The Cheapest Retail EPOS Systems for UK Businesses

Finding a genuinely cheap EPOS system that includes top features is no easy task – especially when lots of major providers have complex pricing structures and different transaction fees for every plan. So, to save our readers time, we’ve dug a little deeper into the software subscriptions, payment processing fees and hardware costs on offer from the industry’s top providers. 

When you take everything into account, the cheapest EPOS system for UK businesses is Square, offering a free app, cheap hardware and competitive transaction rates. However, Clover has the lowest transaction fees and Talech POS offers a really cheap hardware and software bundle, so the best deal will depend on what you specifically need.

Read on for a full list of the best cheap EPOS providers. In this article, we’ve included a cost spectrum to show exactly how expensive each provider can get should you upgrade your plan, plus other tips on keeping prices to a minimum.

1. Square POS: Cheapest EPOS Provider in the UK

When considering the cheapest software costs, transaction fees and hardware prices for all our top-rated EPOS providers in the UK, there was one clear winner: Square.

Offering its software for free, card-readers from just £19 and standard transaction fees, there’s little to grumble about when it comes to Square’s pricing plans.

Square POS: Cost Spectrum

Before we dive into the details of its pricing, here’s a brief overview of Square’s cheapest and most expensive transaction rates, hardware costs and subscription fees.

Pricing Breakdown: Square POS

Cheapest Square POS Software Subscription Fees

• Square POS: Free (starting from £0 per month), including basic inventory tools and an online store. Processing fees apply.
• Square for Retail Plus: £49 per month per location, offers advanced inventory tools, barcode label printing, and cost of goods sold (COGS) reports. 30-day free trial is available.

Transaction Rates for Free Square POS Plan

• Card-present transactions (in-person): 1.75%
• Online transactions with UK cards: 1.4% + 25p per transaction
• Online transactions with non-UK cards: 2.5% + 25p per transaction
• Manually keyed-in transactions, Invoices and Virtual Terminal: 2.5%

POS Hardware Costs

• Square Reader (contactless and chip): £19 + VAT
• Square Stand (for iPad): £99 + VAT / £17 per month financing + VAT
• Square Terminal (all-in-one device with printer): £149 + VAT / £13 per month financing + VAT
• Square Register (two-screen system): £599 + VAT / £50 per month financing + VAT

2. Zettle: 2nd Cheapest EPOS Provider in the UK

Zettle offers a transparent and straightforward pricing model with no monthly fees for its POS software, making it an attractive option for small to medium-sized retail businesses.

Its hardware options are also flexible and scalable to fit various business needs. 

Zettle: Cost Spectrum

Based on our latest research, here is how Zettle’s pricing for transaction rates, hardware costs and subscription fees vary from cheapest to most expensive:

Pricing Breakdown: Zettle

Cheapest Zettle Software Subscription Fees

• Zettle Go App: Free, includes product and inventory management, real-time sales reports, and integration with e-commerce platforms.

Zettle Transaction Rates

• Card-present transactions (in-person): 1.75%
• Payment Links: 2.5%
• Zettle Invoice: 2.5%
• PayPal QR Codes: 1.75%

Zettle POS Hardware Costs

• Zettle Reader 2: £29 + VAT (additional readers at £59 + VAT)
• Zettle Terminal: £149 + VAT (barcode scanner sold separately)
• Zettle Store Kit: £189 + VAT

3. SumUp: Lower Fees and No Commitments

SumUp provides a cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized retail businesses with no long-term contracts and transparent pricing.

That includes slightly lower fees than our top two cheapest EPOS options, Square and Zettle. It sits third on the list due to almost double the cost for its cheapest hardware, although that price is still an eminently affordable £39 + VAT.

SumUp: Cost Spectrum

SumUp offers superb value for money, though you can also upgrade your software and hardware packages as and when required. Here’s a look at its pricing.

Pricing Breakdown: SumUp

Cheapest SumUp Software Subscription Fees

• POS App: Free, basic sales reporting and product cataloguing features.
• POS Pro: £49 per month, includes advanced EPOS software features tailored to retail.

SumUp Transaction Rates on Free Plan

• In-person transactions: 1.69% per transaction
• Online transactions: 2.5%
• Virtual Terminal transactions: 2.95% + 25p per transaction

SumUp POS Hardware Costs

• SumUp Air Card Reader: £59 + VAT
• SumUp Air Card Reader with Cradle: £69 + VAT
• SumUp 3G Card Reader: £99 + VAT (or £129 + VAT with Docking Station for a limited time)
• SumUp POS Lite: £299 + VAT (includes 13-inch HD touchscreen terminal and SumUp Solo card reader)
• SumUp POS Pro: £399 + VAT (includes 13-inch HD touchscreen terminal, SumUp Solo card reader, cash drawer, and receipt printer)

4. Talech: Great Value Software-Hardware Bundle

Offering free software with a hardware subscription for all your essential POS retail equipment – a touchscreen terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer, scanner, and card machine – Talech is a solid-value choice to be set up for extensive operations and ready-to-go.

In the long run, you may pay more than buying similar hardware upfront via another provider, but you’ll save significantly in the short term; compare Talech’s £62 first-month hardware fee to SumUp’s £399 POS Pro package that doesn’t include the scanner.

Talech: Cost Spectrum

With a range of higher-cost subscription options and lower-cost transaction rates, Talech pricing presents a different opportunity for businesses. Here is a run-down of the information we know about its pricing.

Pricing Breakdown: Talech

Cheapest Talech Software Subscription Fees

• Starter Plan: Free with the purchase of a hardware bundle. Includes basic inventory management, customer tracking, and automated reports.
• Standard Plan: £49.99 per month (+£24.99 per additional device). Includes advanced inventory management, barcode label printing, loyalty programs, and more.
• Premium Plan: £69.99 per month (+£29.99 per additional device). Includes all Standard features plus inventory alerts, purchase orders, and enhanced gift card options.

Talech Transaction Rates

• Card-present transactions (in-person): Typically 1.2%
• Online transactions: Varies based on the agreement with the payment processor (specific rates not explicitly listed).

Talech POS Hardware Costs

• Talech Register Package: £62 per month, including a touchscreen terminal, cash drawer, receipt printer, scanner, and card machine.

5. Clover: Cheapest Transaction Fees

With transaction fees as little as 0.2%, Clover is one of the top options to save money per purchase at your retail store.

All its retail packages offer inventory and customer management, plus reporting tools. The higher the tier, the more advanced features are available, including integration with scales for weighing items. Plus, with all plans, you get access to Clover’s app market. It provides added functionality for things like loyalty programs and more detailed analytics.

From our research, you’ll generally need to pay more per month in software subscription or hardware costs than our other top cheap EPOS providers for the pleasure of lower transaction fees. However, we must stress that this could vary significantly since Clover offers custom prices for these areas.

Meanwhile, some transactions such as online have a similar cost to other options too. But should you be turning over a large amount of sales it could make sense to go with Clover.

Clover: Cost Spectrum

Clover keeps its lips tight on the exact costs of its plans, as it tends to offer bespoke plans for its packages. However, the transaction rates are publically available, and we have listed the range here.

Pricing Breakdown: Clover

Since Clover doesn’t publically detail the prices of its software and hardware, we can’t break down those costs. However, we do know the key transaction rates for British businesses using Clover are as follows:

Clover Transaction Rates

• Card-present transactions (in-person): 0.2% – 1.75%
• Keyed-in transactions: 3.5% + 10p
• Online transactions: 2.5% + 25p

How to Pick a Top Retail EPOS System

So, what should you look for in a retail EPOS system? There are two things for you to consider: software and hardware.

Retail EPOS software

EPOS software packages include both a front-of-house and back-office program. The front of house program is what’s loaded onto your till. It holds a full list of inventory organised into easy-to-access menus, making it easy for your staff to dial up a product.

But it’s in the back office that the real magic happens. Accessed via your computer, back office software gives you access to a host of clever tools to help streamline the way you do business. Make sure that your software includes:

Advanced inventory management: View stock levels with the click of a mouse, easily place new orders and set up alerts for when stock falls below a certain level.

Easy price adjustment: Quickly and easily update prices on a central database. This is particularly useful if your business operates across multiple premises, and for rolling out special offers and promotions.

Reporting and analytics: Deep-dive reporting helps you to make smart decisions informed by data. As a retailer, you can view a day-by-day breakdown of sales and see which products are selling well and which are underperforming, and adjust orders accordingly.

Remote working with cloud based software: Cloud based software allows you to log on to your system from anywhere, at any time. You can view inventory, amend prices, or roll out a promotion, all while sitting at home in your pants.

How Else Can You Reduce POS Costs?

Besides picking a provider that offers extremely low prices on the software, hardware and transaction fee front, there are a few other tips and tricks to make sure your spending is kept to a minimum.

Tablet-centred systems

Suppliers that offer tablet-based retail EPOS packages on a pay-per-month basis tend to be cheaper than all-in-one hardware solutions. So, by opting for a tablet-based EPOS system, your upfront costs can see a massive cut.

Check out the provider reviews above, as we’ve listed the tablet-based system costs alongside the other options available to your business.

EPOS rental

If you only require an EPOS system for a short period, or if you’re looking to keep your monthly overheads to an absolute minimum, EPOS till rental is the way forward.

You can rent a ready-to-go retail EPOS till for around £25 on a rolling monthly contract.

Buying second-hand

Another option is to look for a second-hand system. These can be bought on websites such as eBay and Gumtree, or from a specialist second-hand dealer.

If you do go for a second-hand system, we recommend buying from a reputable dealer offering a warranty. That way you’re covered if the machine breaks a few months down the line.

How We Found the Best Cheap EPOS Systems