How much does an EPOS system cost in the UK?

The honest answer for a single-till UK independent in 2026 is somewhere between £600 and £2,500 over four years, all in.

That's a wide range because quotes are structured to be hard to compare. One supplier gives you free hardware and charges heavily each month. Another charges once for the kit and keeps the monthly small.

Below is every line item you should expect, and how to turn two very different quotes into one number you can actually compare.

The five costs that make up an EPOS quote

Almost every quote is built from the same parts, even when they're named differently.

1. Hardware — terminal, drawer, printer, scanner. Paid once, or bundled into a monthly figure.
2. Software licence — a monthly fee per till, sometimes per user.
3. Setup and installation — building your product list, delivery, engineer time.
4. Support — included, or charged as a separate care plan.
5. Card processing — a separate contract with its own rates and terminal rental.

The trap is that suppliers move cost between lines. Free hardware is rarely free; it's rented back to you at a monthly rate you'll pay for years.

Typical UK price ranges in 2026

The table below reflects advertised ranges across the UK market as of August 2026. Providers change pricing often, so treat this as a guide and check current figures with any supplier you're talking to.

CostTypical UK rangeWhat to watch
Hardware bundle, one till | £300–£1,500 + VAT one-off | Whether it includes a drawer, printer and scanner 
Software licence | £12–£70 + VAT per till, per month | Per till or per site, and price rises mid-term 
Setup and product loading | £0–£300 + VAT | Who builds your product list, and how many lines are included 
Installation and training | £0–£400 + VAT | On site or remote 
Support plan | £0–£30 + VAT per month | Phone or email only, and the hours it covers 
Card machine rental | £15–£30 + VAT per month | Contract length and whether it's separate to the EPOS deal 
Extra till | Hardware cost plus a second licence | Some suppliers charge full price for a second screen

Zivaro's bundles are a one-off purchase, and every bundle is £12 a month + VAT for software and support. Current prices sit on the products page.

The costs that show up after you sign

These are the ones that turn a cheap quote into an expensive four years.

• Annual price increases — often tied to inflation plus a few per cent, applied every year of the term.
• Minimum monthly service charge on the card side, payable in quiet months even if you barely trade.
• PCI compliance fees, and non-compliance charges if you don't complete the questionnaire.
• Paper, labels and spare drawers, which are small but recurring.
• Integration fees for accounting software or delivery platforms.
• Early termination charges if you leave before the end of the term.

Before you sign anything, run the agreement through our EPOS contract checklist. It lists the clauses that cost people the most.

How to compare two quotes properly

Work out the four-year total for each. That's the only fair comparison, because most EPOS contracts run three to five years.

Use this: upfront cost + (monthly cost × 48) + setup fees + estimated card processing over four years.

Then ask one more question for each quote. If you walked away after two years, what would you owe? The answers vary enormously, and that's usually where the real cost is hiding.

What this looks like in a real business

Here's an illustrative comparison for a single-site café with one till. The figures are invented to show the structure, and the assumptions are stated so you can swap in your own.

Assumptions: one terminal, four-year horizon, no price rises, card processing excluded from both because it's a separate contract.

 Quote A: nothing upfrontQuote B: buy the kit
Upfront | £0 | £850 + VAT
Monthly | £55 + VAT | £12 + VAT
48 months of fees | £2,640 | £576
Four-year total | £2,640 + VAT | £1,426 + VAT

Quote A looks cheaper on the day you sign and costs roughly £1,200 more over the term. Quote B needs cash up front, which is a real constraint for a new business.

Neither is automatically right. The point is that you can only see the difference once both are expressed as a single four-year number.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free EPOS system in the UK?

There are free software tiers, usually tied to a payment contract with higher processing rates. You're paying either way; it just moves from a monthly fee into your card charges.

What is a typical EPOS monthly cost?

Advertised UK monthly software fees commonly land between £12 and £70 + VAT per till as of August 2026. Check what's included, because support and updates are sometimes extra.

Do I pay VAT on an EPOS system?

Yes. Quote figures are usually shown excluding VAT, so add 20% to compare like with like. If you're VAT registered you can normally reclaim it — check with your accountant.

Are card processing fees included in the EPOS price?

Almost never. Card processing is a separate agreement with its own rates, and it often costs more per year than the till. Our card machine page covers how those charges are built.

Is it cheaper to buy an EPOS system outright?

Usually over three or more years, yes. It depends on your cash position and how long you plan to keep the hardware.

Get a written quote with the four-year number on it

Ask us for a no-obligation quote and we'll set out the upfront cost, the monthly cost and the total over the term in writing, on one page. We'll also tell you which parts of your current setup you can keep. You can compare it against anything else you've been sent, including our own EPOS system pages.