EPOS systems for UK businesses
Quick Reference
Direct Answer
An EPOS (electronic point of sale) system is a till that takes card payments and also records what sold, tracks stock, manages staff and reports on takings. In the UK for 2026 it costs from about £149 for a single smart terminal with free software up to £1,500+ for a full counter setup, plus £0 to £75+ a month for software and a 0.8% to 1.95% card rate. A small shop or café can run a credible EPOS from a Square Terminal at £149; a busy restaurant usually wants a full counter EPOS.
Summary
UK EPOS systems combine card acceptance with till software across three setups: a smart terminal (£149 to £229), a tablet EPOS (£200 to £600), or a full counter EPOS (£400 to £1,500+). Software is £0 to £75+ a month, plus a 0.8% to 1.95% card rate. Choose by number of tills, stock and menu needs, then match the card rate.
This Page Covers
What an EPOS system is, what it costs in the UK in 2026, the best setups for shops, cafés and restaurants, and how to choose between a smart terminal, a tablet till and a full counter EPOS.
Not Covered Here
Per-terminal reviews (see the terminal hub), online-only checkout gateways, and bespoke enterprise POS estates.
The three EPOS setups, and who each suits
Nearly every UK EPOS is one of three shapes: a smart terminal that runs the till on the card machine itself, a tablet till, or a full counter setup. The right one depends on how many tills you run, how much stock or menu you hold, and whether you want the software free or feature-rich.
| Setup | Hardware | Software | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smart terminalSquare Terminal, PAX A920 (Dojo) | £149 to £229 | £0 to £75+ / month | A single counter that wants till features on one device, no separate till to buy |
| Tablet EPOSiPad or Android tablet + POS app + card reader | £200 to £600 (tablet, stand, reader, printer) | £0 to £75+ / month | Cafés and small shops wanting a bigger screen and menu or stock layout |
| Full counter EPOSTouchscreen, printer, cash drawer, scanner | £400 to £1,500+ | £25 to £75+ / month per till | Busy shops, restaurants and multi-till sites with stock and staff to manage |
New to the idea? Start with EPOS vs a plain card machine. If you only need to take payment, compare the card readers or the full card terminal hub, or model the all-in cost with the fees calculator.
Smart terminals that run the till on the card machine
For most small UK businesses the cheapest and simplest EPOS is a smart terminal: an Android card machine that runs POS software directly on the device, so one piece of hardware does both jobs with no separate till to buy.
Square Terminal
All-in-one Android terminal with a built-in printer that runs the free Square POS. The simplest route to an EPOS for an independent shop or café, with no separate till to buy.
Dojo (PAX A920 hardware)
Android smart terminal running the Dojo app plus EPOS integrations. A good fit once card volume passes roughly £15k a month.
Stripe Reader S700 (BBPOS hardware)
Touchscreen Android reader for businesses already on Stripe, with custom POS apps via the Stripe Terminal SDK. The case is the developer ecosystem rather than the rate.
EPOS by business type
The right EPOS is decided by how you sell, so we compare the market per business type, on each vendor's real published UK prices:
Weighing a dedicated till against these? Read the full Epos Now review, the biggest name in UK dedicated EPOS.
EPOS questions, answered
What does EPOS mean?
EPOS stands for electronic point of sale: the till system a business uses to ring up sales, take payment and record what sold. In UK usage EPOS and POS mean the same thing (POS, point of sale, is the more common term in the US and in software names). An EPOS system is the combination of till software plus the hardware it runs on, whether that is a smart terminal, a tablet or a full counter setup. It is not the same as a plain card machine, which only takes payment, or a PDQ machine, which is simply an older UK name for a card terminal.
EPOS vs card machine: what a card machine isHow much does an EPOS system cost in the UK?
An EPOS system in the UK costs from about £149 for a single smart terminal with free software, up to £400 to £1,500+ for a full counter setup (touchscreen, printer, cash drawer, scanner). Software runs from £0 (Square, SumUp) to £75+ a month per till for hospitality-grade systems, and on top sits the card-processing rate, usually 0.8% to 1.95% per transaction. For a small shop, a Square Terminal at £149 with free software is the cheapest credible EPOS.
See the full card machine and EPOS cost breakdownWhat is the best EPOS system for a small shop or retail?
For a small UK shop, the best EPOS is usually a smart terminal or tablet till that handles stock, barcodes and sales reporting without a big monthly fee. A Square Terminal (£149, free POS software) covers most independents on one device; a tablet EPOS with a scanner suits shops with a larger product range. The deciding factors are stock depth, number of tills and whether you want the software free or feature-rich.
Get matched to a retail EPOS setupWhat is the best EPOS system for a café or restaurant?
Hospitality needs an EPOS that handles menus, table plans, modifiers and tips, so cafés and restaurants usually run a tablet or full-counter EPOS rather than a plain smart terminal. Software is where hospitality systems earn their monthly fee (£25 to £75+ per till). Dojo pairs with many hospitality POS systems and suits venues past roughly £15k a month; a tablet EPOS suits a smaller café. Match the till software to your service style first, then the card rate.
Browse card and EPOS setups by tradeWhat is the cheapest EPOS system?
The cheapest credible EPOS in the UK is a smart terminal running free POS software: a Square Terminal at £149 hardware with the free Square POS and no monthly fee, paying only the card rate per transaction. Free software (Square, SumUp) keeps the running cost to the processing rate alone, whereas hospitality-grade systems add £25 to £75+ a month. Cheapest on hardware is not always cheapest overall once card volume and software features are counted.
See the cheapest card machines rankedDo I need an EPOS or just a card machine?
Take a card machine if you sell a small number of items, trade mobile, or only need to take payment (taxis, plumbers, market stalls). Take an EPOS if you run a counter with a menu or stock and want to see what sells, manage staff and reconcile takings (shops, cafés, restaurants, salons). Every EPOS includes card acceptance, so an EPOS replaces a card machine rather than sitting alongside it.
Card machine vs EPOS, compared in fullCan a card machine work as an EPOS?
A smart terminal can. Android smart terminals (Square Terminal, the PAX A920 used by Dojo, the BBPOS hardware behind Stripe Reader S700) run POS apps directly on the device, so one piece of hardware does both jobs for a small business. A basic card reader (a plain SumUp or Zettle reader) only takes payments and pairs to a separate POS app on your phone or tablet if you want till features.
Compare plain card readersIn one sentence
A smart terminal for a small counter, a tablet till for a café, a full counter EPOS for a busy restaurant. Match the software to your trade, then the card rate.
MerchantHQ compares the whole UK market, recommends the right EPOS or card setup for your trade and volume, then stays your named account team for life.
Get matched in 2 minutesReviewed by Oliver Mackman. Last reviewed: 2026-07-14.