5 Best Food Truck POS Systems

Based on our research, Square is the best POS system for food trucks. It offers the best value, with a free POS software plan that still comes with advanced features like online ordering, as well as reasonably priced compact hardware options. However, it’s not perfect – transaction fees are a little high, and you can get cheaper ones with Clover and Zettle.

Most food trucks require a POS system that’s reasonably priced, with suitably compact hardware that can fit in small spaces, and strong marketing tools so customers can be motivated to visit. These are the features we prioritized when evaluating POS systems for food trucks.

Of course, different businesses have different needs and priorities, but we’re confident one of the five food truck POS systems discussed in this article will fit the bill:

Best POS Systems for Food Trucks: Quick Overview

For a quick overview of the best POS systems for food trucks, check out the table below:

1. Square: Best Value for Money

Square is the best value POS system for food trucks. It has free POS software, a free online store, and has one of the cheapest card readers among the ones we surveyed.

Why we recommend Square for food trucks

Square is an affordable POS system that doesn’t skimp on functionality. It offers a free version of its POS software, from which you track cash payments and even accept payments while your system is offline. All offline payments will be tracked as long as you reconnect to the internet within 24 hours.

Square’s plethora of free tools include ecommerce integration, and a free online ordering page. This is a treat for food trucks that want in on the internet deal, but don’t want to invest in a full website.

If you upgrade to Square’s paid POS software for $60 per month, you’ll get access to more advanced reporting tools, and crucially, you’ll be able to send order-ready texts to customers. So, if your food truck is generally very busy, and customers wander off while they wait for an order, upgrading to the paid plan could make your life easier.

When it comes to hardware, Square has a range of compact solutions perfect for small spaces. Square has a POS app, that you can download onto a phone or iPad for free, so you don’t need to bother with large physical terminals. Its $69 card reader is also an incredibly compact 2.6″ x 2.6″ device that takes tap and chip card payments. Square also sells an iPad case with a hand strap that you can insert its card reader into, so you can keep your equipment in the same place.

Our experience with Square

We found Square’s POS system relatively easy to use when testing it. Everything is clearly labeled in the sidebar menu, making features easy to find.

However, we did find setting up the back end a little easier than dealing with the front end. For example, we struggled to apply order variants, since the system applied a default variant, and we had to add both variants before deleting the one we didn’t need.

One big downside is that Square doesn’t have a training mode, so teaching your staff how to use the system might take more time than it would with another provider. To compensate, there’s a help center that contains a large range of guides, on topics from how to set up the system, to how to create items and modify orders.

Are there any downsides to Square?

One downside to Square is that it doesn’t have advanced cost vs profit management tools, or ingredient usage tracking, which isn’t ideal for businesses that want to keep a close eye on their finances.

A good alternative is Clover, which has some great profit management tools. However, for ingredient tracking, you’ll need a fully fledged restaurant POS system like Lightspeed. Lightspeed didn’t make the cut for this list since it is a pricey option, and doesn’t have a great range of compact hardware suitable for food trucks.

Lastly, Square’s transaction fees are on the high end, at 2.6% + 10¢ with free POS software. These could eat into your profits if you have a high sales volume, in which case providers that offer slightly lower fees, such as Zettle (2.29% + 9¢) or Clover (2.3% + 10¢) are a better option.

2. Clover: Best for Professional Hardware

Clover has the best POS hardware on the market, with a wide range that includes compact devices perfect for food trucks. It’s a great choice for businesses looking for a full kit that doesn’t take up much space.

Why we recommend Clover for food trucks

Clover’s range of hardware is a level above the rest and includes compact designs that are perfect for food trucks.

The Clover Mini is a small countertop terminal with a built-in receipt printer and card reader, complete with a card slot. It’s got a touchscreen and is only 8 inches wide. At $799, it’s not exactly a cheap option, but you won’t need to spend money on any other hardware.

For an even smaller device, you’ve got the Clover Flex. It’s essentially a card machine that doubles up as a handheld POS device, meaning you can access Clover’s POS software from it. Also fitted with a touchscreen and receipt printer, it costs $649.

Clover offers tiered pricing plans for its POS software. We recommend the $59.95 per month Starter plan, from Clover’s “Quick-service dining management” suite. On this plan, you’ll be able to generate order numbers, categorize and track stock, and accept online ordering, whether that’s from an online store or through integration with third-party delivery apps.

There used to be an even cheaper plan, the $14.95 Essentials plan, but Clover discontinued it this year.

Our experience with Clover

We found Clover much easier to use than the other POS systems we tested, because the layout of the front and back end is very straightforward. Everything is nicely spaced out, avoiding clutter, and Clover makes use of different colors to visually separate items from each other.

There were just a few issues with unclear signposting (the language Clover uses in the menu can be vague), and a lack of confirmation messages when orders were sent to the KDS.

Clover also doesn’t have a training mode, and its support center doesn’t have as large a library of guides as its competitors, such as Square.

Are there any downsides to Clover?

We don’t recommend Clover to food truck businesses operating on a tight budget, since its hardware is expensive, and it doesn’t have free POS software. For example, Clover’s basic card reader costs $199, almost four times the cost of SumUp’s $54 equivalent. The discontinuation of the $14.95 Essentials plan also hasn’t helped with Clover’s affordability.

If you’re looking to reduce costs, Square, SumUp, and Zettle all offer free POS software and affordably priced hardware. However, Square offers the best value for money when it comes to cost vs functionality.

3. SumUp: Best for Marketing and Loyalty Tools

SumUp’s POS system comes with built-in marketing and loyalty tools, making it a great option for food truck owners who work events, and want to get word of their location out to customers.

Why we recommend SumUp for food trucks

If you run a food truck that frequently changes locations, and needs to keep customers informed of where you are, and offer them incentives to buy from you, then SumUp is a great choice.

Its POS software has a heavy focus on marketing and loyalty tools, although the amount of tools you get varies depending on how much you pay. With SumUp’s free POS software, POS Lite, you won’t get access to any marketing tools, and features are restricted to order processing,  inventory management, and reporting.

That’s why we recommend SumUp’s cheapest paid plan, the $99 per month Connect Lite plan since it gives you access to a customer database, where you can view their purchase history and save contact information. If you upgrade to the $199 per month Connect Plus plan, you’ll be able to set up rewards programs and send email promotions. These get upgraded to automatic email promotions on the $289 per month Connect Pro plan.

You’ll also be able to accept online and QR code ordering on all of SumUp’s paid plans, which can speed up service on busy days.

When it comes to hardware, SumUp’s offering is a little limited. It doesn’t have any small POS terminals that could easily fit in a food truck, however, there is a SumUp POS app that you can download on your phone or tablet. This can be paired with one of SumUp’s three card readers. For food trucks, we’d recommend the $99 SumUp Solo. It’s a compact touchscreen device with a built-in unlimited data SIM card, perfect if you don’t have access to Wifi.

Our experience with SumUp

We found SumUp easy to use when it came to basic tasks such as creating menu items and adding items to an order. This is largely thanks to the intuitive nature of its interface, which had clear signposting for the most part.

Our biggest critique is that changes, such as to menu items, made in the backend were very slow to sync with the front end, which could slow down order taking. We also had a little trouble trying to use SumUp’s customer database. When processing an order, we couldn’t figure out how to add a new customer to the database.

Are there any downsides to SumUp?

Although two of SumUp’s card readers have a built-in SIM card, its system doesn’t have an offline functionality. That means if the Wifi or cell reception is bad, the system won’t log sales. So, if your food truck operates in areas with faulty service, we’d recommend Square instead of SumUp, since it has an offline mode.

Additionally, although SumUp offers affordable hardware, its paid plans have the most expensive starting point of any provider on this list, even more than Clover. If you’re trying to keep costs low, we recommend Square. Its free POS plan comes with a customer directory, and it has optional marketing and loyalty add-on tools that cost from $15 and $45 per month respectively.

4. Epos Now: Best for Established Food Trucks

Epos Now has a dedicated POS system for food trucks that’s highly advanced, and is best suited to established food trucks that are part of a larger business.

Why we recommend Epos Now for food trucks

Epos Now offers portable POS hardware and dedicated food truck POS software.

Epos Now charges a one-off fee for its POS hardware and software bundles, although in most cases you’ll also have to pay a $79 monthly fee to maintain your software access. Costs start at $299 for a full countertop terminal, and $549 for a tablet-based system (tablet included), which is better for small food trucks. If you need a complete hardware kit, Epos Now’s bundles are good value for money.

On top of a physical terminal screen and software, Epos Now’s bundles also include a receipt printer and portable card machine, making them great value. Comparatively, Clover’s terminal alone costs $799.

Epos Now’s POS software has a comprehensive suite of features. It’s got advanced stock management tools, with stock levels updating as you sell, and issuing low stock alerts when needed. You’ll also be able to track cash payments on top of card payments, and even set up discounts for customers who pay by cash.

Epos Now’s POS system can also be used to manage multiple food trucks. You can set variable pricing for menu items, and generate separate reports for each truck. You’ll also get access to Epos Now’s marketing and loyalty tools and set up online ordering by embedding links in social media posts, and QR code ordering.

Our experience with Epos Now

We found Epos Now to be a little more difficult to use than other POS systems we tested. The backend in particular was a little overwhelming, mainly because there were so many options for categorizing items and building reports.

Plus, since Epos Now doesn’t have a training mode, we only had the help center to rely on, which doesn’t have guides for everything. It’s missing how-tos for taking tips for example.

That said, we had no issues with basic tasks such as creating floor plans adding in item variants, and assigning ingredients to menu items facilitated stock tracking.

Are there any downsides to Epos Now?

We don’t recommend Epos Now to novice POS system users of very new businesses. You can do a lot with an Epos Now POS system, but this also makes it a little difficult to use, and very small or new businesses will do better with a simpler system, like Square or Zettle.

Since Epos Now charges one large upfront fee for its POS, it’s also not a good choice for businesses that don’t have a lot saved up.

5. Zettle by PayPal: Best for New Businesses

Zettle is a great POS system for food truck businesses that are just starting out. Its software is free and easy to use and can be downloaded as an app on iOS and Android, making for a highly portable system.

Why we recommend Zettle for food trucks

Zettle by Paypal is a simple and easy-to-use system. We found it to be the most intuitive to use of all the POS systems we tested, making it a great option for business owners who’ve never used a POS system before.

It’s also great for new businesses since it’s got the lowest prices of all the systems we tested. Zettle’s app-based POS software is completely free to use, and its hardware is also some of the cheapest on the market. If you already own a tablet, all you’d need to buy is Zettle’s $29 card reader, which is the cheapest card reader on this list. It’s a very light device with a pin pad and an 8-hour battery life.

Zettle’s transaction fees are also quite low, especially for a free system. You’ll be charged 2.29% + 9¢ per transaction, less than Square’s 2.6% + 10¢.

With the POS software, you’ll be able to do the basics, such as categorize menu items, log sales, and generate sales reports. The platform also integrates with popular ecommerce stores like Shopify, and accounting tools like Quickbooks.

Our experience with Zettle

We liked Zettle for its simplicity and were able to complete most basic tasks, from creating menu items to processing orders to adding discounts to orders with minimal difficulty. For example, we could amend items in the backend simply by tapping on them, without having to go into a separate editing page.

However, we did feel that it lacked essential reporting tools necessary for larger businesses to track profits and manage stock effectively. We also experienced system crashes while we were testing Zettle, which prevented us from completing tasks such as bill splitting.

Are there any downsides to Zettle?

We don’t recommend Zettle to businesses looking to scale, since unlike all the other POS systems on this list, it doesn’t have more advanced paid plans.

Zettle’s POS tools are also quite basic, and so aren’t the best fit for food truck businesses with a complex menu or who rely heavily on marketing to attract customers. For extensive inventory management, we’d recommend Epos Now, and for excellent marketing we recommend SumUp.

Lastly, Zettle’s range of POS hardware is quite limited, comprising mainly of card machines, and table stands. While this will suit most food trucks just fine, if you plan on opening a brick-and-mortar branch in the future, we’d recommend you choose a provider with more extensive hardware options, like Clover or Square.

Buying Guide: What to Look for in a Food Truck POS System

Since working in a food truck means you’re operating in a small space, and potentially out of reach of a reliable signal, you’ll have slightly different POS system requirements than regular restaurants or cafes.

Here’s what you should consider:

• Portability of the hardware: most food trucks don’t have space for large countertop terminals, so look for a provider that offers small, portable hardware. App-based POS systems are particularly well-suited to food trucks.
• Offline functionality: if your food truck operates in areas with unreliable Wifi or cell service, it’s vital that you choose a POS system that has offline functionality. This way, all your day’s sales will be saved, regardless of your connection.
• Mobile and QR ordering: accepting orders online or via QR codes can really boost sales, as a lot of customers would rather come to pick up an order when it’s ready rather than wait in line. We recommend you choose a system that has these features built-in or integrates with third-party apps that facilitate them.
• Order tickets or order-ready texts: along those same lines, on busy days, customers might want to wander off and return when their order is ready, rather than wait. Choosing a system that can print numbered tickets, or send texts or emails when an order is ready will make it easier for you and your customers to keep track of orders.
• Marketing tools: if you’re a mobile food truck, and pop-up at different events, choosing a POS system with built-in marketing and loyalty tools is very valuable. It’ll help you notify customers of where you are, and give them incentives to come visit you.

How We Test POS Systems for Food Trucks