When you’re looking into cheapest POS systems for restaurants it can be best to start off with an affordable solution that does not break the bank. In all industries including mobile, restaurants and cafes you need a system that is cheap, efficient and covers all your main features. Yes, you will not get the full host of integrations but done in the right way you can save a lot of money.
The factors we consider when looking for a low cost epos system
The main factors below all provide benefits when your looking for the Cheapest POS systems for restaurants.
- The Price – Of course we all want something cheap that does the job well.
- Is it easy to use? – Ease of use is vital to the smooth running of your business.
- What integrations? – Its key to look into integrations to see if they are available now or whether you can add them on in the future (at an extra cost)
- Support – Is there customer support available and how good is it.
- Can you scale with the selected POS – Start our cheap and grow your epos with your business.
Top 5 Cheapest POS Systems for Restaurants
Our Top Pick – EPOS NOW
Price – £25 a month
Pros
- Epos Now offers you a range of features as standard that covers reporting, ordering and more.
- 30 Day contract
- Integrated payments, they are flexible on pricing whatever your turnover so make sure you discuss your current rates and if they can be beaten.
Cons
- Pay extra for integrations
Conclusion
Epos now offers a great all in one solution for restaurants and can be scaled as you grow with multiple integrations, their table plan is easy to use and simple to learn. If you’re looking to integrate, the cheapest way is to link epos now to zapier (£15), zaps can then pull data to your required software, spreadsheet etc.
2. SUMUP – Free
Price – Free for lite (69.00 for PRO)
Pros
- Very user friendly
- Free offers all the basic tools needed for sales and reporting (although we recommend going pro to get the full benefits of the POS)
- One fee payment processing so no hidden charges
Cons
- Limited use for free. Sum up EPOS Pro provides a full solution that is scalable.
Conclusion
Sum up offers a very slick front of house experience with a range of features. To get the full benefit its definately worth going for the Pro plan so you can manage your restaurant fully.
3. Toast POS – Restaurant specific POS, full of features
Price – £80 a month
Pros:
- Very customisable and full of features
- integrate your own card machine
- Live support
Cons:
- More expensive than others
- You still need to pay extra for added integrations
Conclusion
Toast offers you a very extensive solution for your restaurant. Comparing with Touch Bistro we think touch offer you a slightly better experience although we would say its definately worth getting a demo of both to see the comparisons yourself.
4. Touch Bistro – Most all in one solution
Pricing – $69.00 a month
Pros:
- An impressive range of features
- Very scalable
- Good card processing fees available
- Floor plan and table management
Cons
- If your getting hardware there will be added shipping fees
- Slightly more dated feel than other EPOS systems
Touch bistro offer you the biggest range of features of our list of epos systems. They are fully tailored to the restaurant industry and offer ongoing support.
5. Clover POS – Smart hardware
Price – Free for basic use, £69/month for pro plan
Pros
- Very smart hardware design with extra customer display screen (extra costs for both of these)
- Simplistic reporting
- Ease of use
Cons:
- Extra costs for kitchen display usage (£15 a month)
- No table management on free plan
- High fees of 1.75% unless turnover is over 200k
Clover gives you an easy to use POS system, for the Pro plan we do think when you compare to toast and touch it lacks in features for similar money but it does look smart!
Full Conclusion
When it comes to looking for the cheapest POS systems for restaurants it can be tempting to go with a free POS system for your restaurant but it’s key to think of the benefits of spending that little bit extra. To be able to set your table plans, run multiple reports and integrate with other software can outweigh the costs massively.
If you’re looking for a fully fledged solution we would say its between Touch bistro and Toast POS. It’s definately worth getting a Demo to see all the features yourself. They are both scalable and perfect for restaurant entrepreneurs. The table plan and management is very impressive with both and suited for physical restaurants.
We think Epos now covers the whole spectrum when it comes to choosing a pos for your mobile catering business or smaller restaurant/cafe. Although there can be extra costs for integrations you are able to pick and choose what you need for your business and link with your favourite apps. The simplistic of epos helps with training for your staff and the range of hardware options gives you flexibility. On top of this they offer a handheld POS solution which limits hardware and you can have everything you need with you on one small device.
Top tip – With epos now you can simply run the software off your iPad or tablet and link with your card machine for integrated payments, keeping costs at a minimum more initial set up.