Square POS alternative for UK restaurants and takeaways
Square suits plenty of businesses. If yours is a UK restaurant or takeaway that has outgrown it — or you are choosing for the first time — this is a fair look at where each fits, and what switching involves.
- Square and Posso side by side
- Who Square suits better, and who Posso suits better
- UK hospitality EPOS from £499 + VAT
Short answer
Posso is an alternative to Square for UK hospitality operators who want the till, kitchen display, online ordering, delivery-platform orders and card payments in one offline-first system with published prices. Square may suit you better if your business needs fit its own strengths, set out below. Posso starts at £499 + VAT with software from £25 + VAT a month.
How does Posso compare with Square?
Both take orders and payments; the differences are in what is included, how it is priced and what it is built for. Posso figures are our published prices; Square details are from Square's own UK website — check them there, as prices change.
| Posso | Square | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | UK hospitality — restaurants, takeaways, cafés, pubs and multi-site groups | Check with Square |
| Entry system price | From £499 + VAT (single-screen POS, kitchen printer, receipt printer, cash drawer) | See Square's UK pricing |
| Software | From £25 + VAT a month | See Square's UK pricing |
| Card processing | Posso Pay from 1% + 10p, quoted on turnover; Teya and Dojo also supported | See Square's UK pricing |
| Kitchen display | 21-inch screen £399 + VAT, one-off | See Square's UK pricing |
| Online ordering on your own site | Included; the customer pays a 60p service fee per order | Check with Square |
| Just Eat, Uber Eats, Deliveroo | £45/month, unlimited orders | See Square's UK pricing |
| Keeps trading offline | Yes — offline-first, syncs when the connection returns | Check with Square |
| Contract terms | Set out on your quote | Check with Square |
| UK support hours | Monday to Friday, 9am–9:30pm | Check with Square |
Prices checked: October 2026. Source: Square UK POS pricing, Square for Restaurants pricing, Square UK fees. Posso prices: EPOS pricing.
Who is Square better for?
Square is built around taking payments, with a point-of-sale app that a small business can start on quickly. If you are a market stall, a pop-up, a mobile trader or a shop where taking a card is the main job, a payment-led system like Square can be the simpler choice.
It also covers retail as well as food, so a business that sells both may prefer one system that does each reasonably. Check Square's own UK pages for which features sit in which plan.
Who is Posso better for?
Posso is built for UK hospitality sites that take orders from several places at once — counter, phone, table, kiosk, your own website and the delivery platforms — and need them in one kitchen queue. If that is your trade, it is the gap Posso fills: Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo orders arrive on the same screen at £45/month, missed calls can be answered by AI phone ordering at £1 per order, and your own drivers run on the driver app at 30p per delivery.
It is offline-first, so the till, kitchen screens and printers keep working when the broadband drops. Prices are published on the EPOS pricing page, UK support runs Monday to Friday, 9am–9:30pm, and hardware carries a two-year warranty. For the full picture of the system, see our EPOS system overview.
How do I switch from Square to Posso?
Switching takes a menu, a date and a few hours of training; the guide to replacing an old EPOS system covers every step in detail. The short version:
1. Check your current terms
Note any minimum term, notice period or hardware agreement with Square, and time the switch around it.
2. Export what you can
Download your sales reports and customer list before anything is switched off. Historic sales data does not transfer; your customer database can be brought across.
3. Send us your menu
A PDF, a photo or an export. We build it, with modifiers and prices, as part of free setup.
4. We configure before shipping
Systems are preconfigured and shipped plug-and-play.
5. Train the team
Staff training is included. Book it for a day when the people who use the till are in.
6. Run both until you are confident
Nobody switches off a working till on faith. Keep the old system available for the first service.
This is one part of the Posso EPOS system — the same till, kitchen display, ordering and card payments, set up for your type of venue. Every one-off and monthly cost is on the EPOS pricing page.
Square alternative — frequently asked questions
Is Posso a good alternative to Square for a restaurant or takeaway?
It is if you need several order channels in one kitchen queue — counter, phone, kiosk, your own website and the delivery platforms — and want the system to keep trading offline. If your needs match Square's strengths instead, staying may be the better choice.
Can I keep my Square card reader with Posso?
Not as an integrated terminal. Posso integrates card payments through Posso Pay, and Teya and Dojo terminals are also supported, so the amount pushes from the till to the terminal automatically.
Will my menu transfer from Square?
Yes — we rebuild it for you as part of free setup, including modifiers and prices. Your customer database can be brought across too; historic sales data does not transfer, so export your old reports first.
How much does Posso cost compared with Square?
Posso starts at £499 + VAT for a POS system, with software from £25 + VAT a month and card processing from 1% + 10p quoted on your turnover. Check Square's current prices on its own UK website and compare the total monthly cost for everything you need.
Does Posso work without the internet?
Yes. Posso is offline-first: orders, cash payments and kitchen printing keep working when the connection drops, and everything syncs when it returns.
How long does it take to switch from Square to Posso?
Systems are preconfigured and shipped plug-and-play. Allow time beforehand to check your current terms with Square and to agree your menu.
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