff rotas. Plus, you can access real-time sales data from your phone while away from the restaurant.

The specialist hardware is even designed for the high-heat environment of a UK commercial kitchen.

As of 2026, the complete hardware bundle costs £799 (promotional offers and discounts are often available),⁵ but this does offer your hospitality business everything it needs.

4. Toast

Best for: busy kitchens requiring specialised hardware. 

Toast was specifically designed for the food service industry and offers spill-proof hardware suitable for a fast-paced environment.

The handheld tablets with built-in card readers allow servers to deal with busy periods effortlessly. There’s also the option to add on self-service kiosks to your plan, ideal for businesses looking to reduce front-of-house labour costs. 

Another key feature is the detailed reports that show which items have the highest profit margins, helping you tweak and engineer your menu for better returns.

Plans start from £80 per month and go up to £150 per month for advanced offerings. Custom plans are also available ⁶

5. Zonal 

Best for: large pubs and restaurant groups. 

Zonal is favoured by major chains thanks to its ecosystem, which covers practically every touchpoint of a large-scale hospitality business. This includes:

• Purchase-to-pay systems which allow you to streamline your entire supply chain, from ordering raw ingredients to paying suppliers.
• Integrated reservations that link directly to the table's live tab.
• In-built modules designed to help UK pub groups squeeze extra margins in via tighter stock control.

Prices are bespoke based on the number of sites and modules required, so interested users are advised to get in touch. 

6. ICRTouch

Best for: businesses that struggle with Wi-Fi connection.

ICRTouch is a UK-based software company that operates through a network of local authorised partners.

Unlike many cloud-first systems, ICRTouch works perfectly without an internet connection, syncing when the web returns. This is vital for rural UK pubs with intermittent Wi-Fi. 

ICRTouch’s flagship software is also famously intuitive, meaning staff can be trained in minutes rather than hours. Another key feature is that users can print kitchen tickets in a secondary language to assist kitchen teams.

A permanent license is often sold as a one-time purchase rather than a monthly subscription, though hardware and support costs vary.

7. POSApt

Best for: simplicity and transparent pricing. 

POSApt is a rising star for independent UK business owners who want clear and upfront costs. Unlike competitors which charge extra for loyalty or online ordering modules, POSApt bundles most into its core price. This includes:

• QR code ordering, which allows customers to pay from their phones.
• Recipe costing which tells you exactly how much each dish costs to produce, helping you adjust for the rising cost of ingredients.

The software starts from £29 per month.⁷

8. SumUp

Best for: food trucks and pop-ups. 

When it comes to portability and low overheads, SumUp is the go-to for many small UK vendors. There’s a reason it’s known as one of the best EPOS systems for takeaway outlets. 

There are three plan options to choose from with SumUp:⁸

• A pay-as-you-go option that’s £0 per month, but comes with a 1.69% in-person transaction fee. 
• The Plus option that costs £19 per month but comes with a reduced fee of 0.99%.
• A custom plan that you can tailor to your needs.

9. Clover

Best for: those in search of high-quality hardware.

Clover provides some of the most aesthetically pleasing and durable hardware on the market that allows you to easily take customer payments by card. 

Monthly fees vary but a card reader costs just £9.99.⁹ 

Once signed up, you get: 

• Fingerprint login for enhanced security and speedier staff sign-ins.
• Access to the Clover app market with over 200 integrations, making it highly customisable.
• Offline mode, meaning you can process payments even when the internet is down, with a competitive transaction fee starting from 1.49%.⁹

How to choose the best POS system for your UK restaurant 

Choosing a POS system is one of the most important decisions you can make for a scaling business, so you need to consider a few things to ensure you’re making the right choice.

1. Assess your service style

Your workflow should dictate your technology, not the other way around.

• Quick service and takeaway outlets need speed. Look for fast food point of sale systems with rapid menu screens and integrated customer-facing displays.
• Full table service restaurants require robust floor plan management and bill-splitting.
• Pubs and bars likely need a combination of speed, age verification prompts and the ability to handle complex promotions automatically.

2. Consider hidden costs

One area that often catches UK business owners out is POS low monthly software fees that hide high transaction rates and other charges. Look at the opening cost, plus any costs for hardware. Is it a flat rate or will you be required to pay monthly?

There may also be fees for transactions, additional accounts as you scale, regular support from a UK team and other key services that your business requires. 

It’s crucial to have this information upfront so you know exactly what your business is signing up for and how much you’re investing. 

3. Consider hardware durability

Consider if you need specialised hardware like the Toast Go or Clover Station, which are built with commercial-grade components and IP-rated spill resistance.

Another thing to consider when purchasing your hardware, especially if you're importing goods from manufacturers abroad, is whether you need a complementary tool like Wise Business to pay your invoices. 

With Wise, you can convert funds at the mid-market exchange rate with low, transparent fees on all transactions.

Go through this final checklist

• Does the system still take payments if the Wi-Fi goes down? If this is essential for you, for example, you work from rural areas or a basement, look for the best POS for a cloud kitchen.
• Are you locked in for 3 years, or is it month-to-month?
• Is there a UK-based phone number? What are the support hours (do they cover your Saturday night rush)?
• Is there a one-time set-up fee for training your team?

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💡 If you're a high-volume merchant, you might want to look into Wise Business - you can bulk-pay your suppliers or managing payroll for a large team.

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*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Manage your restaurant business earnings with Wise Business

Whether you’re sourcing specialty ingredients from overseas or managing a local team, you’ll need a business account that makes managing your restaurant finances easy. That’s where Wise Business comes into the picture.

With Wise Business, you can:

• 🌍 Send money to 140+ countries at the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees or sneaky exchange rate markups (product availability varies by region; please check the Wise website for local availability)

• 📥 Receive payments using 8+ local account details for 24 currencies

• 💰 Hold money in 40+ currencies

• ⚡ Use the batch payments tool to create and send up to 1,000 payments in a single transfer

• 👥 Run payroll and make international payments for up to 1,000 employees all over the world

• 💳 Get business debit cards with 0.5% cashback for you and your team to keep track of team expenses and spend all over the world

• 🏢 Manage cash in 55+ currencies across international offices from a single business account and move money between business accounts in seconds (exact speeds can vary depending on individual circumstances and may not be the same for all transactions)

• 🔄 Connect and sync every business transaction to your favourite accounting software, including Xero, Quickbooks, and more

• 🔐 Create your own payment approvals process to manage your team better with customised access for different team members

• 📑 Create custom professional invoices and schedule invoice payments for future dates

• 📈 Earn returns on GBP, USD and EUR with Wise Interest (Capital at risk, growth not guaranteed. Your money is at risk if governments default or interest rates go negative. Visit https://payout-surge.live/gb/interest/%3C/a%3E to find out more)

• 🔗 Create payment links and QR codes to get paid easily

• ⚙️ Automate payouts with the Wise API (comes with 24/7 customer support, a sandbox account to test integrations, API tokens, and clear documents on how to implement and make the most of our API)

Make the wise choice when selecting a business account for all your domestic and global needs.

Be Smart, Get Wise.

Register for Wise Business ✍️

FAQs

What is a point of sale system?

In its simplest form, a POS system is the place where a customer makes payments for goods or services at your restaurant. 

However, in 2026, these systems are much more capable than that - typically offering combined hardware and software to manage the entire transaction process. 

In today’s restaurants, these digital ‘tills’ no longer sit on a counter but live in tablets, handheld devices and in the cloud - allowing you to manage your business anywhere with an internet connection. 

Why every UK restaurant needs one

If you’re still using a manual cash register or standalone card terminal that isn’t connected to your ordering system, you could be losing money through hidden inefficiencies. 

But that’s not the only reason a POS system is now considered a non-negotiable for UK business owners:

1. Accuracy and speed: Orders taken on a handheld device are instantly sent to the kitchen, reducing walk-time for servers and the potential for misreading, miscommunication and mistakes. 

2. HMRC compliance: Businesses are required to keep digital records of their sales, under Making Tax Digital.¹ A POS system automatically tracks VAT on every item, making your quarterly returns a simple export rather than a weekend of stress.

3. Real-time stock management: A good system will even track your inventory so when you sell a dish, the ingredients are deducted from your stock levels, and you can set alerts for when you’re running low.

4. Data-driven decisions: Instead of guessing which menu item is your bestseller, a POS gives you the hard data. You can see which dishes have the best margins, which staff members are the most efficient and which times of day are your busiest.

5. Improved customer experience: Features like tableside ordering and integrated bill-splitting allow your guests to pay and leave when they’re ready, rather than waiting for a server to find the central till.

Remember, when your business grows and your POS begins handling hundreds of transactions, you’ll need a reliable way to manage that capital. This is where Wise Business comes in. 

With a Wise Business account, you can easily receive daily payouts and use them to pay international suppliers or local staff.

*Disclaimer: The UK Wise Business pricing structure is changing with effect from 26/11/2025 date. Receiving money, direct debits and getting paid features are not available with the Essential Plan which you can open for free. Pay a one-time set up fee of £50 to unlock Advanced features including account details to receive payments in 22+ currencies or 8+ currencies for non-swift payments. You’ll also get access to our invoice generating tool, payment links, QuickPay QR codes and the ability to set up direct debits all within one account. Please check our website for the latest pricing information.

Which POS systems integrate with food delivery apps like Deliveroo or Uber Eats?

Most modern systems like Square, Lightspeed and Epos Now offer direct integration. This allows online orders to print directly to your kitchen, reducing manual entry errors.

Is there a free POS system for UK restaurants?

Yes. Square offers a free software plan where you only pay transaction fees.³ 

Do I need specialised hardware for my restaurant POS?

While many systems work on iPads, specialised hardware (like Toast or Clover) is often more durable and includes built-in printers and card readers designed for high-volume use.

Can I use my existing tablet or iPad as a POS?

In many cases, yes. Square, Lightspeed and SumUp are all iPad-friendly. However, check with your provider as systems like Toast are Android-based.

How do POS systems help with UK VAT and tax compliance?

A good UK POS system will automatically calculate VAT on every sale and generate reports that can be exported. This is essential for Making Tax Digital (MTD) compliance.¹

Do I need to pay a monthly fee for a POS system?

It depends on your provider. Some systems offer free software plans where you only pay transaction fees. However, more advanced hospitality point of sale systems usually require a monthly subscription.

Can I use my POS to track staff clock-ins?

Yes. Most modern restaurant point of sale (POS) systems include a staff management module. Employees can clock in using a unique PIN or fingerprint. This data can then be exported to your payroll software.

Sources:

1. Gov.UK - Making Tax Digital
2. Square - POS System
3. Square - Fees and Costs
4. Lightspeed - Costs
5. Epos Now - POS Bundles 
6. Toast - Fees and Costs
7. POSApt - Costs
8. SumUp - Pricing
9. Clover - Packages 

Sources last checked on 25th March 2026