Best online ordering systems for takeaway and delivery Spend less time researching and more time boosting your business with our review of the best online ordering systems for takeaway and delivery. Written by Emily Clark Updated on 18 September 2026 About us Startups was founded over 20 years ago by a serial entrepreneur. Today, our expert team of writers, researchers, and editors work to provide our 4 million readers with useful tips and information, as well as running award-winning campaigns. Our site is governed by the Startups editorial manifesto. Startups.co.uk is reader supported – we may earn a commission from our recommendations, at no extra cost to you and without impacting our editorial impartiality. Flipdish is the best online ordering system for delivery and takeaway, offering a user-friendly interface, detailed real-time sales analytics, and customer support available seven days a week.For the modern hospitality business, an online ordering system is a must. An all-in-one tool like this can take care of orders and inventory management, just like a POS system for restaurants, while liaising with delivery drivers and customers and applying all necessary fees as payment is processed.And as demand for more ordering channel options continues to grow, implementing your own online order system can help you meet customer expectations, increase direct sales, and create a more seamless ordering experience.In this guide, we will share the five best online ordering systems, including their features, pros and cons and pricing, to help you find the best solution for your business. Key takeaways Flipdish is the top online ordering system for takeaway and delivery, thanks to its 7-day customer support and deep POS integration capabilities.System pricing ranges from £0/month to £219/month, while transaction fees range from 1.4% + 25p to 3.3% + 30p per order.Direct online ordering modules like SumUp Goodeats and Square allow businesses to avoid third-party commission fees that can reach 15%-35% per order.Advanced platforms offer operational integrations with 300+ third-party tools, kitchen display systems (KDS), and accounting software.Budget-conscious businesses can start with Square for Restaurants’ £0/month plan, while multi-location businesses benefit most from Epos Now’s 50+ detailed reporting views. What this article covers: 1. Flipdish 2. Epos Now 3. Square for Restaurants 4. SumUp Goodeats 5. Lightspeed Restaurant How we test merchant services for small UK businesses Choosing the Best Online Ordering System for Your Business: Next Steps Comparing the Best Online Ordering Systems 0 out of 0 backward forward Best for Compatibility Pricing FEATURED POS and accounting integration Customer Service Reporting and insights Affordability Simple online ordering iOS/iPadOS, Android smartphones/tablets, all modern mobile browsers Windows, Android, Mac, iPhone, and Tablet Windows, Mac, Android, and iPad iPad (iOS 14+), Android tablets and native Square hardware iOS/iPad OS, Android devices and standard desktop browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge) From £79/month From £49/month From £25/month From £0/month From £49/month 1. Flipdish: Best for reliable customer servicePrice: From £49/monthTransaction fees: Around 2.5% to 3.3% + 30p per orderCompatibility: Windows, Android, Mac, iPhone, and TabletFlipdish is the best ordering system for reliable customer service, as it offers assistance seven days a week, including Bank Holidays. Support is available from 9am to 1:00am Monday-Friday and Bank Holidays, and 10:00am to 1:00am on weekends.Flipdish’s features include in-depth reporting and real-time sales analytics through your own Flipdish portal, a well-crafted rewards program for retaining your customers, heat mapping, push notifications for improved sales and marketing, and role-based permissions for effective operations management.Additionally, Flipdish provides branded ordering apps and websites to help businesses gain control of their sales and marketing channels. This includes a built-in upsell flow to increase the value of orders, automated SMS messages to customers to encourage online ordering, and first-time order discounts and promotions.How much does Flipdish cost?Flipdish costs from £49 per month, per site for its Website plan. This gives you a branded business website and online ordering platform, plus key features like menu management, loyalty and retention, reporting and analytics, and integrated payments.If you want to add a branded mobile app, this costs from £79 per month, per site under the Website & Mobile App plan. This gives you everything in Website, plus integration with third-party delivery apps (such as Deliveroo and Just Eat).Flipdish also charges two types of transaction fees – a per-order commission/platform fee and standard card processing fees. For online payments, these are around 2.5% to 3.3% + 30p per order. Meanwhile, its per-order commission fee for direct sales is typically 2% to 7% per order.The pros and cons of Flipdish Pros of Flipdish Offers a wide range of brand templates that are optimised to enhance the customer’s online ordering experience, making your business seem professional and appealing Flipdish’s integration partners include Lightspeed, Oracle MICROS, and Square POS, while the company also offers its own Flipdish POS terminal Menu updates, pricing adjustments, delivery radius changes, and day-to-day operations are fast and intuitive to manage Cons of Flipdish Users note that its reporting tool lacks granular options for tax category breakdowns and complex accounting setups Users report occasional software glitches, printer/terminal sync issues, or system delays during peak ordering hours Physical hardware (kiosks, KDS units, printers) requires significant upfront investment or additional monthly hardware financing fees 2. Epos Now: Best for business reporting and insightsPrice: From £25/monthTransaction fees: 2.00% + 10p per deliveryCompatibility: Windows, Mac, Android, and iPadEpos Now offers the best tools for reporting and insights, providing a comprehensive, cloud-based reporting suite through its Back Office portal.The platform offers over 50 different report views across four categories – sales & order analytics, inventory & stock management, employee & staff performance, and financial & accounting reports. This includes tracking sales across ordering channels and specific devices, viewing live updates on ingredient/item availability as orders clear, measuring total revenue generated, and automatic syncing with third-party accounting software, such as Xero, Sage, and QuickBooks.Moreover, Epos Now provides a branded web portal for customers to order directly for pick-up or direct delivery and consolidates orders from major delivery apps (Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats) directly into its POS system to avoid managing separate tablets.How much does Epos Now cost?To access Epos Now’s Order & Pay feature, the base POS software is required, which costs from £25 per month. This is often tied to a 12-to-24-month contract.Alternatively, if you already use Epos Now and online ordering or QR table service isn’t included in your specific software tier, activating the Order & Pay app via the Epos Now AppStore typically carries an add-on fee of £15-£25 per month.Epos Now also charges a transaction fee of 2.00% + 10p per delivery, which is cheaper compared to Flipdish’s rates.Pros and cons of Epos Now Pros of Epos Now Online and table orders sync directly into the main Epos Now POS system and Kitchen Display System (KDS) Menus can be updated in real time from the Back Office to switch out-of-stock items, add modifiers, display allergen tags, and push upsells Captures customer emails and phone numbers for digital receipts and built-in CRM marketing campaigns Cons of Epos Now Accessing Order & Pay requires the the base Epos Now POS software fee, plus an additional monthly AppStore add-on fee Epos Now typically binds merchants to long contracts for its software services, limiting flexibility if you decide to change providers Users report long wait times, slow issue resolution, and difficulty reaching higher-tier technical support when live operational glitches happen 3. Square for Restaurants: Best for affordabilityPrice: From £0/monthTransaction fees: 1.4% + 25p (UK cards)Compatibility: iPad (iOS 14+), Android tablets and native Square hardwareSquare for Restaurants is a great choice for budget-conscious hospitality businesses that want affordability and a simple setup s it offers flexible pricing plans, easy-to-use hardware, and built-in features that help smaller restaurants get started quickly.Square’s free Online Ordering tier is included in both the free and paid plans and offers a generous amount of features, including a website builder with search engine optimisation (SEO) tools, synchronisation with Square POS, pickup and delivery, customer accounts, social media selling, and multi-payment acceptance.The platform also includes additional sales features, including gift cards for customers, a virtual terminal for taking payments over the phone, and an online store builder for small businesses that are starting out or fully rebranding before offering takeaway services.How much does Square for Restaurants cost?Square for Restaurants offers a free plan, meaning there are zero monthly costs; you only pay transaction fees for each sale you make.Meanwhile, the Plus plan costs £69 per month and gives you extra Square POS features, including scan to pay, seat/course management and floor plan customisation. You can also upgrade to the Premium plan, which comes with custom pricing and transaction fees, though you can only access it if you process over £200,000 per year.For Square’s online ordering specifically, its free tier is included in both the Free and Plus plans. However, you can also upgrade to unlock further online ordering features:Plus (£20/month): comes with everything in Free, plus website themes, QR code ordering, personalised ordering, advanced item settings, and a free domain for a year.Premium (£64/month): gives you everything in Plus and adds lower processing fees and real-time delivery rates (based on weight, destination and courier)Pros and cons of Square for Restaurants Pros of Square for Restaurants Square’s ordering page can easily integrate items from your Square POS Restaurant system into the Square Online site builder Allows you to customise ticket layouts, timers, and notifications to fit your kitchen’s unique setup The touchscreen menu layout and backend interface are straightforward, requiring minimal training for waitstaff and kitchen line workers Cons of Square for Restaurants Accessing 24/7 priority phone support requires an upgrade to the Plus plan Website customization options on the free plan are limited compared to standalone web platform Automated fraud detection systems may flag unusual activity, which can result in temporary payment holds or account reviews 4. SumUp Goodeats: Best for simple online orderingPrice: From £49/monthTransaction fees: From 1.7% + 12p per orderCompatibility: iOS/iPad OS, Android devices and standard desktop browsers (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge)SumUp Goodeats is ideal for direct ordering without expensive setup costs or third-party marketplace commissions, as it gives restaurants an affordable way to launch branded online ordering while keeping control of the customer experience, menus, and order data.Goodeats is available as an add-on module on SumUp’s Point of Sale Pro plan (from £49/month), allowing venues to offer web ordering without relying on third-party marketplace apps – offering QR code table ordering, click & collect, takeaway, and direct room ordering for hotel businesses.Orders placed through Goodeats flow directly into the SumUp POS terminal, kitchen printers or KDS, while its live menu synchronisation ensures that any menu changes, stock limits or price updates made in the back office reflect instantly on Goodeats. Customers also don’t need to download a mobile app, as everything runs natively on standard mobile browsers.How much does SumUp Goodeats cost?SumUp Goodeats is available on the SumUp POS Pro software plans, which start at £49 per month. It is not available on SumUp’s free plan or its Payments Plus plan.You will also have to pay transaction fees for every Goodeats order, which are 1.7% + 12p for table ordering and 2.7% + 12p for delivery and collection ordering.Pros and cons of SumUp Goodeats Pros of SumUp Goodeats No additional monthly subscription costs; it is included as an add-on module with your main SumUp POS Pro plan You avoid paying 15%–35% per-order commission fees to aggregators like Deliveroo, Uber Eats, or Just Eat Customers simply scan a QR code or visit a web link to view menus and pay via Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card Cons of SumUp Goodeats You cannot use Goodeats on the free basic SumUp app; it requires a paid SumUp POS Pro subscription Template customisation options are fairly basic compared to dedicated web builders Goodeats does not bring in new customers on its own—you must drive site traffic and table ordering via direct marketing 5. Lightspeed Restaurant: Best for POS and accounting integrationPrice: From £79/monthTransaction fees: From £75/monthCompatibility: iOS/iPadOS, Android smartphones/tablets, all modern mobile browsersLightspeed Restaurant is a strong choice for POS and accounting software integration, making it a good fit for restaurants that want to connect their sales, financial data, and online ordering operations in one system.The system boasts 300+ third-party integrations, including platforms for accounting, delivery, and loyalty programmes. For online ordering channels, restaurants can connect their ordering platforms with the wider technology ecosystem they already use, helping orders flow more smoothly between customer-facing channels, payment systems, kitchen operations, and back office tools.Additionally, its Order Anywhere system offers a built-in ordering web application for the Lightspeed Restaurant POS system, allowing customers to browse menus, place orders, and pay directly from their smartphone without downloading an app. Like SumUp Goodeats, it also provides QR code table ordering, takeaway, click & collect, and real-time menu updates.How much does Lightspeed Restaurant cost?Lightspeed Restaurant costs £79 per month for its Basic plan. The Order Anywhere module is also available as an add-on on both this plan and the Core plan (£149/month), though the cost is not publicly listed on Lightspeed’s pricing page.If you want Order Anywhere included in your subscription and not as a paid add-on, you will have to upgrade to the Pro plan, which is £219 per month.For transaction fees, these are custom-quoted depending on your monthly transaction volume, but according to Lightspeed’s transaction fee table, monthly costs can start from £75.Pros and cons of Lightspeed Restaurant Pros of Lightspeed Restaurant Supports multiple guest workflows in one platform, including QR table ordering, click-and-collect takeaway pre-ordering, and view-only digital menus Offers 24/7 phone and live chat support, which is ideal if you need support during weekends or late nights Businesses can push menu changes, adjust price tiers, track recipe stock, and run consolidated reporting across multiple locations from one place Cons of Lightspeed Restaurant You can only use Lightspeed Payments as the payment gateway for digital checkout features like one-tap Apple/Google Pay express checkouts Customisation is largely limited to basic branding (logos and colours) and lacks layout customisation Software agreements typically require annual commitments, and early cancellation can result in hefty penalties How we test card processing products and merchant services for small businessesWe tested 11 merchant account products and services to evaluate them in terms of functionality, usability, price, compliance, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to small UK-based businesses.Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in six main categories of investigation and 25 subcategories – in fact, we covered 36 areas of investigation in total. We then gave each category score a ‘relevance weighting' to ensure the product's final score perfectly reflects the needs of our Startups.co.uk readers.Our main testing categories for merchant account products and services are:Compliance: the adherence of the merchant account product to relevant regulations and standards, such as data security, anti-fraud measures, and legal requirements.Customer Support: the assistance and resources provided by the merchant account provider to users in resolving issues, answering questions, and providing guidance.Customer Score: external customer opinion; the feedback and ratings given by customers who have used a particular merchant account. Also, the market position and reputation a merchant account holds.Features: the functionalities and capabilities provided by the merchant account product, including online payment processing and payment gateway integration.Taking Payments: the process and options available for accepting payments through the merchant account product.Price: the cost associated with using the merchant account product, such as transaction fees, setup fees, monthly fees, and any additional charges.The Startups product testing process Choosing the Best Online Ordering System for Your Business: Next StepsFlipdish is our number one choice for online ordering systems, thanks to its strong customer support, wide variety of branded templates and partnerships with leading POS systems, including Lightspeed and Square.However, the best option for your business ultimately depends on your budget and specific needs.For example, if you’re new to the hospitality sector and cloud-based POS systems, you’ll want to look at providers who offer 24/7 support. If money is tight and your business needs to make financial gains, you may want to prioritise a service that will minimise costs, such as Square.Before making a decision, consider which features matter most to your business, including pricing, ease of use, integrations, customer support and the overall ordering experience for your customers. Comparing these factors will help you find a system that not only fits your budget but can also support your business as it grows. Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews. FAQs 1. What is the difference between direct online ordering systems and third-party delivery marketplaces? Direct systems (like Flipdish or Square Online) allow customers to order directly from your restaurant’s website or mobile app and allow you to maintain full control over branding. Meanwhile, third-party marketplaces (like Deliveroo and Just Eat) list your business on their consumer-facing apps. While this brings in new traffic, they typically charge high commission fees (usually 15%-35% per order) and keep customer contact data. 2. How do direct online ordering systems handle local delivery logistics? If your business doesn't employ its own delivery drivers, many direct systems integrate with third-party, on-demand networks (like Uber Direct). This allows customers to place direct orders on your custom website while external delivery drivers handle the fulfilment behind the scenes. Can I temporarily pause or limit online orders during peak kitchen hours? Yes. Most modern POS and online ordering platforms allow you to manually pause incoming orders, set maximum order caps per 15-minute timeslot, or automatically extend prep times to prevent the kitchen from becoming overwhelmed. 4. Who owns the customer data collected through an online ordering platform? With direct online ordering systems, your business retains full ownership of customer names, email addresses, phone numbers, and order histories - all of which you can leverage for custom CRM marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, and automated promotions. On the other hand, third-party delivery marketplaces generally withhold guest contact details. 5. Do these systems allow different menus or pricing for pickup versus delivery? Yes. Most software back-offices allow you to create different menus or pricing tiers. For example, you can increase prices slightly on delivery orders to offset packaging or driver costs, or hide fragile menu items so they are only available for pickup or in-house dining. Share this post facebook twitter linkedin Written by: Emily Clark Taking Payments Editor As the Taking Payments Editor, Emily specialises in content around POS, merchant accounts, and accounting – helping SMEs understand the tools and services they need to take payments confidently and grow their businesses. She also holds an MSc in Digital Marketing and Analytics, giving her the knowledge and skills to create a diverse range of creative and technical content. With a genuine passion for helping small businesses grow, Emily is all about making complex topics accessible and creating content that can help make a difference.