Best UK POS Systems

To download the Square app, and to set up an account, is all free. You will need to purchase your Square hardware and while the Square magstripe reader is not available in the UK, you can still purchase the chip reader for contactless payments. Square also has its Square for Retail advanced POS Plan for £49/month per location and Square for Restaurants which has an advanced tier available for £69/month per location.

Square offers an extensive amount of free POS features, including:

• Free Square online store builder and Square online checkout links to sell online for free with or without a website
• Ability to sell physical and digital items
• Employee time clock, scheduling, and reporting
• Unlimited number of POS registers on free plan
• Sell on social media with just a tap
• Offer local delivery and shipping
• Tap to pay with compatible Android devices

Paid plans, of course, offer more features; you can also manage inventory and employees in multiple locations on the Square Plus plan.

Square software works on phones and tablets. The least expensive hardware option is the £19 + VAT Square contactless card reader, so you can take chip cards and NFC-based payments such as Google Pay and Apple Pay.

A full Square Register Kit is £50 + VAT/month for twelve months or £599 + VAT.

Read our guide to Square POS hardware to make an informed POS hardware purchasing decision.

Square charges a payment processing fee of 1.75% per chip and PIN or contactless payment, and 2.5% for virtual terminal and invoices. You will also pay:

• 1.4% + .25 per transaction for online transactions with UK cards
• 2.5% + .25 per transaction for online transactions with non-UK cards

Square subscriptions are month-to-month, and you can cancel your merchant account anytime without consequences.

All Lightspeed plans include one register. You’ll need a custom quote to place multiple POS registers in your store. There are three basic pricing tiers for Lightspeed. The Lean plan starts at £59/month, the Standard Plan is £79/month and the Advanced Plan is £119/month. Enterprise-level businesses will also need to call for a custom quote.

Third-party software integrations, such as item rental inventory software, cost an extra monthly fee.

Lightspeed’s best feature is its extensive inventory management capabilities.

For more information on Lightspeed’s excellent loyalty program, read our post on the best POS software with loyalty programs.

Lightspeed products run exclusively on iPads, and you can use tablets as POS registers, customer-facing displays, and POS dashboards.

You can get a custom quote from Lightspeed to get a POS hardware bundle that will include a cash drawer, receipt printer, iPad stand, and barcode scanner, or purchase individual items. You may purchase your own Lightspeed-compatible hardware instead. You can see a list of compatible hardware on Lightspeed’s support page.

Lightspeed Payments charges a flat-rate fee of 1.6% for standard transactions.

The company also offers an enterprise-level plan, which is completely customized and allows high-revenue small businesses to get lower payment processing rates and save on fees.

Lightspeed charges an early termination fee if you decide to cancel your subscription early.

Clover’s UK POS pricing is a little tricky, and you’ll likely need to speak to a representative to get a quote, as its processing fees are linked to the size of your business and what hardware you choose.

One of Clover’s downsides is that there are multiple retailers that sell its products, and it can be easy to get locked into a long-term contract. That’s why we suggest you go through Clover directly to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

Clover has a wide array of POS features, including multi-layered security, apps for loyalty programs, and staff and shift management. Again, you can customize Clover to be exactly what you want from your POS system, and many of the apps from its Clover Market are free.

Clover has three main hardware options, and, again, you’ll have to contact them directly to get a quote for pricing. Clover Flex is a handheld credit card machine. It comes with a built-in printer and can take all forms of card payments from the palm of your hand. Clover Flex syncs up with Clover POS software and is an excellent solution for busy restaurants.

Clover Mini is a small, but powerful desktop POS system that can run your entire business from a small, 7-inch screen. You can easily add other hardware like cash drawers or scanners and set up online sales through your device.

Clover Station is Clover’s sturdiest piece of hardware, with a large screen, a customizable dashboard, and the ability to take international payments. It’s a solid option for appointment-based businesses as well, helping you easily set schedules and manage bookings.

Clover’s payment processing costs vary depending on the size of your business and your hardware plan, and you’ll want to make sure you check with a certified retailer to make sure you know what you’re signing up for. Generally, your processing fees will run somewhere between 0.2% and 3.5% + .20-.40p per transaction.

There are plenty of well-documented Clover scams circulating, so your safest bet is to talk to Clover directly to make sure that you don’t get locked into a contract that you weren’t expecting. If you do happen to sign a contract that you end up breaking, early termination fees apply.

Zettle’s point of sale app is free to download and comes with access to gift cards, inventory, and multiple payment options.

Zettle’s feature list is extensive for a free app. Here are a few of the highlights:

• Real-time inventory management
• Access to gift cards
• Comprehensive sales reports
• Multiple integrations
• Tap-to-pay functionality
• Android and iOS compatibility

The small but effective Zettle terminal runs for £149, which allows you to take payments on the go from the palm of your hand. You can also buy Zettle’s card and contactless reader for £59.

If you’re looking for more extensive hardware options, Zettle sells kits that range from £189 to £599 and include printers, scanners and cash drawers.

A big plus to Zettle is that its processing is so simple. It has a flat rate of 1.75%, while invoices are 2.5%.

There are no long-term requirements with Zettle, and you can use its services on a month-to-month basis.

Revel is not a casual POS system for low-volume merchants. You also might be overwhelmed by the amount of work (and cost: there is a $674 onboarding fee) required to set up Revel’s features. However, if you are planning on fast growth, it could be a good plan to start large instead of having to scale up from a less feature-rich and basic free POS system.

Revel is feature-rich. It has everything you need for customer, employee, and inventory management.

Revel is iPad-based — but base stations, printers, barcode scanners, and handheld payment devices can all be purchased from Revel.

Revel offers its own processing system called Revel Advantage and, once again, its fees and rates are custom-made for each individual UK business so you will need to call for a quote.

You can get a cheaper yearly rate with Revel if you sign up for a three-year contract. But three years is a long time, and there is a termination fee if you change your mind.

Its solo plan starts at £59/month. TouchBistro also offers additional licenses for £40 and £50/month each depending on how many you need.

For small business restaurants, TouchBistro’s features offer everything you might need or want to run a successful food service business. Easy to use ordering systems, intuitive customer management programs, and an excellent kitchen display make this a great choice.

Some users, however, reported that the kitchen inventory features were difficult to set up.

TouchBistro runs on iPads. They also offer scanners, cash drawers, and other traditional pieces of POS hardware to customers — prices for hardware bundles are quoted individually.

TouchBistro offers TouchBistro Payments By Chase as a simple solution to integrate your payments system and POS. You have to call for a quote, and you have to sign up for a service agreement to get the lowest price.

However, you are free to use a different payment processor as long as it integrates with TouchBistro.

Month-to-month contracts are available but at a steeper price. If you do decide to set up a contract to take advantage of the lower rates, be prepared to have a steep termination fee.