Restaurant POS hardware is a worthwhile investment for an efficient restaurant. These are our recommendations for the best restaurant POS systems along with compatible POS hardware options and pricing.

You may need a KDS in your restaurant if you offer multiple ordering methods (at the counter or the table, drive-thru order window, online, etc.), currently run into order errors and slow turnaround time because kitchen staff has a hard time deciphering order tickets, have a restaurant with more than one prep station, or want to cut down on your physical paper usage.

Small restaurants and food trucks will likely only need one countertop POS system with basic inventory management, so we recommend a simple POS system setup that meets a smaller budget. These businesses can save money with a free restaurant POS system like Square For Restaurants and affordable Square POS hardware ($59-$799).

A restaurant POS system is software combined with a credit card reader that allows you to take restaurant orders on a tablet screen, manage a menu and inventory, manage orders in the kitchen, accept digital payment types, and print receipts.

To set up online ordering for your restaurant, you have to create a menu, customize your online ordering site, choose takeout and delivery settings, route orders to POS and kitchen display devices, and connect to delivery services like DoorDash. You can also accept orders through your Google Business Profile and social media.

Toast POS costs $0-$165+/month for POS system software, $627-$1,034 for POS hardware, and 2.49%-3.69% in payment processing fees unless you get a custom quote on a Toast POS pricing plan. Add-ons like Toast Payroll and Toast Kitchen Display System also require a custom quote.

We believe that Helcim is one of the best POS systems for businesses in the retail, subscription, and/or service industries, especially B2B and B2G businesses, with higher average transaction sizes and higher monthly sales volumes. This is because larger businesses will be charged lower per-transaction payment processing fees under Helcim’s interchange-plus payment processing model.

Restaurant POS systems help business owners in Australia take orders, accept payments, create menus, manage inventory, and generate sales reports. The best restaurant POS systems in Australia have online ordering capabilities, a loyalty program builder, advanced inventory management, and offline payment acceptance.

We believe that Helcim is one of the best POS systems for businesses in the retail, subscription, and/or service industry, especially B2B and B2G businesses, with higher average transaction sizes and higher monthly sales volumes. This is because larger businesses will be charged lower per-transaction payment processing fees under Helcim’s interchange-plus payment processing model.

The best POS system for your business comes at the right price for your business size, can manage your specific industry’s needs, offers payment processing and customer support in Australia, and integrates with a good deal of third-party software providers with solutions available for Australian business owners.