7 best café POS systems for coffee shops in the UK

Best for: Small café with an online presence

Pricing software: From £0

Compatibility: iOS, Android and Square devices

Pros: No commitment, many payment tools, cheap card reader

Cons: Can only use Square card machines, no ingredient-tracking

Square is a good place to start for many small businesses because of its free, versatile Point of Sale app and complimentary tools on top. The app works on iPad, iPhone and mobile Android devices. You can also use it directly on Square Terminal.

“I can see Square for Restaurants working really well in cafés with several tills and a busy drink station. The kitchen display system and coordination between checkouts are smartly synced to aid your staff’s workflow.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction

There is also Square for Restaurants with more features for cafés. Its Free plan has slightly more features than Point of Sale, and Plus has even more for £69 + VAT monthly without commitment. This includes unlimited till licences at one location, which is very good value for multi-till cafes. Most smaller coffee shops would be well served by the free version though.

The full Square for Restaurants countertop setup works on iPad and Square Register, while a mobile version for taking orders and payments also works on Square Terminal and compatible Android devices.

POS features include advanced tipping and service charges, table plans with orders attached, food menus and items with variants, employee management, a kitchen display system and gift cards. If the WiFi or network connection goes, it still accepts cards in offline mode, or you can accept cash and use other features on iPad.

Square offers some add-ons like Loyalty that has a points-based customer loyalty programme. Other advanced features in almost any area can be added through integrations like MarketMan for food inventory.

You can connect the café till system with Square Online for a free click-and-collect ordering page. QR code ordering for customers at tables is available with a paid Square Online plan. The POS system otherwise integrates with Deliverect for food ordering on Just Eat and other platforms (extra cost).

Square has several card machines that work with the POS for 1.75% per card transaction.

This includes the portable Square Terminal and Handheld for table-side payments (they use WiFi and a special version of Square for Restaurants) and Square Reader requiring a Bluetooth connection with a mobile device.

Just beware that Epos Now packages often come with a commitment of 1-3 years. The software on its own, however, can be used with a month-to-month subscription.

“Epos Now is a popular system for hospitality in the UK, and I see why with its professional EPOS system and affordable hardware bundles. Just beware of the lock-in clauses and hidden fees.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction

A basic Epos Now POS subscription, giving access to general cloud till features on a tablet, costs a minimum of £54 + VAT per month. This is likely to rise in cost as you realise that small, significant add-ons are required, such as customer support that doesn’t come free with the core plan.

The app interface is intuitive, but not always user-friendly or fast to load (in our experience).

The Hospitality subscription has café features like food menus, table plans and modifiers. One of the paid add-ons is an Order & Pay system enabling customers to order their hot drinks from the table.

Flatpay takes a different approach from Square or SumUp. You don’t have to source the till hardware and set up everything yourself. A representative visits your premises, installs the equipment and takes you through the software.

Our UK testing of Flatpay found the personal approach particularly reassuring. The hardware and software are relatively simple, but support is much more hands-on than with most low-cost POS providers. For a coffee shop relying on its till all day, that could make a difference.

The POS has the basics a coffee shop needs, including product categories, modifiers for extras such as alternative milk, takeaway and dine-in options, staff logins, tips, discounts and cash management. You can view sales and transaction reports in the merchant portal. It is straightforward rather than packed with advanced restaurant functions.

The POS Pro package comes with a Lenovo tablet, a separate PAX card terminal, printer, cash drawer and stands. POS Premium has a larger 15.6-inch touchscreen with built-in printer and a customer-facing display. Both packages include onsite installation and training. No separate iPad purchase is needed.

The main limitation is integration. Flatpay does not currently connect to third-party accounting, online ordering or other POS software. That is less of a problem if you mainly sell coffee over the counter, but a drawback if you expect your setup to become more complicated.

Flatpay’s biggest advantage is its personal service, from the initial visit to installation and ongoing phone support. Our experience with its UK team has been positive, and telephone support is available 24/7. It also handles card payments and pays out daily.

The catch is the 36-month contract. The upfront POS package is substantially dearer than starting with Square or SumUp, and the Flatpay equipment must be returned when the agreement ends. There is also a minimum monthly card turnover condition. Flatpay therefore makes more sense for a stable, established coffee shop than one still finding its feet.

Best for: Good features for a low overall cost

Pricing: Free or POS Plus £39 + VAT/mo 

Compatibility: iPad only

Pros: Table-side and online ordering features, affordable hardware packages, offline mode, low fixed card rate

Cons: Service could be slow for busy coffee shops

Best for: Staff and table management features

Pricing: From £69 + VAT/mo

Compatibility: iPad only

Pros: 24/7 customer support, offline mode, built-in payments, table service functions

Cons: Add-on fees can rack up, no Android compatibility

The POS app doesn’t have as many features as, say, Square, but that fits the bill perfectly for many cafés.

It has a product library, service charges, different VAT rates, the ability to send orders to a kitchen and modifiers for food items. The simple, in-app table plan is an advantage for busy tills that need to process orders quickly.

We’ve noticed Revolut has added some features to accommodate for multi-location cafés since we first tested it. Still, I don’t see this as a robust POS system for many checkouts with complex ordering requirements.

The EPOS is very much still in development, with not as many features as the old Nobly system it was built on.

The first version of the system couldn’t process cash payments, but this is now sorted. Revolut POS only works with Revolut’s own terminals. POS is not the core business of Revolut, and it still has limited user feedback, so you would be taking a slightly bigger risk than the other entries on the list. The upside is its low rate for domestic, consumer Mastercard and Visa cards: 0.8% + 2p.