Best EPOS Systems for Small Businesses: A Simple UK Guide
The short answer
An EPOS system is a modern till that can do more than add up a sale. It can tell a flower shop which bouquets are selling, send a café order to the kitchen, help a salon keep bookings and payments together, or show a shop owner what happened while they were away from the counter.
It is worth paying for when it fixes a job that regularly wastes your time. If you spend Sunday evening correcting stock, chasing missing payments or adding up three different reports, the right system could make life noticeably easier. If you only take a handful of simple payments, a basic card reader and app may be all you need.
The right starting point is usually one till, the software features you genuinely need, and an integrated card payment route. Add extra screens, printers and premium modules only when the business case is clear. A simple cloud POS can start with little or no software charge, while stock-heavy or multi-site systems can cost well over £100 a month before hardware and payment fees.
Before signing, price the whole first year. Include the till, monthly software, card fees, setup, support, extra screens and any cost of leaving. Ask the supplier to show your awkward jobs, not just a perfect sale: a split café bill, a return without a receipt, a flower order for collection or what staff do when the internet drops.
Four EPOS options in 60 seconds
1 Square POS
Square is an approachable place to start. You can take payments, build a simple product list and see sales from the same account, then add more tools if the business grows.
- Best forSmall shops, cafés, salons, market sellers and first-time till buyers
- What it can doTake payments, record products, send receipts and show daily sales
- Why choose itEasy starting point with relatively little commitment
- Main watch-outSpecialist or paid features can increase the monthly cost
2 Shopify POS
Shopify POS makes most sense when Shopify already runs your website. An item sold at the counter can come out of the same stock list as an online order, which can save a retailer plenty of evening admin.
- Best forShops and pop-ups already selling through Shopify
- What it can doJoin in-store sales, online orders, products, customers and stock
- Why choose itOne familiar system for the website and physical checkout
- Main watch-outThe Shopify plan, POS software and hardware all affect the real cost
3 Lightspeed
Lightspeed is aimed at businesses that need more control. A growing retailer may value detailed stock tools, while a busy hospitality business may need ordering and table features that a basic till cannot provide.
- Best forStock-heavy retailers and busier hospitality businesses
- What it can doManage detailed stock, staff, reporting and sector-specific till jobs
- Why choose itMore depth for a business that has outgrown a simple checkout
- Main watch-outMore features usually mean more cost, setup and staff training
4 Epos Now
Epos Now sells broader till packages and can suit an owner who wants help choosing hardware and software. The important step is getting the complete offer in writing.
- Best forRetail and hospitality owners wanting a supported package
- What it can doCombine till software, hardware, reporting and payment options
- Why choose itA guided buying route rather than building everything yourself
- Main watch-outCheck the full contract, included equipment and ongoing charges
What does an EPOS system actually do?
EPOS means electronic point of sale. The system records a sale, but the useful part is what happens around that sale. A product can be removed from stock, a table order can be sent to the kitchen, a customer record can be updated and the day’s figures can flow into reporting or accounting software.
A working setup normally has four parts:
- Checkout hardware. This may be a tablet, touchscreen till or handheld device, plus a stand, receipt printer, cash drawer, barcode scanner and customer display.
- POS software. This holds products, prices, taxes, modifiers, staff permissions, stock, reports and customer data.
- Payments. An integrated terminal sends the amount from the till to the card machine and returns the result. A non-integrated terminal requires staff to key in the amount, which creates another opportunity for error.
- Connections to the other tools you use. These can include your website, accounting software, bookings, delivery platforms, loyalty schemes and supplier catalogues.
Most modern systems keep the main information online and let you sign in from another device. That is handy when you want to check sales from home, but you should ask what staff can still do if the broadband stops during a busy Saturday.
Four realistic provider routes
There is no universal best EPOS provider. These routes solve different problems and should be compared using the same hardware list, locations and transaction assumptions.
1 Square POS: a low-commitment starting point
Square suits small shops, counters, service businesses and pop-ups that want payments and basic POS under one account. Its core Point of Sale apps start at £0 a month, while paid Plus packages start at £29 a month. Square lists UK in-person card processing at 1.75%, with different prices for online, invoice and manually entered transactions. Transfers can be as soon as the next day, while instant transfers cost 1.5%. These figures were checked on Square's UK pricing page on 11 September 2026.
The attraction is a gentle starting point. You can test products, receipts, staff access and reporting without committing to a large software bill. The limitation is that advanced retail, restaurant or appointment features can move you into a paid package, so do not treat “free POS” as a promise that your finished setup will cost nothing.
Read our Square POS review and explore the selected Square POS offer.
2 Shopify POS: strongest when Shopify already runs the shop
Shopify POS is primarily an omnichannel decision. It makes sense when products, customer records and stock already live in Shopify and you want stores, markets and the website to share that information. Every paid Shopify plan includes casual in-person selling features. POS Pro adds richer staff, inventory, customer and omnichannel tools at £69 per month per location.
On monthly billing, Shopify currently lists Basic at £25 a month, with in-person card rates starting at 1.7%. Grow is £65 a month with rates starting at 1.6%. POS Pro is extra. Shopify explains that the total cost combines the main plan, transaction fees and any Pro locations on its UK POS pricing page, checked 11 September 2026.
This is harder to justify for an offline-only shop with no intention of using Shopify online. For an existing Shopify merchant, avoiding duplicate stock and customer systems may matter far more than a small difference in card fees. See our Shopify POS guide.
3 Lightspeed Retail: more control over stock and daily tasks
Lightspeed is a fuller retail system for businesses that have outgrown basic product lists. Its published UK retail prices are £75 a month for Basic, £149 for Core and £189 for Plus. One register is included. Higher tiers add capabilities such as deeper reporting, forecasting, custom user roles, workflows and API access. Lightspeed notes that prices can vary and additional service fees may apply, so a written quote remains essential. Prices and features were checked on Lightspeed's retail pricing page on 11 September 2026.
This route can fit a specialist retailer with variants, purchase orders, supplier data and multiple channels. It can be excessive for a kiosk with 20 products and one owner. The demonstration should prove that stock receiving, transfers, returns and reports are quicker in practice, not merely available somewhere in a menu.
Read our Lightspeed review or explore the selected Lightspeed POS offer.
4 Epos Now or a sector specialist: quote the complete package
Epos Now and sector-specific suppliers can combine hardware, software, onboarding and payments into a quoted package. That can be convenient for hospitality or retail owners who want one support route. It also makes comparison harder if a low hardware price depends on a software term, a payment agreement or paid add-ons.
Ask for the price of each item, the minimum term, renewal method, payment rate assumptions and the cost of additional registers. Test how easily you can export products, customers and sales if you later move. The useful question is not “Is the till £X?” but “What will this exact operating setup cost over 12 and 36 months?”
