The best takeaway POS systems for SMEs in 2025

Running a successful takeaway business relies on keeping customers happy and orders moving swiftly out the door. You’ll need a POS system that has the specific tools to support this, which can be a bit more nuanced than just looking for the best POS for restaurants.

The results of our latest research and testing, carried out in May 2025, revealed Square to be the new best POS system for takeaways. This was largely thanks to improvements to its usability, which will help your staff keep orders flying out to customers.

However, another POS system could be a better fit for your takeaway business’s specific needs. So read on for full breakdowns of all the top options, including pros, cons, pricing, and who they’re best suited to.

Compare these top takeaway POS systems using our handy table:

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BEST OVERALL
Square	Clover	SumUp	Toast	Lightspeed Restaurant
Best for Best overall takeaway POS system	Best for Professional grade terminals to make managing takeaways easy	Best for Speedy ordering at smaller takeaways	Best for For advanced restaurants that also provide a takeaway option	Best for Excellent loyalty tools to encourage repeat orders
Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.8	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.4	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.3	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 4.0	Overall Score Based on our in-depth research and user testing 3.9
Pricing from Free (1.75% transaction fees)	Pricing from From £1 per month (18 month contract)	Pricing from Pay-as-you-go (1.69% transaction fees)	Pricing from £80 per month	Pricing from £69 per month (annual commitment)
Key benefits Excellent mobile ordering features Free plan with reasonable transaction fees Options to scale up to a range of terminals and paid plans	Key benefits Top of the range POS terminals and accessories Customisable customer display screen Fingerprint scanner for speedy login on the Clover Terminal	Key benefits Solid range of POS equipment, but you can also use just a tablet Strong features for mobile and QR code ordering Can start with the free plan	Key benefits Customer engagement tools to build loyalty programmes Strong inventory management, including stock alerts Built in reservation tools	Key benefits Automatic offline functionality Tablet based kitchen display system Great customer loyalty tools

Or request tailored quotes from the best POS providers for your business:

1. Square: best overall takeaway POS system

Square

• Starting software price: Free plan
• Transaction fees from: From 1.75%

• Great range of POS hardware as well as an iOS app
• Excellent mobile ordering features
• Easy menu creation

Summary Square is headed up by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey. Specifically designed for small to medium sized businesses, it leads the US market for POS systems, currently serving four million clients.

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What makes Square a top POS for takeaways?

Since we last tested it in 2024, Square has come on in leaps and bounds with its usability. We were seriously impressed in our latest evaluation with its newly polished interface, which for our money makes it the overall top choice for takeaways, as well as the best POS for restaurants.

Our testing showed us that Square is simple and straightforward to use. Source: Startups.co.uk

While you can get started with just the completely free app (which we ranked as the best free POS for SMEs), it also has the Square for Restaurants Plus plan. This paid tier comes packed with takeaway friendly features to support both click-and-collect and delivery options.

Square for Restaurants has an intuitive interface. Source: Startups.co.uk

Alongside its extremely user-friendly and intuitive interface, you’ll be supported with takeaway focused tools like excellent mobile and QR code ordering, options for custom kitchen display systems for seamless orders, and you can integrate Square POS with Deliverect or Otter to manage your takeaway orders all under one roof.

Are there any limitations?

• Currently Square offers no functionality for tracking ingredient usage in your meals. So for takeaways that want to keep a close eye on their stock usage we’d recommend Clover’s POS instead.
• We also found ourselves wanting for some more detailed cost/profit management tools, which Clover provides, and we’d also have liked to have seen a dedicated training mode to quickly onboard new staff (which Toast provides) as takeaway businesses often see a high turnover of staff.

How much does Square POS cost?

Square offers a completely free POS plan, which is subject to a 1.75% transaction fee. This is about average compared against its competitors, so you won’t be overpaying, and is pretty impressive on a free plan. So you’re definitely getting value for money with Square.

Unlike some of its competitors, Square publicly lists of all of its pricing, so you’ll also be benefiting from transparency. This is particularly useful for newer businesses with tight margins, who want to plan their spending ahead with as much accuracy as possible.

What our Reviews Writer thought

I really enjoyed using Square. Its layout is so simple and well designed, with both the front and back office equally easy to use. Everything felt modern, and actions like sending orders to the kitchen were so effortless.

Eddie Harris Reviews Writer

2. Clover: sophisticated terminals to make managing takeaways easy

Clover

• Starting software price: Currently from £1 per month (18 month contract)
• Transaction fees from: 1.49%

• Highly customisable customer display
• Exceptional POS hardware and accessories
• Speedy fingerprint login on the Clover Terminal

Summary Clover is based in California and, as of 2020, processes $133 billion in card transactions annually. It’s owned by Fiserv, the largest merchant acquirer in the world.

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Why makes Clover a top POS system for takeaways?

If you’re looking for top-of-the-range terminals and accessories to help manage efficient takeaway orders, Clover is a very strong contender. In particular we found the highly responsive touchscreen on the Clover Station Solo to be incredibly slick and it boasts a standout feature we really love: fingerprint login. This can really save your staff precious time when trying to get those orders out the door.

The fingerprint login, which can be seen at the top right of the terminal, can really speed up operations. Source: Startups.co.uk

It’s not just the hardware that impressed us either. We found the software to be equally well designed both in the frontend and the back office. Tasks like creating new products or categories was seamless, and you get alerts for stock so you won’t be caught short when trying to get orders moving out of the kitchen.

Clover has a wide library of apps, so you can connect your POS with an online ordering app like Deliverect. Source: Startups.co.uk

We think the intuitive, efficient nature of the frontend interface combined with the responsive touchscreen makes Clover well suited to a fast-paced takeaway environment. Clover also provides customisable mobile and QR code ordering, and you can also use Clover Online Ordering to start taking online orders from your customers.

Are there any limitations?

• Clover provides a first-class range of terminals and accessories, but they do come with an unsurprisingly large price tag. This is fine if you don’t mind splashing out on some of the best equipment available, but it won’t be as suitable for smaller takeaway businesses that just need the basics. SumUp and Square are both better as cheap and cheerful options that are better suited to new takeaways.
• Clover’s feature list is pretty comprehensive, except that it is missing automated tip sharing tools, which Toast provides.

How much does Clover cost?

	Pricing
Software	Currently from £1 per month
Hardware	Clover Mini: £450 Clover Station Solo: Contact Clover for prices Clover Station Duo: £1,300
Transaction fees	From 1.49%
Free trial?	None

Clover usually takes a quote-based approach to its prices, as opposed to a flat rate, which could be beneficial as you may get rates that will be tailored to your specific businesses needs. However, it’s currently running a promotion starting from £1 (monthly service fee, including device) on an 18 month contract. Alternatively, you can opt for a bespoke offer.

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What our Reviews Writer thought

I was really impressed by how sleek and responsive the Clover terminal was when I was testing it. It felt really well designed, meaning I was able to effortlessly complete tasks like adding items and amending orders. The fingerprint scanner was the standout feature for me though, it makes logging into the system so fast and painless.

Eddie Harris Reviews Writer

3. SumUp: speedy ordering for smaller takeaways

SumUp

• Starting software price: Free
• Transaction fees from: 1.69%

• Superb range of hardware and accessories
• Mobile and QR code ordering
• Inventory management tools with stock alerts and cost management

Summary In 2020, London-based payment service provider SumUp acquired GoodTill, an iPad-based POS software provider.

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What makes SumUp a top POS for takeaways?

SumUp is a simple and solid low-cost option for smaller takeaway businesses that just want a speedy system that doesn’t break the bank. The strength of SumUp is that you can get going on its pay-as-you-go plan (no monthly outgoings and you don’t have to sign any contracts) but scale up its Payments Plus or Pro plan in the future.

The most expensive plan, SumUp Pro, is notable for its colourful interface. Source: Startups.co.uk

Since we last tested it in 2024, SumUp has made some notable improvements to its frontend interface, making it even simpler to use. We think the minimal design, and easy-to-use nature of the system would have a very short learning curve for getting staff up to speed. However, we did note that synchronization issues persisted between the front office and back office.

You can get started with the free app, which connects via Bluetooth to the card reader.

You also have the option of the SumUp POS Lite (comprised of a tablet, stand and card reader) which we found to be impressively sleek and lightweight. We also found that SumUp offers a strong set of features for mobile and QR ordering, and it has a native kitchen display system (KDS) which can be run via an iPad. Just keep in mind that this KDS will come at an additional cost.

What are the limitations?

• While we did appreciate the options for mobile and QR ordering, we did note that there’s no option for customising the landing page, whereas all the other providers on the roundup can provide this.
• SumUp is a good cheap-and-cheerful option, but it’s lacking a few of the more sophisticated features a more advanced POS like Toast or Clover boasts. There’s also no option for a handheld POS terminal, like the kind offered by Clover or Square.

How much does SumUp cost?

SumUp represents excellent value for money thanks to its free plan, lack of contracts and very reasonable 1.69% transaction fee on in-person card payments. You do also have the option of upgrading to Payments Plus, which unlocks a very competitive 0.99% transaction fee for both in-person payments and digital payments.

SumUp POS Pro, the highest tier, comes with a slightly pricier £49 per month fee. You’ll also get the option for adding on extras like a kitchen display screen and advanced loyalty tools (like points and rewards for customers) for additional fees. These both cost an extra £19 per month.

What our Reviews Writer thought

The frontend of SumUp stood out as very simple and quick to manage. It might be basic, but it’s what I’d call a safe pair of hands. I really liked the addition of the “park order” function. This made it so easy to back into an order and change anything on the fly if a customer changes their mind.

Eddie Harris Reviews Writer

4. Toast: for advanced restaurants that also sell takeaways

Toast

• Starting software price: £80 per month
• Transaction fees from: Quote-based

• Excellent inventory management tools
• Reservation tools built into the POS package
• Includes customer engagement tools that let you create a points system

Summary Toast, Inc. is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, with its POS system purpose built for the food and beverage industry. Toast's POS operates on Android, and is currently used by 140,000 restaurant locations.

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What makes Toast a top POS for takeaways?

If you’re trying to manage a complex, busy kitchen that’s providing dine-in eating as well as takeaway orders, then Toast is probably going to be the POS system for your needs. It comes packed with features to streamline your operations, including mobile ordering (and pay) and customisable online ordering. If you run multiple locations, you can use the multi-location picker to give your customers the option to order from a preferred venue.

Toast can provide tools for both takeaway and delivery options. Source: Startups.co.uk

You’ll also get access to Toast’s range of customer engagement tools. These allow you to build a loyalty programme, and create a points systems for your customers, to lock in repeat orders. Toast will also provide you with top class inventory management, which provides cost vs profit management tools and stock alerts.

Toast also has its own range of POS hardware, including the adjustable Toast Flex. Source: Startups.co.uk

Despite its depth of features and capacity to manage complex environments, we still found the back office of Toast impressively intuitive to navigate. In particular we appreciated that it provided a nice, clear step-by-step onboarding guide that meant we could quickly get to grips with the platform.

What are the limitations?

• While Toast comes fully loaded with features, smaller takeaways with simple orders to fulfil will most likely find it too advanced for their needs. Square and SumUp are more geared towards simplicity.
• Toast has been built to work with Android operating platforms only, so if you’ve got iPads handy that you wanted to run your POS on, Toast won’t be the option for you. Our top recommendation, Square, is iOS friendly though.

How much does Toast cost?

	Pricing
Software	Starter: from £80/month Essentials: £150/month Custom: custom pricing
Hardware	From £749
Transaction fees	Quote-based
Free trial?	None

Toast comes packed with some seriously impressive tools and features, but unsurprisingly these don’t come at a budget price point. Toast has pretty steep monthly costs compared to the competitors on the roundup. But if you’re looking to balance takeaway ordering with an already complex dining operation, then we think you’ll find Toast to be worth the asking price.

Single location businesses who are just looking to manage the basics should look to more wallet-friendly providers like Square or SumUp.

5. Lightspeed Restaurant: excellent loyalty tools to encourage repeat orders

Lightspeed Restaurant

• Starting software price: £69 per month
• Transaction fees from: Quote-based

• Offline functionality that syncs automatically when back online
• Brilliant customer engagement features
• Tablet-based system is easy to carry around

Summary Based in Montreal, Canada, Lightspeed is a commerce platform that currently serves over 150,000 customer locations.

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What makes Lightspeed Restaurant a top POS for takeaways?

If you want your takeaway customers to keep coming back for more, then Lightspeed Restaurant can provide a suite of tools to lock in that repeat business. We consider Lightspeed’s customer engagement tools to be the best out of all the ones we’ve tested.

We found adding items to an order was simple with Lightspeed Restaurant. Source: Startups.co.uk

With Lightspeed Loyalty you can create automated marketing campaigns and send out promotional SMS notifications. There’s also a drag-and-drop email builder so you can easily create promotional messages tailored to your preferences. Just keep in mind that this is only compatible with Restaurant (L Series) only: if your app has a red logo on a white background, you’re using L Series.

We found Lightspeed’s tablet-based POS software to have a user-friendly back office, but a slightly trickier-to-navigate front office. Source: Startups.co.uk

Lightspeed Restaurant also offers a built-in kitchen display system, and you can edit the layout to your liking. However, the mobile ordering feature could be a drawback when using Lightspeed as your takeaway POS, which we will cover in the section below.

Are there any limitations?

• The key limitation to be aware of with Lightspeed: while it can support mobile and QR code ordering, you’ll need to do this by integrating your POS with Lightspeed Order Anywhere which is a paid add-on to your standard Lightspeed subscription. 
• While Lightspeed POS is designed specifically for tablets, it doesn’t have its own first-party POS terminals. So if you want the rugged durability of a dedicated terminal then you should be looking at Clover or Square instead.

How much does Lightspeed Restaurant cost?

Lightspeed Restaurant isn’t a budget option for a takeaway POS: it starts from a pretty pricey £69 per month for the Basic tier. If you do opt for the Basic plan, keep in mind that some notable features like click and collect delivery and inventory management are paid add-ons.

It’s also an annual commitment (that you’ll be billed monthly for) so it’s on the premium end of the pricing spectrum for small business POS systems. But you might consider the advanced features, like Lightspeed Loyalty, worth coughing up for.

Also keep in mind that you’ll need to add-on Lightspeed Order Anywhere for mobile ordering (no price is publicly listed), which could increase the cost even further. If your takeaway is a more basic outfit, you’re probably safer going with a low-financial-risk option like Square’s free plan.

What our Reviews Writer thought

I found Lightspeed to be fast, smooth and efficient. In general it feels like a very reliable bit of kit. The loyalty features in particular really stood out as dense and sophisticated.

Eddie Harris Reviews Writer

How to choose the right POS system for your takeaway business

These are the key points you need to consider while choosing a POS system for your takeaway business:

Suitability for your specific operation

Takeaway businesses come in a wide variety: from small collection only outfits to larger dine-in restaurants that also provide a takeaway option. So you won’t just need a POS that will cover your takeaway aspects, you’ll need one to support your entire restaurant.

With that in mind, if you run a medium or larger sized restaurant, you’ll need a more advanced POS to support your needs like Toast or Lightspeed Restaurant.

If you’re a smaller collection, or delivery-only, eatery then you might not need to splash out on all the bells and whistles. There’s a good chance that you can get by with a more basic, budget-friendly POS like SumUp or Square.

Must-have features

The cost of your takeaway POS system will depend on exactly what features you’ll need. There are a couple of must-haves that almost all takeaway businesses will require. You’ll need mobile ordering, and you’ll also want a kitchen display system so your front of house staff can seamlessly communicate orders to the kitchen staff.

Some providers may include a KDS as part of your overall package, whereas others (like SumUp) will provide one as an additional per month cost. So just keep this in mind when budgeting for your POS system.

Having an online presence will also be important for takeaway businesses, so also be on the lookout for providers that also offer the capacity to build a website, such as Square Online.

Ultimately, you should be paying for your POS to make your life easier and your workflow smoother, so make sure it’s got the tools and tricks to do so.

Transaction fees

A key factor in determining which system will be the best value for your business will be the volume of transactions you process. If your monthly transactions are relatively low, you’re better off starting out with a free or low-cost plan with average transaction fees.

If you’re taking in a high volume of monthly sales, then you’ll be better suited to a paid-monthly plan that will unlock lower transaction fees. Just make sure that the money you’d save on your individual sales makes the monthly payments to your POS provider worthwhile.

User-friendliness

Not all POS interfaces are created equal. You’ll find some can be clunky, unresponsive and confusing to navigate. Where as others are as smooth as silk. Takeaway businesses in particular will need an easy-to-use system to keep hot meals moving out the door at a brisk pace.

Options to scale and grow

You might be starting out as a simple collection-only takeaway with a skeleton staff, but this might not be the case forever. There’s every chance that eventually you’ll grow and expand, possibly even to multiple locations.

Look out for POS systems that can support growth, and will have the tools you’ll need in the future, so you don’t have to go through the hassle of switching platforms and getting to grips with a whole new ecosystem.

Free plans

While no POS is ever truly free – you’ll still need to pay transaction fees – there are options out there for pay-as-you-go style POS options. Square was our number one choice for a free POS system.

Some smaller businesses might be able to get by on a free plan, but many businesses will benefit from the advanced features and lower transaction fees often provided by paid tiers.

For example, with SumUp, the free version doesn’t support online ordering, which could be critical for a lot of takeaway businesses. So in this instance you’ll need to stump up for the Pro plan.

Free trials

You should also keep your eyes peeled for POS systems that offer free trials, so you can test them out for yourself before making any financial commitments.

Read next: How to start a takeaway business from home

How we test takeaway POS systems

In May 2025, our dedicated research team analysed 11 different POS systems to ensure that our recommendations for the top takeaway POS would be as helpful and accurate as possible.

We conducted hours of hands-on user testing, carried out by our Reviews Writer and other users, in our Startups offices in London. Our research team then combined the results of these tests with in-depth analysis of the systems’ capabilities.

The POS systems were tested against the six categories we determined were the most crucial to a successful takeaway business. These six criteria were then given individual weightings based on their importance, to ensure that the results were as helpful to our readers as possible.

In order of importance, these categories were:

• Usability (30%): takeaway businesses often have to move at a rapid pace, so you don’t want to be stuck with an obtuse system that’s going to slow down your staff.  We conducted actual hands-on user testing, to find out how user friendly the POS system is.
• The software (25%): the features the POS provides to support your takeaway enterprise including mobile and QR code ordering, kitchen display systems and tip management.
• Pricing (20%): we find out if you’re getting a good deal or not. Including monthly costs, transaction fees and hardware pricing.
• Help and support (15%): we analyse what avenues of support are available, and how effective they are.
• Hardware (5%): we look at the range of POS terminals and accessories that are offered by the provider.
• Reputation (5%): we also research competitor reviews, online comments and then combine these with the thoughts of our own participants to gauge how likely people are to recommend the POS system.

Need a takeaway POS quote?

Let’s be frank. It’s not much fun choosing a POS system, ringing around companies to get quotes can take hours that would be better spent running your business. Luckily, our free POS comparison tool has been designed by industry experts to help you get quotes fast. Just take a minute to answer a few questions and you’ll receive quotes from some of the UK’s top POS providers, tailored to the needs of your business.

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