Epos Now review: is it right for your small business?

Epos Now is one of the biggest players in the POS market. It offers a large range of hardware, competitive restaurant POS system costs, and supports over 100,000 merchants across retail and hospitality worldwide.

But as well as the positives – like having a designated agent during setup – Epos Now does have its flaws, so it’s a good idea to do your research before purchasing anything.

In our latest round of research, we reviewed Epos Now based on specific business requirements, including industry features, available hardware, and user allowances. We also tested its hardware hands-on to try out its features for ourselves and real-world performance. Below, we’ve broken down the findings into an easy-to-read guide.

Epos Now: An overview

Epos Now is an all-in-one POS system designed for both retail and hospitality businesses, serving thousands of businesses across 71 countries.

Packed full of features, it can manage every aspect of the sales process. We specifically recommend Epos Now for shop owners or restaurateurs with 10+ employees, owing to its sophisticated staff management features.

There is a mix of hardware and software products included under the Epos Now umbrella, all of which are compatible with mobile devices.

Handily, the platform organises its product range into business-specific packages such as clothing stores, grocery shops, pubs and bars, takeaway, and more.

What are the pros and cons of Epos Now?

Like any POS system, Epos Now has its own strengths and weaknesses. While it offers a broad range of features for both retail and hospitality, there are also some trade-offs around pricing, contracts, and optional add-ons.

How much does Epos Now cost?

Epos Now costs from £25 per month for its software to £899 upfront for its Duo Countertop System.

Epos Now software subscription breakdown

Epos Now hardware cost breakdown

Does Epos Now have any hidden fees?

While Epos Now states that it doesn’t charge hidden fees for its Epos Now Payments Service (including no setup charges), business owners have reported some unexpected ongoing costs after signing a contract.

For example, Epos Now typically requires you to sign a 12, 24, or 36-month contract. If you close your business or switch to another POS before your term ends, you are liable for 100% of the remaining monthly software fees for the rest of the contract period.

Additionally, using third-party payment gateways can also come with additional processing fees. If you choose to bring an external card terminal (such as Worldpay, Barclaycard, or Elavon) instead of its native processor, Epos Now may charge an added third-party processing fee or software gateway surcharge of £20–£50+ per month.

What are Epos Now’s main features and capabilities?

Epos Now is a complete business management system that brings sales, stock, staff, and reporting together in one place. It helps businesses save time, reduce manual tasks, and stay on top of everything from day-to-day transactions to long-term performance.

Granular inventory & stock control

Epos Now allows businesses to purchase inventory in bulk (such as cases or kegs), while the system automatically tracks and deducts individual units as sales happen. This ensures accurate and real-time inventory levels without the need for manual adjustments. It also tracks stock at the component level by deducting specific gram amounts or liquid volumes per order (like coffee beans or spirits), giving businesses instant visibility into stock variety and portion waste.

Additionally, its generative AI assistant Sidekick continuously runs in the background to monitor purchasing costs against selling prices to track live profit margins – alerting you to any supplier cost increases so you can adjust prices before profitability is affected.

Users can also set minimum and maximum stock levels for every item. When inventory drops below the minimum level, purchase orders are automatically generated and sent to linked suppliers, which helps to reduce manual stock management and stockouts.

App Store & integrations

Epos Now connects with over 100 specialised third-party apps, allowing businesses to automate data syncs between their POS and external back-office tools. Its core integrations include:

• Accounting and financial management: leading accounting software – including Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage – to simplify bookkeeping and value-added tax (VAT) reporting.
• Ecommerce and multi-channel retail: top ecommerce platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce and Wix – synchronising stock levels in real time between physical store registers and online storefronts.
• Hospitality and online delivery networks: food delivery platforms (like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat) and order-at-table web apps (such as Mr Yum or Epos Now Order & Pay) so that online delivery orders can route straight to kitchen display units (KDS) or printers.
• Staff scheduling and workforce management: workforce tools like Workforce.com, Deputy, and Planday – allowing managers to sync shift schedules and automate clock-in data exports for payroll processing.
• Customer loyalty and marketing: platforms such as Mailchimp, Loyalzoo and LoyaltyDog, with customer contact records and transaction histories collected at checkout directly into automated email marketing campaigns and digital loyalty point schemes.
• Open API access: allows businesses to build custom integrations with proprietary ERPs, custom online ordering portals, or legacy inventory databases.

Hospitality modules

Epos Now’s core hospitality features include its interactive visual floor plans and table management. Managers can build custom visual floor layouts using shapes (squares, circles, and ovals) to match the venue’s physical sections (such as the bar, main dining room, outdoor seating, etc.). At the same time, servers can open, move, and merge tabs while tracking table availability and managing guest counts in real time.

Its split-bill and tab flexibility also lets staff split the check by item, seat or equal share, as well as transfer individual food and drink items between tables without voiding or re-entering orders.

Moreover, its KDS capabilities mean orders are automatically sent to the correct preparation station (like the bar or kitchen). Staff can also send orders in stages (like starters first, mains later) and the kitchen screen notifies chefs when to start cooking each course so meals arrive at the table freshly prepared without overwhelming the line.

Retail modules

Through its matrix stock management tool, Epos Now’s system allows managers to manage all versions of a product in one place (such as size, colour or style). You can also set a minimum stock level for any product (such as “reorder when stock hits five units”), meaning when sales push the inventory below that number, the system automatically writes up a purchase order for your supplier so you don’t run out of popular items.

Its native barcode generator also lets staff create custom SKUs, print barcode labels directly from the back office to label printers, and scan products instantly at checkout using handheld or desktop scanners.

Meanwhile, its promotional flexibility and profit protection let retail businesses set up automatic special offers (such as “buy one get one free” or 10% off), while also alerting staff if a custom discount reduces the item’s price below a safe profit margin.

Customisable reporting & analytics

Instead of jumping between separate screens, you can build custom back-office dashboards. This lets you choose the exact widgets to display—such as hourly sales trends, top-selling items, stock alerts, or labour-to-sales ratios—giving you a single overview as soon as you log in.

You can also set up automated reports to be emailed automatically to managers or stakeholders. The system compiles chosen reports (such as daily sales, weekly stock takes or tax summaries) and delivers them automatically in CSV or PDF form on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Reports can be filtered by location, specific register terminal, employee product category, or payment method, which is useful for multi-site operators to compare store performance side-by-side.

Staff & access control

Epos Now offers role-based permissions in its system. Specifically, administrators can create different access levels for their team, so employees only see and use the features they need. Manager approval can also be required for refunds, discounts, voids, and other sensitive tasks.

Additionally, its multi-user PIN and RFID login let staff quickly log in and switch accounts using a PIN, staff key, or swipe card – keeping queues moving while ensuring every sale is linked to the correct employee. Its back-office functions have a complete activity history, giving managers can see who processed refunds, voided sales, or changed stock levels.

Finally, staff can clock in and out directly from the terminal, with shift times automatically recorded and sent to the back office for easier payroll management.

What are the top alternatives to Epos Now?

While Epos Now is a feature-rich POS system, it isn’t the right fit for every business. Factors like budget, ease of use, ecommerce requirements, and hospitality-specific features can make another platform a better choice. Below are some of the best Epos Now alternatives, each catering to different business needs and priorities.

Epos Now alternatives: overview

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		Pricing from	Transaction fees
Square	PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle)	Lightspeed	SumUp	Shopify
Hardware: from £19 + VAT Software: from £0	Software: From £0 Hardware: From £29	Hardware: From £49 Software: from £75 + per month	Hardware: from £15 + VAT Software: from £0	Hardware: from £52 Software: from £25 per month £1 per month for the first three months
From 1.4% + 25p to 2.5% (UK cards)	From 1.75% to 2.5%	Quote-based	From 1.69% to 2.95% + 25p	From 1.3% + 25p

1. Square (best overall)

With no monthly subscription on its entry plan and no mandatory hardware contracts, Square lets businesses start taking payments without a large upfront investment.

✔️ Suitable for: businesses looking for fast onboarding, intuitive touchscreen UI, and built-in payment processing with no monthly contract.

❌ Not suitable for: high-volume operators looking for the lowest possible transaction fees through custom pricing.

How it compares to Epos Now: Square is quicker and more affordable to get started with, but Epos Now offers more advanced built-in inventory management features.

2. PayPal Point of Sale (best for low-volume and mobile businesses)

PayPal Point of Sale is simple and easy to use, with a mobile-friendly interface that helps businesses take payments quickly. It also works seamlessly with PayPal, making it a convenient option for sole traders and small businesses.

✔️ Suitable for: small businesses that want extremely low hardware entry costs (£29 card reader), zero monthly fees, intuitive till setup, and instant payout options into PayPal accounts.

❌ Not suitable for: complex hospitality venues that need features like multi-course firing or multi-location retailers requiring complex inventory tracking.

How it compares to Epos Now: PayPal Point of Sale has a much simpler UX and lower commitment, but it lacks Epos Now’s advanced reporting, custom floor plans, and deep app integrations.

3. Lightspeed (best for multi-location retailers and full-service hospitality venues)

Lightspeed is built for operators that have outgrown basic mobile till systems, delivering advanced tools in l floor management, ingredient-level inventory tracking, and multi-store syncing.

✔️ Suitable for: businesses that need advanced inventory management, customer loyalty programmes, kitchen workflows, and detailed reporting across multiple locations.

❌ Not suitable for: new or small businesses that want a simple system they can set up and start using straight away.

How it compares to Epos Now: Lightspeed offers a more polished interface and smoother back-end navigation, but its premium tier pricing comes at a higher monthly expense.

4. SumUp (best for food trucks and market stalls)

SumUp offers a straightforward POS system that’s quick to set up and easy to manage, without the complexity of more advanced business software.

✔️ Suitable for: small businesses that want an affordable POS system, portable card readers, and an easy way to manage products.

❌ Not suitable for: businesses that need advanced accounting integrations, online and in-store stock syncing, or detailed staff reporting.

How it compares to Epos Now: SumUp is cheaper and quicker to get started with, but Epos Now offers more integrations and better flexibility for managing your business.

5. Shopify POS (best for multi-channel retailers)

Shopify is ideal for businesses that sell both online and in-store as it keeps products, stock levels, and customer information automatically synced across every sales channel.

✔️ Suitable for: businesses that want to unify online and offline levels in real time, as well as centralised customer loyalty profiling and catalogue management.

❌ Not suitable for: restaurants, pubs, bars, and other hospitality businesses that need features like table management, split bills, or KDS.

How it compares to Epos Now: Shopify POS is the better choice for businesses with both a brick-and-mortar shop and online store, while Epos Now offers more built-in features for hospitality businesses or retailers that only operate a physical location.

How we evaluate and test POS systems

We evaluate POS systems based on factors that have the biggest impact on everyday operations, from how quickly staff can learn the system to its long-term costs, reliability, and overall performance.

In our latest research cycle, we judged Epos Now based on the following criteria:

• Usability (35%): focuses on fast staff onboarding, intuitive front-end till design, and minimal training requirements to protect operating margins.
• Software capabilities (25%): evaluates inventory/stock management, table layout mapping, reporting depth, and third-party software syncs.
• Pricing (20%): looks at total cost of ownership (TCO), including subscription tiers, transaction fees, and hardware costs.
• Help & support (10%): measures 24/7 technical availability, onboarding assistance, and resolution times.
• Hardware flexibility (5%): evaluates ecosystem versatility (touchscreen terminals, iPad/tablet compatibility, and additional integrations).
• Brand reputation (5%): customer reviews, system reliability, and feedback from SMEs across the UK.

Conclusion

Epos Now is a comprehensive POS system that offers a strong mix of hardware, software, and business management tools for both retail and hospitality businesses.

Its inventory management, staff controls, reporting, and wide range of integrations make it particularly well-suited to growing businesses that need more than just a basic payment system.

However, businesses looking for simplicity, lower upfront costs, or more intuitive navigation may find alternatives like Square, Lightspeed or Shopify POS to be a better fit, depending on their specific requirements.