The best takeaway POS systems for SMEs

Overall rating: 4.8
Monthly pricing from: free
In-person transaction fee: 1.75% (UK cards)
Online transaction fee: 1.4% + 25p (UK cards)
KDS integration: Square provides its own first-party KDS which is available for £15 + VAT per device, per month

Square is the best POS for takeaways thanks to the excellent ease-of-use provided by the extremely well designed user interface, combined with the no-cost plan and overall depth of features.

Takeaway businesses often find themselves short staffed, with high order volumes, so having a fast and intuitive system is paramount: Square led the pack in our latest hands-on testing by completing our complex food and drink order simulation in just 8.7 minutes, much faster than the average completion time of 18 minutes.

Square’s back office has an intuitive interface, which comes embedded with Square AI to quickly answer questions. Source: Startups.

Square’s feature-rich software makes things easy for takeaway owners via the built-in menu synchronisation for a unified workflow, which means your staff won’t be struggling with multiple disconnected tablets during a rush order.

You can also seamlessly connect your POS to Square Online for free, so you can rapidly launch a mobile-ready web page for online orders, with the option for delivery or pickup.

Do I need additional hardware?

Square can be run solely from an iPad just by downloading the free app, which can help keep overhead costs down and prevent you from being locked into hardware you may not need down the line.

If you do want more sophisticated hardware, Square provides an impressive range of terminals and accessories like:

• Square Kiosk (£99 + VAT): this is an iPad-driven self-service device that can free up your staff and let customers order for themselves (Square Kiosk app is required, which is £35 + VAT per month)
• Square Stand (£99 + VAT): used to turn your iPad into a countertop terminal
• Square Register (£699 + VAT): a sophisticated, dual-screen till system
• Square Terminal (£149 + VAT): a handheld POS terminal which I’ve personally tested, and found it be excellent to use

Can Square integrate with delivery platforms?

Square can seamlessly integrate with third-party booking applications, connecting to hospitality engines like Resy OS, Eat App, and WOWAPPS.

Square uses delivery aggregators like Deliverect, HubRise and Cuboh in order to synchronise with the major ordering services like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat.

Overall rating: 4.4
Monthly pricing from: £9.99 per month (includes device)
In-person transaction fee: quote-based
Online transaction fee: quote-based
KDS integration: Clover provides its own first-party KDS, which includes an additional fee for the hardware and monthly software fee

Clover is the best option for takeaway chains that are outgrowing basic tablets and require commercial-grade countertop terminals to rapidly manage intense order workflows. The Clover Countertop Duo is a sophisticated terminal which comes with a 14-inch touchscreen display and a highly customisable eight-inch customer display.

I tested the Clover countertop till myself and was impressed with how responsive the terminal was, which made processing orders and payments incredibly fast and easy. The standout element for me was the biometric fingerprint scanner, which meant I could get into the Clover POS platform faster than any other device.

We tested Clover’s hardware, including the countertop terminal and handheld terminal, and were impressed with the level of quality. Source: Startups.co.uk

I found Clover’s software to be equally well designed in the frontend and back office. It also has great built-in tools to effectively manage takeaways and, in particular, reduce food waste, including:

• Advanced ingredient tracking (something our top choice Square is unable to support)
• Automated low-stock warnings
• Smooth kitchen display system routing, straight out of the box

When a customer places an online order, this will be sent directly to your first-party KDS, for an efficient ordering system.

Clover provides Clover Online Ordering as part of its POS offering, which auto-generates you a mobile-optimised ordering page that can either be hosted by your own custom domain or sub-hosted by Clover.

Do I need additional hardware?

Yes, a key aspect of Clover is that it can only be run through its own proprietary terminals, so you will not be able to run it separately through a tablet.

Clover has an exceptional range of POS hardware and accessories (pricing is quote-based) including:

• The Clover Flex: its portable POS machine with a built-in printer
• The Clover Flex Pocket: the slimmer version of the handheld device, which doesn’t include the printer
• The Clover Mini: a smaller countertop device with an eight-inch touchscreen
• The Clover Station Duo: the full countertop terminal, which includes the customer screen and fingerprint scanner

As Clover operates on a closed hardware ecosystem, just keep in mind you won’t be able to repurpose your terminals and accessories if you move to a different provider: Clover will be a long-term solution.

Can Clover integrate with delivery platforms?

Clover has a native partnership with Uber Eats, which is built-in directly to the dashboard in Clover Online Ordering.

For platforms outside of Uber Eats, such as Deliveroo, Clover relies on middleware applications via the extensive Clover App Market: including Deliverect, Otter and Stream.

Just note that these third-party apps will almost certainly require an additional monthly subscription cost, so it can become expensive for those with a modest delivery volume.

Overall rating: 4.2
Monthly pricing from: free
In-person transaction fee: 1.69%
Online transaction fee: 2.5%
KDS integration: SumUp has a first-party system which can be run via iPad, though you must subscribe to the SumUp POS Pro tier (£49 + VAT per month) and the KDS costs £19 + VAT per screen, per month

SumUp is the best choice for smaller, independent, solo takeaway operators, thanks to the low transactions fees, simplicity of the software and affordable equipment.

SumUp has a minimalist user interface, with a short learning curve, that can still effectively manage basic product cataloguing, digital invoicing and sending out SMS receipts to customers. We found that the streamlined SumUp app is best for a simple checkout experience.

SumUp as a clean and clear interface, that easily allows you to offer takeaway items. Source: Startups.co.uk

You’ll also be able to build an online webstore for free with the SumUp Online Store, which is a no-code way for takeaway owners to quickly launch a mobile-optimised website. There’s also SumUp Order and Pay, allowing guests to order directly from their phone.

For solo traders who need additional assistance, SumUp provides responsive chat support and phone help, available during regular business hours. Just note that 24/7 support is only available through a premium tier like Payments Plus or POS Pro.

Do I need additional hardware?

Unlike a locked ecosystem like Clover, SumUp’s POS can run entirely from an iPad just using the free app. This is a cost-effective approach for new takeaway businesses who don’t want to lock themselves into expensive proprietary hardware.

That said, SumUp does provide a solid range of terminals and accessories if you want to upgrade to a more professional setup:

• The Solo Lite (£25 + VAT) is a basic card reader that pairs with your phone
• The Solo (£79 + VAT) is a standalone reader from which you can access sales reports
• The SumUp Terminal (£135 + VAT) is a handheld POS device with dual Wi-Fi and a free SIM card
• The SumUp Register (£399 +VAT) is a countertop dual-screen full till system
• SumUp Kiosk (£499) is a self-service option to free up your staff

Can SumUp integrate with delivery platforms?

If you’re using the free version of SumUp, to connect to platforms like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat you’ll need to use an aggregator app like Deliverect or Otter, which involve an additional cost.

However, if you’re paying for SumUp POS Pro then you’ll have access to much deeper native multi-channel synchronisation and KDS routing directly from the platform itself.

Overall rating: 4.1
Monthly pricing from: £80 + VAT per month
In-person transaction fee: quote-based
Online transaction fee: quote-based
KDS integration: Toast provides a first-party KDS built directly into its operating system, with additional costs for both the hardware and software

Toast is an advanced POS system that will be the best choice for complex takeaway businesses that need to manage complicated multi-channel ordering, with advanced features like deep cost management reporting and customisable loyalty programmes.

Toast is enterprise-level software that excels at managing orders from multiple online third-party delivery platforms, alongside your walk-in customers. Toast has been designed to funnel in online orders, third-party app orders and in-store orders into one real-time stream for a unified experience.

Toast has deep functionality but remains easy-to-navigate, with clear tools for both takeaway and delivery options. Source: Startups.co.uk

Despite its depth of functionality, our user testing found that Toast remains simple to use. One of the standout features was the search tool, which was extremely intuitive and allowed us to easily locate specific functions, with guided interactive walkthroughs to allow for fast training on the system.

Toast Online Ordering is an additional first-party module that handles your online orders, which costs extra, but you’ll benefit from having an auto-generated web front that’s connected to your main till for real-time menu syncing. There’s also the purpose-built Toast Local app, specifically for takeaway orders.

Do I need additional hardware?

While Toast can be run from a tablet, you should note that Toast is Android-exclusive, meaning that you won’t be able to run it from an iPad.

However, Toast does have a range of professional-grade hardware including its own purpose built countertop terminal, Toast Flex, which can seamlessly connect to the durable KDS.

The Toast Flex has a screen that can be flipped and adjustable height, making it highly adaptable to hectic, fast-paced takeaway environments. Toast’s hardware pricing is quote-based.

Can Toast integrate with delivery platforms?

Toast can integrate directly with the major delivery apps, like Uber Eats, and can also connect via third-party aggregators like Deliverect. Tickets from Uber Eats will be routed directly into your register and KDS.

Overall rating: 3.9
Monthly pricing from: £79 + VAT
In-person transaction fee: quote-based
Online transaction fee: quote-based
KDS integration: Lightspeed provides its own customisable first-party KDS, though there is an additional cost attached

Lightspeed is best for takeaways that want to build a loyal customer base, thanks to its exceptional customer engagement features, primarily through its add-on module Lightspeed Loyalty. This is a multi-tiered, sophisticated software, allowing you to create automated marketing campaigns using the drag-and-drop email builder.

Lightspeed is a premium option for takeaway owners, but you’ll benefit from the sophisticated features like deep data tracking. Lightspeed allows for precise, ingredient-level tracking, which will give you greater visibility over your spending and avoid wasted food costs.

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

Our user testing of Lightspeed’s interface found it to be smooth, fast and reliable. We would highlight that your staff will need training on the system before becoming fully comfortable using it during rush hour, whereas simple apps like Square and SumUp have much shorter learning curves.

For online orders, there’s Lightspeed’s Order Anywhere module, but note this requires an additional cost on all but the Pro tier. This add-on will generate a mobile-friendly online storefront for click and collect, and delivery for your customers.

Do I need additional hardware?

Lightspeed is built natively for tablets, so you can run it directly from an iPad if that’s all you require (note that Lightspeed can only run on Android tablets on the O-series, with K-series being locked to iOS).

Lightspeed’s iPad-based system prevents you from being locked into an expensive hardware deal for the long-term (like Clover for example), but you will still need an integrated card reader to take payments, which you can purchase directly from Lightspeed.

Lightspeed can also provide accessories like printers and cash drawers, and a stand to turn your tablet into a countertop terminal.

Can Lightspeed integrate with delivery platforms?

The Lightspeed Delivery module allows you to sync your POS with feeds from major delivery platforms, like Uber Ears, Deliveroo and Just Eat. Orders that come in from third-party delivery services will flow directly into your KDS.