POS / EPOS
/Best Takeaway POS Systems in the UK (2026)
A complete guide for UK and Ireland takeaways, comparing the strengths, weaknesses and real costs of the leading systems so you can pick the right one for your kitchen
Oliver Hartley · Published 11 June 2026
Compare the best takeaway POS systems for UK and Ireland operators, including Flipdish, Square, Toast, Clover, SumUp and Lightspeed Restaurant.
Running a profitable takeaway comes down to two things: keeping orders moving out the door at speed, and capturing as many of those orders as possible without handing your margin to the marketplaces. The right point of sale (POS) system should do both. That means it has to be more than a till. It needs to tie together online ordering, your delivery channels, the kitchen, payments and reporting, so your team can focus on service rather than juggling six different screens.
We compared the leading takeaway POS systems on the criteria that actually decide whether a kitchen runs smoothly: usability under pressure, the software and features on offer, total cost of ownership, support, hardware and overall reputation. The result is a clear winner. Flipdish takes the top spot because it is the only platform here that is genuinely all-in-one, combining your own branded ordering website and app, marketplace order aggregation, a restaurant-grade POS, a delivery network and marketing tools in a single system built specifically for takeaways and QSR.
That said, a different system may suit your specific setup, so read on for full breakdowns of all six, including pros, cons, pricing and who each one is best for.
The best takeaway POS systems at a glance
- Flipdish: best all-in-one POS and ordering platform for takeaways
- Square: best free plan and easiest way to get started
- Toast: best for busy kitchens that mix dine-in and takeaway
- Clover: best premium terminals and hardware
- SumUp: best budget option for smaller takeaways
- Lightspeed Restaurant: best customer loyalty tools
Competitor prices are the figures published by each provider for the UK market. Flipdish plan pricing is shown as published on flipdish.com (per site, billed annually). Scores reflect our editorial assessment across the criteria set out at the end of this guide.
/quick comparison
| Vendor | Best for | Pricing From | Key Strengths | Overall Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flipdish | All-in-one ordering and POS for takeaways | From €69/month (per site, billed annually) | Own-brand ordering website and app, marketplace aggregation, delivery network, AI tools, KDS, multi-outlet | 4.9 |
| Square | Free plan and easy setup | Free (1.75% in-person fee) | Free tier, publicly listed pricing, strong mobile and QR ordering, iOS friendly | 4.7 |
| Toast | Complex dine-in plus takeaway | £80/month | Deep inventory and cost reporting, loyalty, customisable online ordering | 4.3 |
| Clover | Premium hardware | From £9.99/month (promo from £1 on an 18-month term) | Slick responsive terminals, fingerprint login, large app market | 4.3 |
| SumUp | Smaller takeaways on a budget | Free (1.69% in-person fee) | No contract, very low cost, mobile and QR ordering, inventory alerts | 4.2 |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | Loyalty and repeat business | £69/month (annual commitment) | Best-in-class loyalty, offline mode, editable kitchen display | 3.9 |
/top 6 platforms
01. Flipdish
🏆 Best All-in-One POS and Ordering PlatformFlipdish is an all-in-one restaurant management platform used by more than 5,000 brands worldwide. It started life as a family business run by brothers Conor and James McCarthy and is built specifically for takeaways and quick-service restaurants. Where most POS providers begin with a till and bolt ordering on afterwards through third parties, Flipdish brings the whole stack together in one place.
Starting software price: From €69/month (per site, billed annually; €89 if billed monthly). Transaction fees from: Quote-based, with transparent rates and no hidden fees.
This is the heart of why Flipdish wins. Most systems in this roundup are POS-first and rely on integrations to handle online ordering. Flipdish runs your entire operation from one platform: orders, payments, menus, inventory, staff rotas, delivery dispatch, kitchen display, kiosks, handheld terminals, reporting and marketing. That removes the cost and the double data entry of stitching several systems together, and it means one source of truth for your whole business.
Flipdish builds you an AI-optimised, SEO-friendly ordering website and a native mobile app under your own brand. Every order that comes through them is a direct order, so you keep the customer relationship and the margin instead of paying commission to a marketplace. If you sell on Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats, Flipdish keeps your menus, pricing and availability in sync across all of them and consolidates those orders into one dashboard and one kitchen display.
Tickets from every channel land on colour-coded, station-organised kitchen display screens. Flipdish has leaned hard into practical AI for restaurants: an AI Phone Agent for busy hours, demand forecasting, automated upsell, smart menu optimisation and AI-powered analytics. Through integrations with Uber Direct, Stuart and others, Flipdish dispatches, tracks and delivers orders under your brand. Inventory, POS and reporting are all designed for multi-outlet operations, so franchises and growing chains can manage menus centrally and see every site from one place.
Software pricing: Essentials from €69/month annually (€89 monthly). Pro from €99/month annually (€129 monthly). Advanced from €199/month annually (€249 monthly). Hardware and transaction fees are quote-based through Flipdish Pay.
- One platform for ordering website and app, POS, kitchen display, payments, delivery and marketing
- Your own commission-free, direct-to-consumer ordering channel
- Marketplace aggregation for Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats on one screen
- Colour-coded kitchen display with station routing and label printing
- AI Phone Agent, demand forecasting, automated upsell and menu optimisation
- Delivery network via Uber Direct, Stuart and others under your brand
- Ingredient-level cost reporting, inventory, rotas and multi-outlet management
- Genuinely all-in-one: ordering, POS, KDS, payments, delivery and marketing in one system
- Own branded ordering website and app with no marketplace commission
- Marketplace aggregation ends the tablet farm
- Kitchen display built for speed across every sales channel
- Practical AI tools for phone orders, forecasting and upselling
- Scales from one store to twenty with centralised menu and reporting
- Hands-on onboarding, dedicated customer success manager and seven-day support
- No permanently free tier; plans start at €69 per month billed annually
- Transaction and hardware pricing is quote-based rather than a public rate card
- Delivers the most value when you use the whole stack, not just a basic till
Best for: Takeaways that want to grow direct orders, consolidate marketplace channels, and run operations from one platform rather than stitching tools together
View full profile →02. Square
Best Free Plan and Easiest SetupSquare serves millions of businesses and is built for small and medium-sized operators. Its usability has improved sharply in the last couple of years, and the interface is now one of the cleanest around, which makes it an easy entry point for a new takeaway.
Starting software price: Free plan. Transaction fees from: 1.75% in-person.
Square is simple and intuitive, with a tidy front end and back office. You can start completely free and move up to the Square for Restaurants Plus plan when you need takeaway-focused features for click-and-collect and delivery. It has excellent mobile and QR code ordering, optional kitchen display setups, and it can connect to Deliverect or Otter to bring your delivery orders together. It also runs on iOS, which suits anyone who already owns iPads.
Software: Free plan. Square for Restaurants Plus: £69/month per location. Premium: custom pricing. Hardware: Square Stand £99 + VAT, Terminal £149 + VAT, Kiosk £99 + VAT, Register £699 + VAT. Transaction fees: 1.75% in-person, 1.4% + 25p UK online, 2.5% Virtual Terminal and Invoices. 30-day free trial on paid plans.
- Genuinely free plan to get going
- Publicly listed, transparent pricing
- Polished, modern interface that is quick to learn
- Excellent mobile and QR code ordering
- iOS friendly with a range of hardware options
- Does not track ingredient usage, so close stock control is harder than on Flipdish or Clover
- Lacks deeper cost and profit tools
- No dedicated training mode to onboard new staff quickly
Best for: New takeaways that want a free plan, clear pricing and a quick path to online ordering
View full profile →03. Toast
Best for Dine-In Plus TakeawayToast is purpose-built for the food and beverage industry and is used by well over 100,000 restaurant locations. It is aimed squarely at busier, more complex operations that serve dine-in customers as well as takeaway orders.
Starting software price: £80/month. Transaction fees from: Quote-based.
Toast is packed with features to streamline a complex operation, including mobile order and pay, customisable online ordering and a multi-location picker so customers can choose their preferred venue. Its loyalty and points tools help lock in repeat orders, and the inventory management is strong, with cost and profit tracking plus stock alerts. Despite the depth, the back office stays surprisingly approachable, helped by a clear step-by-step onboarding guide.
Software: Starter from £80 + VAT/month. Essentials £150 + VAT/month. Custom: bespoke pricing. Hardware and transaction fees are quote-based. No free trial.
- Deep inventory with cost versus profit tracking
- Built-in loyalty and points programmes
- Customisable online ordering
- Strong kitchen workflows for busy mixed-service operations
- More system than a small, simple takeaway needs
- Android only, so it will not suit operators who want to use existing iPads
- Monthly costs sit at the higher end for single-site operators who only need the basics
Best for: Busy kitchens that mix dine-in and takeaway and need sophisticated inventory and loyalty tools
View full profile →04. Clover
Best Premium Terminals and HardwareClover is owned by Fiserv, one of the world's largest merchant acquirers, and processes very large transaction volumes. Its calling card is premium hardware that feels a cut above.
Starting software price: From £9.99/month. Transaction fees from: 1.49%.
The hardware is the standout. The touchscreen on the Clover Station is fast and slick, and the fingerprint login saves staff real time during a rush. The software is well designed front and back, creating products and categories is quick, and you get stock alerts so you are not caught short. A wide app market lets you connect online ordering tools, and Clover offers customisable mobile and QR ordering plus its own online ordering.
Software: From £9.99/month, including device rental. Hardware: Clover Mini quote-based, Flex from £450 upfront, Station Duo from £1,300 upfront. Transaction fees are quote-based. Clover has also run promotions starting from £1 a month on an 18-month term.
- Slick, highly responsive terminals
- Fingerprint login for fast staff sign-in
- Large app market for integrations
- Stock alerts and well-designed front and back office
- Premium hardware comes with a premium price tag
- Lacks automated tip-sharing tools that some rivals include
- UK pricing is typically quote-based rather than fully published
Best for: Takeaways happy to invest in top-end terminals and accessories that speed up service during a rush
View full profile →05. SumUp
Best Budget OptionSumUp is a low-cost, no-fuss option for smaller takeaways that want a quick system without a monthly commitment. You can start on pay-as-you-go and step up to a paid plan later.
Starting software price: Free. Transaction fees from: 1.69% in-person.
SumUp is simple and quick to pick up, with a recently refreshed, minimal interface that gives staff a short learning curve. You can begin on the free app, which pairs with a card reader over Bluetooth, or choose the sleek, lightweight SumUp POS Lite. It offers a good set of mobile and QR ordering features and a native kitchen display that runs on an iPad, though the display is an added cost.
Software: Free POS. Payments Plus £19/month. Business Account Plus £15/month. Pro £49/month. Hardware: Solo card reader £79 + VAT, Handheld £135 + VAT, Register £399 + VAT. Transaction fees: 1.69% in-person on pay-as-you-go, 0.99% in-person on Payments Plus, 2.5% online. 7-day free trial on Payments Plus.
- No contract and a free pay-as-you-go plan
- Mobile and QR code ordering
- Inventory tools with stock alerts
- Payments Plus unlocks a very competitive 0.99% in-person rate
- No option to customise the mobile or QR ordering landing page
- Kitchen display and advanced loyalty come as paid add-ons
- Lacks some of the more advanced features of Toast or Clover
Best for: Smaller takeaways that need the basics without a monthly commitment or long contract
View full profile →06. Lightspeed Restaurant
Best Customer Loyalty ToolsLightspeed is a commerce platform serving more than 150,000 locations. Its strength for takeaways is repeat business: its customer engagement tools are the best of the group.
Starting software price: £69/month. Transaction fees from: Quote-based.
Lightspeed Loyalty lets you run automated marketing campaigns, send promotional SMS notifications and build emails with a drag-and-drop editor, all tailored to your customers. The POS is fast and reliable, includes a built-in kitchen display you can edit to your liking, and offers automatic offline functionality.
Lightspeed Restaurant starts at £69 a month for the Basic tier on an annual commitment billed monthly. On Basic, features such as click-and-collect, inventory management and mobile ordering (via Order Anywhere) are paid add-ons, so the real cost can climb. The advanced loyalty tools are the main reason to pay up.
- The strongest loyalty and marketing tools on test
- Offline mode that syncs automatically when back online
- Editable, tablet-based kitchen display
- Fast and reliable POS with strong customer engagement
- Mobile and QR ordering requires the paid Lightspeed Order Anywhere add-on
- Tablet-based with no first-party terminals
- Real cost can climb once add-ons for ordering and inventory are included
Best for: Takeaways where driving repeat orders through loyalty and marketing is the top priority
View full profile →/verdict
How to choose the right takeaway POS
A few points decide which system will actually serve you best.
Match it to your operation. Takeaways range from collection-only outfits to full restaurants that also do takeaway. A small collection or delivery-only kitchen can get by on a simpler, budget system. A medium or larger operation, or one running multiple channels and sites, needs the depth and aggregation that an all-in-one platform like Flipdish provides.
Focus on the features that move the needle. For a takeaway, the high-value features are your own branded ordering channel (to win direct, commission-free orders), marketplace aggregation (to manage Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats from one screen), mobile and QR ordering, and a kitchen display that ties it all together. Some systems include a kitchen display in the package while others charge extra, so factor that in.
Look at total cost, not just the headline price. The sticker price is only part of it. Add hardware, transaction fees and any paid add-ons such as kitchen displays, loyalty modules or online ordering. A low monthly fee with several paid extras can end up dearer than a higher all-in plan.
Test it for speed under pressure. Interfaces vary widely. A takeaway lives or dies on getting hot food out quickly, so the system has to stay fast and clear during the rush rather than slowing your team down.
Leave room to grow. You might start with one site and a small team, but if you plan to expand, choose a platform with multi-outlet and franchise support so you do not have to migrate to a new system later.
Decide between a point solution and an all-in-one. A standalone till is cheaper at the very low end, but you then pay for and maintain separate tools for ordering, delivery and marketing. An all-in-one platform costs more up front and removes that fragmentation, which usually wins out as soon as you sell across more than one channel.
How we ranked these systems
We assessed each system across the six categories that matter most to a successful takeaway, weighted by importance:
- Usability (30%): how fast and clear the system is for staff during a busy service.
- Software (25%): the features on offer, including online ordering, marketplace aggregation, mobile and QR ordering, kitchen display and tip management.
- Pricing (20%): monthly costs, transaction fees, hardware and add-ons, and whether they represent good value.
- Help and support (15%): the support channels available and how effective they are, including onboarding.
- Hardware (5%): the range and quality of terminals and accessories.
- Reputation (5%): customer reviews and feedback.
Our assessment draws on each provider's feature set, published pricing and customer reviews. Flipdish came out on top because it scores strongly on software and usability while bundling the ordering, delivery and marketing capabilities that the POS-first systems leave you to source separately.
Next steps
The fastest way to see whether the top pick fits your kitchen is to get a tailored walkthrough of the platform, your hardware options and your exact pricing. You can book a Flipdish demo at flipdish.com and have a system that grows your orders and runs your operations from one place.
/frequently asked questions
What is the best takeaway POS system in the UK?
Flipdish is our top pick for UK and Ireland takeaways in 2026 because it is genuinely all-in-one: own-brand ordering, marketplace aggregation, POS, kitchen display, delivery and marketing in a single platform built for QSR. Square is the best alternative if you want a free plan and the easiest setup.
Which takeaway POS is best for managing Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats?
Flipdish is the strongest option for marketplace aggregation, keeping menus, pricing and availability in sync and consolidating orders from Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats onto one screen and one kitchen display. Square can connect to Deliverect or Otter for similar consolidation.
What is the cheapest takeaway POS system?
Square and SumUp both offer free plans with pay-as-you-go card processing. SumUp charges 1.69% in-person on pay-as-you-go, while Square charges 1.75%. SumUp's Payments Plus plan (£19/month) reduces in-person fees to 0.99%. Factor in hardware and any paid add-ons when comparing total cost.
Do I need a kitchen display system for a takeaway?
For most takeaways selling across multiple channels, yes. A kitchen display ties online, marketplace and in-store orders together so nothing is missed during a rush. Flipdish, Toast and Lightspeed include KDS capabilities; SumUp offers KDS as a paid add-on.
Which takeaway POS is best for multi-site operators?
Flipdish is designed for multi-outlet operations with centralised menu management, reporting across sites and franchise support. Toast and Lightspeed also support multiple locations, though Flipdish bundles the ordering and marketplace tools that growing takeaway groups typically need.
How much does a takeaway POS system cost?
Costs range from free (Square and SumUp pay-as-you-go) to £80–£150+ per month for systems like Toast. Flipdish starts at €69 per month per site billed annually. Add hardware, transaction fees and paid add-ons such as kitchen displays or loyalty modules to get the true total cost of ownership.