The best POS systems for small businesses: ranked for 2026

We analysed 11 of the UK’s top POS systems across six key categories, amounting to a total of 455 hours, including new hands-on testing in May 2026, with the results showing Square to be the best POS system for small businesses. Square is the best choice due to the extremely user-friendly interface, and its great range of terminals and readers.

With a new report from Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) showing that over one third of small businesses will “reduce or stop” trading in the EU due to mounting costs, it’s absolutely critical in 2026 to have a POS system that fits your budget and effectively manages operations.

The best POS systems for small businesses: comparison table

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		Rating	Pricing from
SPONSORED	BEST OVERALL
Epos Now	Square	Shopify	Clover	SumUp	Toast	Lightspeed	takepayments
3.6	4.8	4.7	4.4	4.2	4.0	4.0	3.8
Hardware: from £249 Monthly subscriptions: from £25 per month	Hardware: from £149 + VAT Software from: free	Hardware: From £239 Software: from £25 per month £1 per month for the first three months	Hardware: from £450 + VAT Software: Currently from £9.99/month (18-month contract)	Hardware: from £135  + VAT Software: free	Hardware: quote-based Software: from £80 + VAT per month	Hardware: quote-based Software: from £69 + VAT per month	Hardware: from £45 per month (£250 setup fee) Software: included in hardware cost

Overall rating: 4.5
Transaction fees: 1.75%
Monthly fees from: free
Read our full Square review

Square is the best POS systems for small businesses thanks to the range of excellent card readers and terminals it offers, and the free plan that allows you to start taking sales with no contract, and no monthly outgoings.

Square’s wider ecosystem is great for scalability: it can support you from a market stall with the smartphone app and free plan, up to a multi-site operation with the Square Register and premium POS software plans, as well as:

• Managing your email marketing
• Loyalty programs for repeat customers
• An online web presence (through Square Online)
• Square Appointments for booking based businesses (additional £29 + VAT per month, per location)

I found the Square interface to be the most intuitive of the different platforms that I tested. Source: Startups.co.uk

Square’s contract-free plans gives merchants more flexibility than a provider like Epos Now, and the software has greater depth than another pay-as-you-go rival like SumUp.

My latest hands-on testing...

I tested Square in May 2026, at the Startups London office, cementing my opinion that Square is by far the most user-friendly POS platform. The interface is so clean and slick, the handheld Square POS terminal is an all-around joy to use. The Square Terminal is incredibly responsive, and the large, bright screen makes navigation a piece of cake. For time-poor business owners, this means you can get temporary staff quickly trained on the system in just minutes.

Eddie Harris Senior Reviews Writer

How much does Square cost?

Square’s zero-cost infrastructure means you can begin with just the free app running on an iPad, no-contract, and fair transaction rates.

Upgrading to the Square for Retail Plus plan will unlock slightly lower transaction fees, which is beneficial for more established retailers with higher sales volumes.

Who do we recommend Square to?

Square is best suited to micro-businesses, pop-up cafes, and growing boutiques that need a well-designed POS software without premium fixed costs.

The speed of the setup is also a high-point. When I set up my test business, I was impressed how fast and easy this was; I was able to create an account in just minutes. This is a key reason why Square is my choice for the best POS for restaurants, the best POS for retail businesses, as well as the best POS for takeaways.

What our researchers think

I’m a huge fan of the Square interface. When we tested it on an iPad, I found it really easy to navigate as everything was clearly labelled and the interface was really modern and clean looking, which made it even easier to find all the functions I needed.

Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive

Overall rating: 4.4
Transaction fees: from 1.7%
Monthly costs: £25 + VAT per month
Read our full Shopify review

Shopify is the best choice if you’re selling both online and through a brick-and-mortar store as the Shopify POS seamlessly connects to its top-rated ecommerce web builder, with a unified dashboard. This means that your in-store stock levels will instantly update on your website, preventing you from unknowingly processing online sales of out-of-stock items.

Shopify is also a great choice for loyalty, allowing you to increase  Customer lifetime Value (CLV) with its detailed oversight of your shoppers. This allows small operations to rival luxury department stores by providing information like:

• Your customer’s order history
• Preferred clothing sizes
• Total loyalty points

The straightforward design of the Shopify interface makes for a user-friendly experience. Source: Startups.co.uk

We’d recommend Shopify over our top choice Square if your online sales account for over 40% of your total revenue. Square’s ecommerce functionality is solid, but Shopify is one of the all-time best ecommerce platforms for small business owners.

How much does Shopify cost?

Shopify’s POS has higher starting subscriptions than some of its competitors, but the cost of entry is a growth investment in features like being able to execute targeted email campaigns based on visits to your physical shop.

Who do we recommend Shopify to?

We would recommend Shopify to D2C (Direct-to-Consumer) brands, niche retail boutiques, and ambitious ecommerce businesses with business plans that include opening up a bricks-and-mortar presence.

If you have more than two employees or you deal with complex stock, then Shopify will be a better choice than PayPal Point of Sale due to the deeper functionality, like the detailed inventory management.

What our researchers think

This is the number one platform if you want to sell online, too. I was able to set up my online store and then, within two minutes, I had set up my POS station and connected it to my iPad. That meant everything was in sync across both channels, something which most other platforms make a lot more complicated!

Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive

Square vs. Shopify vs. Clover: how do they compare?

Square is our number one choice, but if you want to quickly compare its key points against its two biggest POS system competitors, take a look at the simple comparison table below:

Overall rating: 4.3
Transaction fees from: 1.75%
Monthly costs from: free
Read my comparison of PayPal (formerly Zettle) vs SumUp

PayPal Point of Sale is the best choice for microbusinesses and sole traders who are already signed up with PayPal, as you’ll experience a frictionless setup, with the addition of an intuitive interface.

This POS system benefits enormously from PayPal’s sophisticated payment infrastructure. PayPal can help protect you from bad-faith chargebacks and payment disputes, via fraud protection tools and its advanced dispute management processes.

I found PayPal’s interface to be clean and minimal, lending itself to inexperienced users. Source: Startups.co.uk

While Square’s a great all-rounder, we’d recommend PayPal Point of Sale to micro-sellers specifically, as they won’t need the vast hardware and software ecosystem Square provides.

How much does PayPal Point of Sale cost?

PayPal Point of Sale’s POS terminal can be bought for an outright fee of £149 + VAT, and you can choose to add on a barcode scanner for an additional £50 + VAT, with the printer and dock costing an extra £80 + VAT. One of PayPal POS’s benefits is the extremely transparent pricing model.

Who do we recommend PayPal Point of Sale to?

We’d recommend PayPal Point of Sale to market stall traders, mobile businesses, and one-person-band retailers due to its simplicity, financial transparency, and fast payouts.

Overall rating: 4.2
Transaction fess from: quote-based
Monthly costs from: £25 + VAT per month
Read our full takepayments review

takepayments is best for merchants who want comprehensive support for the (often) tricky POS set-up process, as it provides a human-led onboarding experience with their dedicated UK-based Welcome Team.

While takepayments may not have 24/7 support, it prioritises quality over availability, with a Customer Support team ready to assist merchants seven days a week via:

• Phone support (available on weekdays from 8am to 7pm, 8am to 6pm on Saturdays, and 9am to 5pm on Sundays)
• The live chat function (available on weekdays from 9am to 5pm)
• Merchants also benefit from remote diagnosis if they run into any POS errors

The takepayments POS is an all-in-one device, complete with barcode scanners, which will help keep your counter free of clutter. Source: Startups.co.uk

The 24/7 support provided by competitors is typically digital self-service, whereas takepayment’s specialist support can reduce the time wasted on troubleshooting a POS system that isn’t syncing properly: access to a team that understands UK banking regulations is more valuable than a “24/7” overseas digital agent.

How much does takepayments cost?

One of takepayments’s standout features is the bespoke, negotiated transaction fees. Unlike the set pricing of Square or PayPal Point of Sale, you’ll have a fee structure that’s been designed to fit your business’s needs.

Even a fractional 0.2% difference in transaction fees could potentially end up saving you thousands per year, which is what makes takepayments’s quote-based fees so valuable for SMEs.

Who do we recommend takepayments to?

We’d recommend takepayments to established high-street retail shops and service providers (butchers, clothing boutiques, or barbers for example), who have a high footfall, because of its dedicated onboarding and support, all-in-one terminal, and fast payouts.

takepayments’s bespoke fees make it equally suitable to growing pubs and restaurants with a steady revenue, for example, £20,000 in revenue per month.

Overall rating: 4.1
Transaction fees from: 1.69%
Monthly fees from: free

SumUp is best for newer, low-volume businesses, thanks to the contract-free plan, low processing fees, and low cost terminals.

SumUp’s POS devices have been designed with portability in mind: the SumUp Terminal is its newest, handheld POS device which can last all day on one charge, and has dual WiFi and free built-in 4G (the device will switch automatically to whatever the strongest connection is) to prevent you losing sales to bad signal.

SumUp keeps things stripped back and simple, so you won’t find the interface overcrowded or overwhelming. Source: Startups.co.uk

We tested the full terminal, the SumUp POS Lite, which I found to be impressively sleek and lightweight. SumUp has been designed with novice users in mind and, as a result, I found the software interface to be user-friendly and simple, and I especially liked the helpful “park order” function.

How much does SumUp cost?

SumUp is the best low-cost option for business owners in 2026 due to the free plan preventing long-term lock-in, low transaction fees, and the option for quick payouts with a SumUp Business Account, as well as its affordable POS terminals that can be purchased outright.

Who do we recommend SumUp to?

We recommend SumUp to mobile businesses, seasonal pop-ups (like a Black Friday promotional store, or Christmas shop), and service based providers (like a masseuse or pet concierge) who need to keep fees and outgoings low while still having a reliable POS system.

Overall rating: 4.1
Transaction fees from: dependent on payment provider
Monthly fees from: £80 + VAT per month

Toast is the best choice for fast scaling pubs and restaurants because of its industry-leading Kitchen Display System (KDS) and sophisticated ingredient tracking to prevent food waste costs.

Toast is a heavyweight option for hospitality owners, with a range of advanced features to increase restaurant efficiency, including:

• Automatic tip sharing (critical considering the UK tipping act)
• Mobile ordering
• Granular cost/profit management (something missing from our top provider, Square)
• Built-in reservation tools to optimise your seating efficiency
• Excellent inventory management system for complex stocks

The Toast Flex has a screen that can be flipped and adjustable height to fit a range of different hospitality environments. Source: Startups.co.uk

The deep software will be worth the high £80 + VAT per month price for ambitious restaurants with complex kitchens, but more basic setups like a simple cafe will be better off with Square or PayPal Point of Sale.

How much does Toast cost?

Toast is the most expensive option in this roundup, which will price out smaller hospitality businesses with more basic needs.

By comparison, Square has zero monthly fees, and no contract, whereas Toast ranges from £80 to £150 + VAT per month, with contact terms than can range from two to three years:

• Square’s set fees and small setup costs are best for beginners
• Toast is a high-performance platform, which should only considered by established businesses who need specialist features to justify the £2000+ yearly costs.

Who do we recommend Toast to?

We recommend Toast to full-service restaurants and multi-location chain eateries who need deep hospitality tools such as automated tip-sharing and the built-in loyalty program.

Overall rating: 4.0
Transaction fees from: 1.3%
Monthly costs from: £25 per month + VAT

Epos Now is best for scaling businesses, as it supports both retail and hospitality industries as well as both SMEs and enterprise level businesses, if required in the future.

Ambitious business owners might scale from a cafe to a mixed-use hotel with a restaurant and gift shop, and while Toast is hospitality focused only, Epos Now has a unified platform that can handle everything from vape shops to pubs and bars.

When we tested the Epos Now terminal we liked the bright, clear, customer facing screen. Source: Startups.co.uk

Epos Now also has an excellent inventory management system, which can help manage stock across multiple sites, and thousands of Stock Keeping Unit’s (SKUs), thanks to tools like:

• Real-time notifications on low stock to prevent missed sales
• Automated supplier purchase orders to reduce admin time
• Remote access to granular inventory reports

How much does Epos Now cost?

Epos Now offers various flexible packages containing different hardware and accessories, depending on your specific needs, and you can often get the sturdy countertop-terminal at a discounted price.

Who do we recommend Epos Now to?

Epos Now covers the middle-ground between a starter POS like SumUp and a highly-specialised platform like Toast, and we would recommend it primarily to business owners confident in their three-year growth plan.

Epos Now’s cross-industry capabilities (it can handle both barcodes and table plans) would make it best suited to retail/hospitality hybrids such as a garden centre with a cafe, a hotel with a restaurant, or a deli with a sit-down eatery.

Something that stood out when I tested Epos Now...

When I got hands-on with the Epos Now till system in our offices, what immediately stood out was how rugged and study it felt. I really liked the colourful tiles on the interface, which made the payment process very easy.

Eddie Harris Senior Reviews Writer

Overall rating: 3.9
Transaction fees from: quote-based
Monthly costs from: £75 + VAT (Retail), £79  + VAT (Restaurant)

Lightspeed Retail is the best choice for SMEs trying to manage complex stock – in particular specialty retailers with dense product catalogues – thanks to the premium stock-tracking engine that can seamlessly manage sales alongside customer and inventory data.

For small businesses with high-value inventories (a jeweller for example, or art dealer), using Lightspeed’s complex stock tracking to save on even 1% of lost/unaccounted stock could end up covering the monthly cost of the platform.

We found in our testing that Lightspeed Retail helpfully allows you to add detailed notes to your inventory. Source: Startups.co.uk.

Earlier this year, in January 2026, Lightspeed also announced the launch of Lightspeed AI: a new AI-powered intelligence feature for both retail and hospitality that provides business insights and uses a natural-language interface.

How much does Lightspeed cost?

Unlike Square, Lightspeed is not an entry-level option for startups – it’s a premium-priced specialist platform for more advanced needs. On top of the already steep monthly cost, there can also be pricey setup fees as well.

Who do we recommend Lightspeed to?

Lightspeed is a pro-level tool that we recommend to high-value retailers like electronic shops, jewellers, bicycle specialists, and art galleries. The complexity of the interface will make it unsuitable for part-time workers and simple setups (we recommend SumUp, Square, or PayPal Point of Sale in these cases instead).

Overall rating: 3.7
Transaction fees from: quote-based
Monthly costs from: £9.99 + VAT

Clover is the best choice for businesses who are primarily concerned with aesthetics, as the sleek range of handheld POS devices and till systems will give a professional look to your operation.

The Clover Flex Pocket is a slimline device with a 5.99 inch touchscreen and built-in barcode scanner, while the Clover Station Duo has a massive 14-inch display (and separate customer display), with the standout design feature being the fingerprint scanner for fast access.

Clover’s range of first-class hardware will makes processing payments easier for your staff. Source: Startups.co.uk

Beyond just the hardware, Clover’s wide ranging app market adds modularity to your POS software. You can scale up, and add on extra features as and when you need them, for example:

• A tool for weight-based pricing (if you work in a butchers for example)
• A feature for advanced employee commissions (for sales-based operations, like a car dealership)
• An app for built-in appointment scheduling (for bookings-based businesses like a dentist or hairdressers)

How much does Clover cost?

Clover is currently running a promotion with prices starting from £9.99 per month (which includes a POS device) on a short-term contract. Just be aware that this offer only applies if you take up to £100k in card turnover. If you exceed this threshold Clover will work out a bespoke price.

Keep in mind that our research suggests that Clover’s terminals have a high price tag attached: the Clover Station Duo costs almost double some of the other terminals I’ve tested.

Who do we recommend Clover to?

We recommend Clover to aesthetic-first businesses, such as high-end salons or boutiques, who prioritise having a countertop terminal that fits with the style of the brand.

For businesses less concerned with the look of their equipment, and are more budget-conscious, we’d recommend selecting Square or SumUp, running the software from an iPad or tablet.

What our researchers think

The Clover hardware was the most modern and sleek for me, out of all the POS systems we tested. I’d liken it to Apple in the way it looks, with glossy white colours. Using the system was really simple, too – it’s laid out with icons and looks similar to an iPad, so there’s no issues with learning to use it. Plus, the finger print recognition was so useful and meant I could log in quicker than on any other system we tested.

Ollie Simpson Senior Research Executive

How do I choose a small business POS system?

Here’s a to-do list to follow before making a purchase:

• Budget your upfront costs: understand the initial costs you’ll encounter, and how this may vary depending on how many tills, terminals, or other devices you need to buy.
• Calculate your average transaction volume: you can’t avoid transaction fees, but different providers charge different transaction fee rates. Some POS providers’ rates depend on your turnover, so make sure you get the best deal for your sales volume.
• Check your hardware compatibility: no terminal? no problem! Running a POS system on an iPad or mobile phone is perfectly possible as most providers now offer a POS app. If you already have equipment, such as card machines, look into whether you can use them with the POS system you’re interested in. You may have to buy new devices.
• Ensure you can connect your online store to your POS system: if you process online sales as well as in-person sales, a modern POS system should run all of this for you from the same core inventory. You’ll make life easy for yourself by choosing one platform for both.

What are the different types of POS systems?

The type of POS system you need will be based on your specific sector or size:

• POS apps – best for small businesses with limited budgets that want a flexible and portable POS
• Mobile POS systems – best for market stalls or food trucks, or retailers that want to process transactions on the sales floor
• Multichannel POS systems – best for businesses that sell online and in-person and need to sync orders and inventory
• Self-service kiosk POS systems – best for businesses with self-checkout options, such as quick service restaurants, ticketing, and hospitality

How do I avoid the ‘zombie credit’ trap?

To prevent falling into the ‘zombie credit’ trap you should do a full audit of your POS system before a business handover. Essentially, if you’re taking over from an existing business, you need to watch out for unearned revenue liabilities. These could be gift cards, customer deposits, or account credits paid to the old business owner that you must now honour.

To account for these during a handover, you should run a granular sales report on your POS system (look for ‘customer account balances’ or ‘liability reports’ in your POS system), and keep a particular eye out for credits that haven’t been actioned in one or two years. A feature like Shopify POS’s unified dashboard (combining in-store and online sale) can help by cleanly keeping all your sales data in one place.

How do we test POS systems?

Our  analysis of EPOS systems consisted of a 13 week long project, with a total of 455 hours dedicated to selecting to the best POS systems for small business owners.

We judged 11 of the top POS systems in the UK against a framework of six key testing criteria, devised to address the key pain points of a UK business owner needing a POS system.

We recently worked alongside our Head of Research to determine a new weighting system for the key criteria, more accurately reflecting the needs of a 2026 business owner, resulting in a new ranking order.

Our team then conducted a fresh set of hands-on testing of several platforms in our Startups London office, as recently as May 2026, to ensure our experience using the systems was up-to-date.

The importance weightings were split between industries, one for retail and another for hospitality, as these will have separate demands.

The key categories, and their importance weightings, were:

• What software features does the POS include? (Retail 35%/Hospitality 35%): we assessed how the system handles inventory management, employee management, multi-store capabilities, customer engagement, data reporting, gift cards, and the offline functionality. We also explored the hospitality-specific software tools like order management, reservations, and menu creation.
• What is the physical hardware of the POS system like? (Retail: 25%/Hospitality: 20%): we assessed whether the devices offered a seperate kitchen display system, if you could purchase a receipt printer, the customer display options, display quality, and the range of accessories available.
• How easy is the platform to use? (Retail: 15%/Hospitality: 20%): we performed hands-on testing of the systems to determine how easy it was to execute actions like system setup, inventory management, adding promotions or discounts, generating sales reports, and ordering and payment management.
• Is the POS system good value for money? (Retail 15%/Hospitality: 10%): we evaluated the up-front cost of each system, the monthly costs, the processing fees, and whether or not there is a free trial or plan.
• Can you get help and assistance if needed? (Retail: 5%/Hospitality: 10%): we researched the range of support available, if there was a training mode for staff, examined the knowledge centre on its ability to supply the correct information based upon three different search terms, and tested the accuracy and response time of the chat function.
• What is the POS providers reputation in the industry? (Retail: 5%/ Hospitality: 5%): we researched competitor reviews, online comments, and brand recognition through keyword search to determine the provider’s standing in the industry.

In summary: what’s the best small business POS system?

Square is the best POS system for small businesses thanks to its excellent usability, range of terminals and devices, free plan, and specific software plans for both hospitality and retail.

However, another platform may have niche tools that make it more suitable to your specific business, Toast’s feature-set is best for advanced hospitality businesses for example, while Epos Now is best for businesses that have growth plans in the next three years.