How to compare POS fairly.
Use all-in monthly cost at your card volume, not sticker prices. Card fees, hardware and add-ons usually move the bill more than the software line.
Read the bill, not the brochure
Add the subscription, any per-device or per-screen fees, the modules you actually need (QR ordering, kitchen display, inventory), hardware amortised over its life, and card fees at your real turnover. On £40,000 of monthly card sales, a 0.4-point fee difference is about £160 a month. That is why a lower software sticker can still lose on the total. Worked examples for Square, Toast, Lightspeed, Epos Now, SumUp, Zettle and Revel live on the head-to-head pages below, with the shared arithmetic on the POS cost methodology page.
Servio all-in at your card volume
Growth software plus Stripe card fees at 1.5% + 20p, with a £25 average order. Same arithmetic as the pricing page. Competitor stacks stay on Pricing and the vs pages, using published rates only.
Growth, 1 venue
1.5% + 20p at £25 AOV
~£13,668 / year
Founding pilot (then £109/month for six months): ~£1,029/month all-in.
Worked Square, Zettle and SumUp stacks live on Pricing. Method: POS cost methodology.
Where hardware-led POS tends to fit
You want a branded kit aesthetic, your service is mostly counter-based, card volume is low enough that fees do not dominate, or you already own the terminals and the add-on stack is light.
Where Servio tends to fit
You run table service or mixed service, want till, QR ordering and kitchen display as one system without module stacking, and care about the all-in monthly total at real UK card volume.
At a glance
Typical configurations from public pricing. Always check current details with each provider.
Head-to-head guides
Each page has the worked all-in maths, where that platform tends to fit, and what switching actually involves.
Strong payments ecosystem; all-in cost rises once hospitality add-ons and hardware are included. Servio Growth can connect existing Square readers as a switch aid only.
Hospitality-first platform with hardware and contracts that suit larger rollouts more than independents.
Feature-rich restaurant POS; pricing and modules stack differently once you match kitchen and ordering.
UK-familiar EPOS brand; compare hardware, App Store extras and the fixed monthly cloud path.
Simple card-taking start; food-led venues often need more than a reader and a basic till.
PayPal-backed readers for light counter trade; less of a full hospitality service stack.
Enterprise-leaning iPad POS; quote-led pricing and implementation for multi-site groups.
The wider market picture and how to run your own volume through the pricing calculator.
What usually changes the bill
Card fees at volume
Often the largest line. Compare published rates at your ticket size, not a marketing headline.
Hardware amortised
Registers, terminals and printers are one-off until they are not. Spread them honestly over a year.
Modules you actually use
QR ordering, kitchen display and inventory bolted on later are how a free or cheap tier becomes expensive.