Home / UK / Best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Square vs Epos Now
Plan prices, card rates and contracts in the UK, side by side, from each vendor's own website.
Higher score
Square
Free till app and card readers from Square.
#1 of 10 in best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Read more about SquareVisit SquareEpos Now
UK EPOS supplier selling till software with hardware.
#4 of 10 in best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Read more about Epos NowVisit Epos NowWhich one?
Choose Square if
- Cheaper to start: no monthly fee against from £15/mo
- Easier to leave: cancel anytime against 24 months, renews automatically
Choose Epos Now if
- Lower card rate: 1.2% against 1.75%
Side by side
| Line | Square | Epos Now |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 9.5 / 10 | 7.0 / 10 |
| Starts at | No monthly fee | From £15/mo |
| Plans | Free: Free | Lite: £15/mo; Micro: £25/mo; Countertop 2: £58/mo |
| In-person card rate | 1.75% | 1.2% |
| Online card rate | 1.4% + 25p | Not stated |
| Commission on orders | Not published | Not published |
| Contract | Cancel anytime | 24 months, renews automatically |
| Early exit fee | Not stated | Sum of all remaining monthly payments to the end of the fixed period, due immediately, with a 3.5% discount if paid on receipt |
| Hardware from | From £19 | Not stated |
| Last checked | 9 Oct 2026 | 9 Oct 2026 |
“Not published” and “Not stated” mean the vendor's own pricing and terms pages did not give the figure when we read them; the sources below name each page and date. Hover a figure to see the vendor's words.
How the scores add up
Square: 9.5
Epos Now: 7.0
Same formula for every system. How we score
Square vs Epos Now: questions owners ask
Which is cheaper to start, Square or Epos Now?
Square: no monthly fee. Epos Now: from £15/mo.
Which has the lower card rate?
Square: 1.75% in person. Epos Now: 1.2% in person.
What do they charge on online payments?
Square: 1.4% + 25p. Epos Now: we did not find an online card rate on Epos Now's own pages.
Do Square or Epos Now take commission on orders?
Square: we did not find a commission figure on Square's own pages. Epos Now: we did not find a commission figure on Epos Now's own pages.
Which has the more flexible contract?
Square: cancel anytime. Epos Now: 24 months, renews automatically.
How much notice do they need to cancel?
Square: none stated: the merchant may terminate at any time from Square Account Settings. Epos Now: one calendar month.
Do their contracts renew automatically?
Square: we did not find a renewal term on Square's own pages. Epos Now: yes, the contract renews automatically.
What does it cost to leave early?
Square: no fixed term, so no exit fee. Epos Now: sum of all remaining monthly payments to the end of the fixed period, due immediately, with a 3.5% discount if paid on receipt.
Who owns my customer data?
Square: we did not find a data ownership term on Square's own pages. Epos Now: merchant owns its customer, transactional, sales, product and stock data; Epos Now holds a perpetual, irrevocable licence to use it to enhance and provide services (personal data anonymised or aggregated).
Do I need to buy hardware?
Square: hardware from £19. Epos Now: we did not find a hardware price on Epos Now's own pages.
Which publishes more of its prices?
Square: all plan prices published. Epos Now: all plan prices published.
Which scores higher, Square or Epos Now?
Square 9.5/10 and Epos Now 7.0/10 on the same formula: prices published, entry price, fees and contract. The breakdown on this page shows where each point comes from.
Should I choose Square or Epos Now?
Choose Square for: cheaper to start: no monthly fee against from £15/mo; easier to leave: cancel anytime against 24 months, renews automatically. Choose Epos Now for: lower card rate: 1.2% against 1.75%. Then check the features you need on each vendor's own site: the score covers price and terms only.
Where every figure on this page comes from
Square
- Free plan. “Sell in person, online, over the phone or out in the field. No setup fees or monthly fees - only pay when you take a payment. £0 /mo \+ processing fees” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- In-person card rate. “Take any contactless, mobile or chip and PIN payment at the counter or on the go. 1.75% for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Online card rate. “When a customer makes a purchase through your Online Store, Online Checkout, eCommerce API. 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Fixed fee per online payment. “When a customer makes a purchase through your Online Store, Online Checkout, eCommerce API. 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Contract, as the pricing page states it. “Upgrade when you want to, cancel anytime.” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Cheapest hardware. “£19 + VAT” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Notice period, from the terms. “You may terminate these General Terms or any Additional Terms at any time from your Square Account Settings.” squareup.com/gb/en/legal/general/ua, read 9 Oct 2026
- Free plan. “No setup fees or monthly fees - only pay when you take a payment.” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Commission on orders: not published. Not stated on squareup.com/gb/en/pricing when read on 9 Oct 2026.
Epos Now
- Lite plan. “Lite Portable card reader for payments on the go Portable card reader Take card payments anywhere Battery powered £179or£15/month” eposnow.com/uk/build-your-system/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Micro plan. “Micro Use your phone or tablet to take payments Cloud based POS software Integrated payments included No hardware to buy £25/month” eposnow.com/uk/build-your-system/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Countertop 2 plan. “Countertop 2 New The next-generation countertop POS. Simplify sales, track stock and grow faster - complete with a handheld Air card reader. 3x More power 15.6" Multi-touch display Instant Responsive experience How many do you need? 1 £299upfront + £58/month subscription” eposnow.com/uk/build-your-system/, read 9 Oct 2026
- In-person card rate. “1.2% per transaction · Next-day settlement · £0 gateway fees” eposnow.com/uk/build-your-system/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Automatic renewal. “The Software licence shall apply for a minimum period of 12 months ("Initial Term") and will automatically renew for further 12 month periods (each a "Renewal Period") unless and until a party provides the other party with written notice to cancel the Software licence at least 30 days before the start of the next Renewal Period” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Contract length. “Each of these propositions will in turn also vary in pricing as to whether you choose a 24-month contract or a rolling month-to-month contract and whether you choose to use Epos Now Payments.” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Early exit fee. “If you wish to terminate before the end of a fixed period, you will be responsible for paying a termination fee being a sum representing the aggregate of the remaining monthly payments falling due before the end of the fixed period. The sum is due immediately and we will apply a discount on payment being received of 3.5%” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Notice period, from the terms. “The propositions which are described as having a monthly rolling period can be terminated by you upon giving us one calendar month's written notice, to expire at the end of a calendar month.” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Leaving early, from the terms. “If you wish to terminate before the end of a fixed period, you will be responsible for paying a termination fee being a sum representing the aggregate of the remaining monthly payments falling due before the end of the fixed period. The sum is due immediately and we will apply a discount on payment being received of 3.5%” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Who owns your data, from the terms. “All Customer data (including but not limited to transactional data, sales data, product data and stock data) are owned by the Customer. 3. The Customer hereby provides Epos Now with a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, worldwide licence to use the Customer's transactional data, sales data, product data and stock data that is generated through the Epos Now System for the enhancement of existing services and the provision of new services for Epos Now, its customers and partner organisations. For the avoidance of doubt, any personally identifiable information will be anonymised and/or aggregated.” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Your data, from the terms. “The Customer hereby provides Epos Now with a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferable, worldwide licence to use the Customer's transactional data, sales data, product data and stock data that is generated through the Epos Now System for the enhancement of existing services and the provision of new services for Epos Now, its customers and partner organisations. For the avoidance of doubt, any personally identifiable information will be anonymised and/or aggregated.” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Hardware terms. “legal title to the hardware remains with us. At the end of your agreement with us the hardware must be returned to us.” eposnow.com/uk/contact-us/about/terms-website/, read 9 Oct 2026
- Commission on orders: not published. Not stated on eposnow.com/uk/build-your-system/ when read on 9 Oct 2026.