EPOS Cost Calculator UK 2026: Estimate Software, Hardware & Setup Costs Quick answer
EPOS software can start from £0/month, but the real cost of an EPOS system usually depends on software, hardware, card processing, support, integrations and setup.
Current UK examples include:
Square Point of Sale: £0/monthSquare Retail Plus: £49/month per locationSquare Restaurants Plus: £69/month per locationSumUp POS Plus: £39/month ex VATSquare Reader: £19 + VATSquare Terminal: £149 + VATSquare Register: £699 + VAT
The cheapest-looking EPOS system is not necessarily the cheapest overall.
A proper comparison should calculate:
monthly software + support + add-ons + card processing
then add:
hardware + installation + migration + training
to show the:
monthly running cost
first-year cost
total contract value
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How Do We Work?
Our comparisons are researched and reviewed by the Compare Your Business Costs editorial team using provider information, pricing data and UK business buying criteria. See how Compare Your Business Costs works .
Authored by: Ally Cox – Business Technology & B2B Services Specialist, 10+ years’ experience.
Reviewed by: James Ward – Telecoms Specialist, 12+ years’ experience.
Last Updated: September 2026
EPOS System Cost Calculator UK Use the calculator below to estimate the total cost of an EPOS setup based on your business type, number of tills, hardware, software features, card turnover and contract length.
Compare Your Estimate With Live EPOS Quotes
This calculator provides an indicative estimate only. Actual costs depend on provider, plan, hardware, integrations, card mix, support and contract terms.
EPOS System Cost Calculator UK Estimate your EPOS software costs, hardware spend, setup fees, monthly support costs and total contract value.
Business type
Retail shop Restaurant Café / coffee shop Bar / pub Takeaway Salon / spa / clinic Pharmacy Charity / community shop Multi-site business Different business types need different EPOS features.
EPOS system level
Basic EPOS Standard EPOS Advanced EPOS Premium / multi-site EPOS Changing this updates the estimated software cost.
Need card payments?
No Yes Most businesses compare EPOS and card payments together.
Need stock control?
No Yes Important for retail, pharmacy, hospitality and multi-site businesses.
Need hospitality features?
No Yes Table plans, tabs, split bills, kitchen printing or KDS.
Need bookings / appointments?
No Yes Useful for salons, spas, clinics and appointment-led businesses.
Need loyalty / customer database?
No Yes Useful for repeat customers, promotions and email marketing.
Need online ordering / ecommerce integration?
No Yes Useful for Shopify, WooCommerce, delivery apps or online menus.
Hardware needed
No new hardware Basic: tablet stand / simple setup Standard: till, drawer, printer, scanner Advanced: multiple devices / kitchen screen Hardware can be one of the biggest upfront costs.
Setup / installation level
Self-setup Standard onboarding On-site installation / training Complex setup / multi-site migration Setup cost varies by provider and complexity.
Support level
Basic support Standard support Priority / extended-hours support Premium support / account management Higher support levels can be worth it for busy venues.
Contract length
Monthly rolling 12 months 24 months 36 months Used to estimate total contract value.
Your estimated EPOS system costs
Estimated monthly EPOS cost
£0
Estimated annual EPOS cost
£0
One-off setup / hardware cost
£0
Recommended EPOS type
Standard
Potential monthly saving
£0
Enter your business details to estimate your EPOS system costs.
Recommendation will appear here.
This calculator is an estimate only. Actual EPOS costs vary by provider, business type, hardware, payment processing, integrations, contract length, support, setup, stock management, booking tools and hospitality features.
Key Takeaways
EPOS software can start at £0/month.
Square currently offers its standard POS and Restaurants Free plan at £0/month.
Square Retail Plus currently costs £49/month per location.
Square Restaurants Plus currently costs £69/month per location.
SumUp POS Plus currently costs £39/month ex VAT.
Hardware can range from a low-cost reader to a £699 + VAT full Square Register before other accessories.
Payment processing can cost more than EPOS software for high-turnover businesses.
Kitchen displays, loyalty, staff tools and integrations may add separate monthly fees.
Hardware finance or rental can turn an upfront cost into a recurring contract cost.
Always compare first-year and total contract cost, not only the headline monthly software fee.
How Much Does an EPOS System Cost in the UK? There is no single useful EPOS price because providers use very different pricing models.
An EPOS system may be sold as:
free software + transaction fees
monthly software subscription
hardware purchase + software subscription
hardware finance + software
managed package
custom multi-site quote
Current EPOS Pricing Examples Our View
This is why broad ranges such as “£25–£80 for standard EPOS” are becoming less useful.
Businesses should compare actual provider packages and then add the costs of:
hardware
payments
support
integrations
EPOS Hardware Costs Hardware varies enormously depending on the setup.
Current Square examples include:
Hardware Current price
Square Reader £19 + VAT
Square Stand
£99 + VAT
Square Terminal
£149 + VAT
Square Handheld £169 + VAT
Square Register
£699 + VAT
Additional equipment may include:
tablet / iPad
receipt printer
cash drawer
barcode scanner
customer display
kitchen printer
kitchen display screen
Our View: Hardware Cost Should Match the Workflow A mobile service business may only need:
phone + £19 reader
while a busy restaurant may need:
counter POS
handhelds
kitchen displays
printers
multiple payment terminals
Do not calculate EPOS cost using an arbitrary “hardware per till” number without first defining what each till actually needs.
Card Processing Can Cost More Than EPOS Software This is one of the most important calculator outputs.
Square’s standard UK in-person payment rate is currently:
1.75%
At:
£20,000/month card turnover
that would equal:
£350/month
in payment processing.
That is:
more than seven times a £49 Retail Plus subscription
more than five times a £69 Restaurants Plus subscription
Our View
A calculator that ignores card processing can significantly understate the real EPOS-related operating cost.
Keep card-processing fees as a separate output so users can see:
software cost vs payment cost.
Free EPOS vs Paid EPOS
Free EPOS Paid EPOS
Software cost
£0
Monthly subscription
Core checkout
Usually included
Included
Advanced stock
Limited
Often stronger
Hospitality workflow
Basic
More advanced
Support
Can be limited
Often stronger
Reporting
Basic
Deeper
Our View: £0 Software Does Not Mean £0 EPOS With a free software plan you may still pay for:
hardware
card processing
loyalty
staff tools
online sales
kitchen systems
Free software is therefore a pricing model, not a complete cost figure.
Retail EPOS Costs Retail systems might need:
barcode scanning
inventory
purchase orders
product variants
returns
customer records
ecommerce integration
Square Retail currently costs:
Free: £0/monthPlus: £49/month per locationPremium: custom pricing
Retail Plus also currently reduces eligible in-person processing from 1.75% to 1.6%.
See our Retail EPOS guide .
Restaurant EPOS Costs Restaurant systems could need:
table management
tabs
split bills
courses
KDS
handheld ordering
online ordering
Square Restaurants currently costs:
Free: £0/monthPlus: £69/month/locationPremium: custom pricing
See our Restaurant EPOS guide .
Kitchen Display Costs Kitchen displays can involve:
screen hardware
KDS software
device licence
Square currently lists:
KDS software: £15 + VAT/month per device on relevant setups21.5-inch kitchen screen: £549 + VAT
Restaurants Plus includes unlimited Square KDS software devices per location.
Our View
A calculator should ask whether the business needs:
no kitchen system
printer only
one KDS
multiple KDS screens
rather than treating “hospitality features” as one generic surcharge.
Loyalty Costs Square Loyalty currently starts from:
£25/month per location
depending on loyalty usage.
That means loyalty alone can add:
£300+ per year
before payment-processing costs.
Staff & Workforce Add-Ons Paid POS packages may also include or charge for:
staff permissions
time tracking
rotas
advanced access
These should be included when calculating the full software stack.
Online Ordering & Ecommerce Costs Online selling can introduce:
ecommerce subscription
gateway fees
online transaction charges
third-party integrations
Square currently charges:
UK online cards: 1.4% + 25pnon-UK online cards: 2.5% + 25p
Do not use the in-person rate to calculate online transactions.
Setup & Installation Costs Setup can range from self-installation to a full multi-site deployment.
Potential costs include:
hardware installation
menu/product upload
stock import
staff setup
training
data migration
integration configuration
Our View
Do not apply a standard £500 setup charge to every business.
A Square Reader can be self-configured.
A multi-site Zonal rollout is an entirely different project.
EPOS Support Costs Support could be:
included
restricted by plan
sold as an add-on
Square Restaurants currently provides:
Free: weekday support during specified hoursPlus: 24/7 support
Support value depends heavily on business type.
A retailer trading 09:00–17:00 and a pub trading until midnight have different requirements.
EPOS Cost by Business Type
Business Main cost drivers
Retail
Inventory, scanners, ecommerce, payments
Café
Fast POS, payments, loyalty, modifiers
Restaurant
Tables, KDS, handhelds, online orders
Pub
Tabs, multiple tills, support, payments
Takeaway
Delivery integrations, KDS, online ordering
Salon
Bookings, customer records, payments
Multi-site
Licensing, rollout, reporting, integrations
How to Reduce EPOS Costs
start with free software if it genuinely meets your needs
avoid paying for unused modules
reuse compatible hardware where sensible
compare card-processing rates
check whether KDS software is included in a higher plan
compare buying hardware with financing
ask which integrations cost extra
calculate the full contract value
Our View: Avoid False Economy The cheapest system can become expensive if:
staff have to manually rekey information
stock data is inaccurate
delivery integrations are missing
support is unavailable during trading hours
EPOS should be evaluated on:
cost + workflow.
When Should You Compare EPOS Quotes? Compare quotes if you are:
opening a business
replacing an old till
adding a second location
adding ecommerce
adding delivery
adding kitchen displays
changing payment providers
approaching contract renewal
What to Ask Before Choosing an EPOS System
What is the monthly software fee?
Is pricing per location, till or device?
What hardware do we need?
Can we reuse existing hardware?
What is setup and installation?
Which features cost extra?
What does stock control include?
What do integrations cost?
What are the card-processing fees?
Is support included?
What support hours apply?
What contract term applies?
Can prices increase during the term?
What does early termination cost?
What is the total contract value?
Common EPOS Costing Mistakes
looking only at software price
ignoring card processing
ignoring hardware
assuming every till costs the same
ignoring integrations
not checking whether VAT is included
ignoring support
comparing promotional pricing with standard pricing
not calculating total contract value
Our Verdict: How Much Should You Budget for EPOS? There is no single sensible EPOS budget for every UK business.
A micro-business can genuinely start with:
£0/month software + low-cost hardware + processing fees.
A busy restaurant or multi-site operator might need:
paid software
several devices
KDS
integrations
premium support
installation
The most useful calculator outputs are therefore:
monthly fixed EPOS cost
monthly payment-processing estimate
one-off hardware/setup
first-year cost
total contract value
Use the calculator to establish your likely cost structure, then compare live quotes based on the features your business actually needs.
Compare EPOS System Quotes
Frequently Asked Questions How much does an EPOS system cost?
EPOS software can start at £0/month, while paid retail and hospitality software can cost £39, £49, £69 or more per month depending on the provider and functionality. Hardware, setup, integrations and payments are additional.
Can you get EPOS for free?
Yes. Square currently offers free core POS, Retail Free and Restaurants Free plans. You still pay for hardware where required and payment processing.
How much does Square EPOS cost?
Square’s standard POS costs £0/month. Retail Plus costs £49/month per location and Restaurants Plus costs £69/month per location.
How much does SumUp POS cost?
SumUp currently publishes POS Plus at £39/month excluding VAT, alongside free/basic POS functionality.
How much does EPOS hardware cost?
It varies widely. Current Square hardware runs from £19 + VAT for Reader to £699 + VAT for Register, before other accessories.
How much does a kitchen display cost?
Square currently lists a 21.5-inch kitchen display screen at £549 + VAT and KDS software at £15 + VAT/month per device on relevant plans.
Do EPOS systems charge transaction fees?
EPOS software itself may not, but integrated payment providers do. Square currently charges 1.75% for standard UK in-person transactions.
Should payment processing be included in an EPOS calculator?
Yes, but it should be shown separately from fixed EPOS contract costs because payment charges vary with turnover.
What is total contract value?
Total contract value is the recurring contractual cost over the minimum term plus relevant fixed setup or hardware commitments.
Is free EPOS always cheaper?
No. Free software can still involve hardware, payment processing and paid add-ons. A paid plan may also reduce manual work or include functionality you would otherwise buy separately.
What should I compare before choosing EPOS?
Compare software, hardware, payment fees, integrations, support, setup, contract length and total contract value.
Related EPOS Guides
Hi, I’m Ally Cox , a senior copywriter and blogger at CompareYourBusinessCosts.co.uk, the UK’s trusted platform for comparing business services.over a decade of experience in the B2B sector, I specialise in simplifying complex topics like leased lines, VoIP, business energy, HR and payroll solutions, accounting software, and EPOS systems .HR, copywriting, and business operations- from clocking-in systems to card machines and office technology .informed, confident decisions when choosing products and services that improve efficiency and save money.
