Choosing the right POS system for your UK business isn't exactly straightforward these days. You've got SumUp promising simplicity, Toast making waves in the restaurant scene, and Epos Now positioning itself as the all-rounder. But which one actually deserves your money?
We've spent time digging into all three systems, and honestly, the "best" choice really depends on what type of business you're running and what features you actually need. Let's break down the real differences so you can make a smart decision.
Quick Overview: How They Stack Up
Before we dive deep, here's the headline version:
SumUp is your budget-friendly option that's dead simple to use. Perfect for small cafes, pop-ups, or market stalls where you just need to take payments quickly without the faff.
Toast is laser-focused on restaurants and hospitality. If you're running a busy eatery with table service, online ordering, or delivery, it's built specifically for you.
Epos Now is the most versatile of the bunch. Whether you're running a retail shop, restaurant, salon, or bar, it's got the features to handle pretty much any business type. It's also the one we recommend most often for UK businesses looking for growth potential.
SumUp: Simple, Cheap, But Limited
Let's start with SumUp because it's probably the most recognisable name for small business owners.
What We Like About SumUp
SumUp gets points for being incredibly straightforward. You can literally be taking card payments within minutes of unboxing. There's no monthly fee (yes, really), and the card readers themselves are affordable, starting around £19 for the basic model.
The transaction fees are competitive at 1.69% per transaction, which is pretty reasonable for a pay-as-you-go system. For a small coffee shop or market stall doing a few dozen transactions a day, the maths works out quite nicely.
Their app is clean and intuitive, which means you won't need a degree in IT to train your staff. You can track sales, manage inventory at a basic level, and even send digital receipts.
Where SumUp Falls Short
Here's the thing though, SumUp is basically a payment processor with some light POS features bolted on. If you need anything beyond simple transactions, you'll hit the limitations pretty quickly.
There's no table management, limited inventory tracking, no advanced reporting, and integration options are fairly basic. If you want to connect it to your accounting software or a loyalty programme, you might be out of luck depending on what you're using.
It's also worth noting that customer support can be a bit hit-and-miss. You're mostly relying on email support rather than phone assistance, which can be frustrating when you've got customers waiting.
Best for: Mobile businesses, market traders, small cafes, sole traders who need basic payment processing
Toast: Built for Restaurants (But Is It Right for Yours?)
Toast has made quite a name for itself in the restaurant world, and for good reason. It's a proper restaurant-specific POS system with features that actually make sense for food service.
Toast's Restaurant-Focused Features
What makes Toast stand out is how it handles the chaos of a busy restaurant. You get proper table management, course firing (so starters don't come out with mains), kitchen display systems, and handheld ordering for servers.
The online ordering integration is genuinely good. Customers can order directly through your website, and it all flows seamlessly into your kitchen, no third-party apps taking massive chunks of your profit.
Menu customisation is brilliant too. You can easily handle modifiers (extra cheese, no onions, that sort of thing), create combo meals, and adjust pricing by time of day. Very handy for happy hour specials.
The Catch with Toast
The big question mark is UK availability and support. Toast is primarily a US-focused company, and whilst they've been expanding internationally, the UK presence isn't as strong as Epos Now. You'll want to verify proper UK support before committing.
Hardware costs can add up quickly. You're looking at a few thousand pounds for a full setup with terminals, kitchen displays, and card readers. Monthly software fees typically start around £69 per terminal, which isn't cheap.
Also, if you're not a restaurant or cafe, Toast probably isn't for you. It's so restaurant-specific that using it for retail or other business types would be like using a chef's knife to trim hedges, technically possible but not ideal.
Best for: Established restaurants, cafes with table service, food businesses with delivery or online ordering needs
Epos Now: The All-Rounder That Actually Delivers
Right, let's talk about Epos Now. Full transparency, we're affiliates for Epos Now, but that's because we genuinely think it's the best option for most UK businesses. Here's why.
Why Epos Now Stands Out
Epos Now works for practically any business type. Retail shops, restaurants, bars, salons, gyms, they've all got industry-specific versions with relevant features built in. This flexibility is massive if you're planning to expand or diversify your business down the line.
The system is cloud-based, which means you can check your sales, manage inventory, and run reports from anywhere. Went on holiday but need to check how the new staff member is doing? You can do that from your phone on the beach (though maybe don't tell your family).
Integration options are excellent. It works with Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, and tons of other business tools you're probably already using. There's even Zapier integration if you want to get fancy with automation.
The reporting is properly detailed too. You can track sales by product, staff member, time of day, or pretty much any other metric you can think of. This kind of data is genuinely useful when you're trying to figure out what's working and what's not.
Epos Now's Pricing and Value
Epos Now currently offers a promotional deal at £99 upfront for both software and hardware, which is genuinely competitive. Monthly fees vary depending on your business type and requirements, but you're typically looking at £25-£40 per month per terminal.
Yes, it's more than SumUp's zero monthly fee, but you're getting actual POS software rather than just a payment processor. For most businesses, the extra features pay for themselves pretty quickly through better inventory management and reduced stock losses alone.
Customer support is UK-based and available by phone, which is a massive plus when something goes wrong at 6pm on a Saturday night. Trust us, you'll appreciate this when it happens.
Any Downsides?
Being honest, Epos Now isn't the cheapest option out there. If you're literally just taking payments and don't need any inventory management or reporting, SumUp's simplicity might be more appropriate.
The system is also quite feature-rich, which means there's a learning curve. Your staff will need proper training, though Epos Now does provide onboarding support. It's worth checking out our full Epos Now review to understand all the features and whether you'll actually use them.
Best for: Growing businesses, retail shops, restaurants, bars, multi-location operations, anyone who needs proper inventory management and detailed reporting
Feature Comparison: What Actually Matters
Let's cut through the marketing fluff and compare what these systems actually do in practice:
Payment Processing: All three handle card payments fine. SumUp: 1.69%, Toast: varies, Epos Now: from 1.5% depending on your processor.
Inventory Management: SumUp is basic at best. Toast handles ingredients and recipes well for restaurants. Epos Now gives you proper stock tracking with low-stock alerts and automatic reordering across all business types.
Reporting: SumUp shows basic sales data. Toast has solid restaurant-specific reports. Epos Now offers the most comprehensive reporting across the board: sales by hour, staff performance, profit margins, the lot.
Integration: SumUp is limited. Toast integrates well with restaurant-specific tools. Epos Now connects with loads of accounting, marketing, and business software.
Customer Support: SumUp is email-based. Toast offers phone support (verify UK availability). Epos Now has UK-based phone support included.
Offline Mode: This is important: if your internet drops, can you still take payments? SumUp works offline with basic card readers. Toast has limited offline functionality. Epos Now continues operating offline and syncs when you're back online.
Which One Should You Actually Choose?
Here's our honest recommendation based on different business scenarios:
Choose SumUp if: You're a sole trader, market seller, or very small business doing under £500 a day in sales. You need something incredibly simple and don't want monthly fees. You're comfortable with basic features and don't need advanced inventory management.
Choose Toast if: You run a restaurant or cafe with table service. You need kitchen display systems and proper menu management. You've verified they offer full UK support in your area. You're prepared to invest in restaurant-specific hardware.
Choose Epos Now if: You want a system that can grow with your business. You need proper inventory tracking and detailed reports. You value UK-based support. You run any type of retail or hospitality business and want industry-specific features. This is what we'd recommend for most businesses reading this.
According to recent data from the British Retail Consortium, businesses using comprehensive EPOS systems see an average inventory accuracy improvement of 27% compared to basic POS setups. That's real money saved from reduced stock losses and better purchasing decisions.
Our Final Take
Look, there's no universally "best" POS system: it depends entirely on your specific needs. But for most UK businesses reading this, Epos Now offers the best balance of features, UK support, and value for money.
SumUp is brilliant for what it is: a simple, cheap payment solution. But if you're serious about growing your business and need proper tools to manage it, you'll outgrow it quickly.
Toast is excellent if you're running a restaurant and can verify proper UK support, but it's overkill for non-food businesses.
Epos Now sits in the sweet spot of being powerful enough for serious businesses whilst still being user-friendly enough that you won't need to hire an IT consultant. The UK-based support alone makes it worth considering, especially when you're dealing with the inevitable technical hiccup during your busiest trading period.
Want to learn more about what makes a proper EPOS system worthwhile? Check out our guide on what is an EPOS system or have a look at the best EPOS systems in the UK to see how these stack up against other options.
The smart move? Get demos of whichever systems match your business type. Actually use them, test the support, and see which one feels right. Your POS system is something you'll interact with dozens (or hundreds) of times every day( it's worth getting it right.)