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Café QRPOS for independent venues
Products ▾
  • EPOS till systemCounter till, cash, card readers, refunds
  • Kitchen display systemScreens by station, timers, printed tickets
  • Self-order kioskGuests order on a counter tablet
  • Floor plan and tabsWaiter app, live tables, split bills
  • Table bookingsYour own booking page and diary
  • Stock and recipesStock off every sale, dish margins
  • Cash-up and reportsFloat, drawer count, rota, takings
  • Food safety and HACCPChecklists, temperature logs, SFBB diary
Flat whiteCappuccinoBanana breadIced latteSaleFlat white£3.40Cappuccino£3.50Banana bread£2.90Total£9.80Card£9.80)))Tap to pay✓ Sent to the kitchenThe café POSRing up a sale, take payment, send it to the kitchen display.
All features ›EPOS system ›Integrations ›How it works ›Live demo ›Help centre ›Data and security ›
Solutions ▾
  • Café POS and tillA fast counter till and regulars who return
  • Restaurant POS and managementTables, tabs, bookings and kitchen stations
  • Pub and bar POSA bar till, open tabs and table ordering
  • Takeaway POSCounter till, queue ordering, online orders
  • Food truck POSA till on your phone and a queue that moves
  • Event POSPop-ups, markets and festivals
  • Groups and multi-siteOne account across every venue
Guest menu on a phoneKitchen screen with live ordersFrom the table to the kitchenEvery channel lands in one live order queue.
Compare ▾
  • Compare UK POS systemsPrices and features side by side
  • Square POS alternativeCafé QR compared with Square
  • Lightspeed alternativeCafé QR compared with Lightspeed
  • Epos Now alternativeCafé QR compared with Epos Now
  • SumUp POS alternativeCafé QR compared with SumUp
  • Toast POS alternativeCafé QR compared with Toast
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Products ▾
Run the venue08 +−
  • EPOS till system
  • Kitchen display system
  • Self-order kiosk
  • Floor plan and tabs
  • Table bookings
  • Stock and recipes
  • Cash-up and reports
  • Food safety and HACCP
Take orders05 +−
  • QR table ordering
  • Order and pay at table
  • Online ordering
  • Delivery manager
  • Delivery app orders
Grow06 +−
  • CRM and loyalty
  • Promotions
  • Insights and assistant
  • Profit per dish
  • Multiple locations
  • Integrations
All features ›EPOS system ›Integrations ›How it works ›Live demo ›Help centre ›Data and security ›
Solutions ▾
  • Café POS and tillA fast counter till and regulars who return
  • Restaurant POS and managementTables, tabs, bookings and kitchen stations
  • Pub and bar POSA bar till, open tabs and table ordering
  • Takeaway POSCounter till, queue ordering, online orders
  • Food truck POSA till on your phone and a queue that moves
  • Event POSPop-ups, markets and festivals
  • Groups and multi-siteOne account across every venue
Compare ▾
  • Compare UK POS systemsPrices and features side by side
  • Square POS alternativeCafé QR compared with Square
  • Lightspeed alternativeCafé QR compared with Lightspeed
  • Epos Now alternativeCafé QR compared with Epos Now
  • SumUp POS alternativeCafé QR compared with SumUp
  • Toast POS alternativeCafé QR compared with Toast
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Home/Square POS alternative

For venues comparing Square for Restaurants

A Square POS alternative for UK cafés and restaurants

Square for Restaurants is a widely used restaurant POS with a free plan and paid upgrades. Café QR is a cloud POS for independent cafés, restaurants and pubs with the till, kitchen screen and QR table ordering in one published price.

Start free trial →See Café QR pricingJump to the comparison ↓

Square is a trademark of Block, Inc. Café QR is not affiliated with or endorsed by Square. Competitor details checked on 12 October 2026 from their public websites; check current terms with them.

Café QR

Price check · Café QR vs Square for Restaurants

Café QR POS plan
£39/month per venue✓
Square for Restaurants
Free £0, Plus £69/month
Square in-person rate
1.75% per payment
Café QR platform fee
0%
Setup fee
£0.00
Contract
none

Checked 12 October 2026

FROM THEIR OWN WEBSITES

0% platform fee

  • ✓No card to start
  • ✓Runs on any tablet or phone
  • ✓No contract
  • ✓0% platform fee

Side by side

Compare the published details. Theirs and ours.

Prices exclude payment-processing charges unless the row says otherwise. Check the linked provider pages before making a decision.

  • Monthly price

    Café QR
    Order & Pay £9.99, POS £39 and Multi-site £59 plus £29 for each extra venue, per venue per month; first month free with no card needed
    Square for Restaurants
    Free at £0; Plus at £69 per location a month with a 30-day free trial; Premium on custom pricing for venues processing more than £200,000 a year

  • Card processing

    Café QR
    Card payments go to the venue’s own Stripe account at Stripe’s rates (standard UK cards: 1.5% + 20p online, 1.4% + 10p in person); 0% Café QR platform fee
    Square for Restaurants
    1.75% in person on Free and Plus; online 1.4% + 25p for UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for non-UK cards; 2.5% for manual entry and card on file

  • Till

    Café QR
    Counter till and waiter app on the £39 POS plan, with cash, refunds, voids, tabs, split bills, courses, phone orders and cash-up; card by Stripe Terminal reader (UK) or your own card machine
    Square for Restaurants
    Square POS with open bills, table management and cash management on every plan; split by item or seat, course management and floor plan customisation on Plus

  • Kitchen display (KDS)

    Café QR
    Kitchen screen in every plan, in any browser; kitchen stations, held courses and ticket times on the POS plan
    Square for Restaurants
    Square KDS at £15 a month per device on Free; unlimited KDS devices included on Plus and Premium

  • QR ordering

    Café QR
    Table and counter QR ordering in every plan, from £9.99
    Square for Restaurants
    Scan to Pay included on Plus and Premium, at online payment rates; not on Free

  • Online ordering

    Café QR
    Your own collection and delivery page from £14.99 a month, with no commission
    Square for Restaurants
    Square Online Ordering free tier included on Free and Plus; Square’s online card rates apply

  • Table bookings

    Café QR
    Online booking page, bookings diary and waitlist on the POS plan
    Square for Restaurants
    Not listed on the Square for Restaurants pricing page reviewed

  • Stock

    Café QR
    Stock, recipes and dish costs on Multi-site, or a £12 a month add-on per venue
    Square for Restaurants
    Item counts included; Square Restaurant Inventory by MarketMan at £79 a month per location on Plus

  • Multi-site

    Café QR
    Multi-site plan: £59 for the first venue and £29 for each extra venue
    Square for Restaurants
    Multi-location management on every plan; Plus is priced per location

  • Contract

    Café QR
    No contract; cancel any time
    Square for Restaurants
    No long-term contract required; upgrade or downgrade at any time

  • Hardware

    Café QR
    Any iPad, Android tablet or laptop you already have; Stripe card readers from £229 + VAT; Star or Epson network printers
    Square for Restaurants
    Not included in the subscription; Square Stand £99 + VAT (iPad not included), Square Terminal £149 + VAT, Square Register £699 + VAT, 21.5" kitchen display £549 + VAT

  • Works offline

    Café QR
    Till sells offline for cash and your own payment types and syncs when back online; card payments wait for the connection
    Square for Restaurants
    Offline payments on supported Square hardware, within the time limits Square sets
A Square POS alternative for UK cafés and restaurants
DetailCafé QRSquare for Restaurants
Monthly priceOrder & Pay £9.99, POS £39 and Multi-site £59 plus £29 for each extra venue, per venue per month; first month free with no card neededFree at £0; Plus at £69 per location a month with a 30-day free trial; Premium on custom pricing for venues processing more than £200,000 a year
Card processingCard payments go to the venue’s own Stripe account at Stripe’s rates (standard UK cards: 1.5% + 20p online, 1.4% + 10p in person); 0% Café QR platform fee1.75% in person on Free and Plus; online 1.4% + 25p for UK cards and 2.5% + 25p for non-UK cards; 2.5% for manual entry and card on file
TillCounter till and waiter app on the £39 POS plan, with cash, refunds, voids, tabs, split bills, courses, phone orders and cash-up; card by Stripe Terminal reader (UK) or your own card machineSquare POS with open bills, table management and cash management on every plan; split by item or seat, course management and floor plan customisation on Plus
Kitchen display (KDS)Kitchen screen in every plan, in any browser; kitchen stations, held courses and ticket times on the POS planSquare KDS at £15 a month per device on Free; unlimited KDS devices included on Plus and Premium
QR orderingTable and counter QR ordering in every plan, from £9.99Scan to Pay included on Plus and Premium, at online payment rates; not on Free
Online orderingYour own collection and delivery page from £14.99 a month, with no commissionSquare Online Ordering free tier included on Free and Plus; Square’s online card rates apply
Table bookingsOnline booking page, bookings diary and waitlist on the POS planNot listed on the Square for Restaurants pricing page reviewed
StockStock, recipes and dish costs on Multi-site, or a £12 a month add-on per venueItem counts included; Square Restaurant Inventory by MarketMan at £79 a month per location on Plus
Multi-siteMulti-site plan: £59 for the first venue and £29 for each extra venueMulti-location management on every plan; Plus is priced per location
ContractNo contract; cancel any timeNo long-term contract required; upgrade or downgrade at any time
HardwareAny iPad, Android tablet or laptop you already have; Stripe card readers from £229 + VAT; Star or Epson network printersNot included in the subscription; Square Stand £99 + VAT (iPad not included), Square Terminal £149 + VAT, Square Register £699 + VAT, 21.5" kitchen display £549 + VAT
Works offlineTill sells offline for cash and your own payment types and syncs when back online; card payments wait for the connectionOffline payments on supported Square hardware, within the time limits Square sets
01

When Square for Restaurants may fit

Square may fit a venue that wants to start with no monthly software fee: the Free plan includes table management, open bills and multi-location management, and you pay only when you take a payment.

It may also fit a venue that wants Square’s own hardware, offline card payments and one supplier for POS, payments, loyalty and marketing. Square Loyalty (from £25 a month per location), Square Marketing (from £9) and Square Kiosk (£35 per device) are priced separately.

02

When Café QR may fit

Café QR may fit an independent café, restaurant, pub or takeaway that wants one system for the till, the kitchen screen and QR table ordering, and wants to see the full price before speaking to anyone. The POS plan is £39 per venue a month and includes the till, waiter app, tabs, floor plan, bookings and your own online ordering page.

It runs in a browser on hardware you may already own, and card payments go to your own Stripe account with no Café QR platform fee. There is no contract and the first month is free.

It is not the right choice if you need to take card payments through an internet outage: offline, Café QR’s till takes only cash and your own payment types.

03

Already on Square?

You do not have to switch to use Café QR’s QR ordering. Café QR can import your Square catalogue, send paid orders into Square and hide items that are sold out in Square.

To compare costs, add Square’s plan, any per-device KDS or kiosk fees, loyalty and marketing subscriptions, and Square’s card rates on your expected takings.

The app you’ll use

One glass dashboard. Open it on any screen, every shift.

Takings, live orders, tables and what needs you now, on a laptop, a tablet or the phone in your pocket.

SC
Good afternoon, SamThe Corner Café · busy lunchSearch orders, dishes, guests…LightDark Open a screen
TodayHigh St + Market Sq£1,295▲ 12%Takings so far · 38 orders · avg £34
Live orders All →
New4
Cooking4
Ready2
Tables now Floor →72%seatedSeated18Free7To pay3Table 4 wants the billWaiting 3 minTake payment
Needs you now 3
  • 2 guests asking for staffTable 4 wants the bill · Table 9 calledSee requests
  • 3 orders running latePast the kitchen’s 15 min targetKitchen
  • 2 items running lowOat milk, sourdoughReorder
All locationsHigh StMarket Sq+
SCThe Corner CaféOwner · Sam

Good afternoon, Sam

Takings so far£1,295▲ 12%
Live orders
New4
Cooking4
Ready2
72%seatedTables now18 seated · 3 to pay
Today+
  • Takings, liveTill, table QR and online orders in one number.
  • Kitchen on timeLate tickets flag themselves.
  • The floor at a glanceWho’s seated, and who’s waiting to pay.
  • Light or darkPick the look that suits your venue.

Switching from another till

Switching is easy. We do the heavy lifting.

  1. 1We load your menuSend a photo, a PDF or a link. We add the items, prices, options and allergens, free, while you're on your trial.
  2. 2Keep your card machineTake card on the machine you have and tap Card to record it, or move to a Stripe reader when you're ready.
  3. 3No contract, no setup feePay monthly per venue and cancel any time. The first month is free and needs no card.
  4. 4Run it beside your old tillStart with table ordering or the kitchen screen first. A Square till can be linked so paid orders are pushed to it.

Try it now · free AI menu preview

Snap your paper menu. See it as a phone menu.

Upload a clear photo or a short PDF and we’ll read up to 8 items, so you can see how your menu could look before you start.

Drop a menu photo or PDF here

JPEG, PNG, WebP or PDF

Photos are resized in your browser (4 MB after resizing; PDFs 1.5 MB; three previews an hour). Your file is sent to OpenAI to read the menu. Café QR does not save it or add the preview to an account. Check prices and allergens before using them.

Your menu, on a phone

Your items appear here. The file is only used for this preview.

What you need. Probably what you already have.

No proprietary hardware, and no setup fee.

  • The one you haveA tablet or phoneRuns in the browser on an iPad, Android tablet, phone or laptop.
  • OptionalA card readerA Stripe reader, or keep your own machine and record card sales.
  • OptionalA kitchen printerStar or Epson network printers, or use the kitchen screen.
  • NeededWi-FiIf it drops, the till keeps taking cash and uploads the sales later.
Switching fromSquare →Epos Now →Lightspeed →SumUp →Or send your menu on WhatsApp

Sources

Official pages reviewed. Check them yourself.

  • Square for Restaurants pricing (UK)↗
  • Square Online plans and pricing (UK)↗

Ask before buying

Details we could not verify

  • ?Whether Square for Restaurants includes a table booking tool in the UK; it was not listed on the pricing page reviewed.
  • ?Premium plan prices and processing rates, which are custom.
  • ?Hardware discounts, which Square says are available to eligible venues through its sales team.

Questions

Straight answers, before you start.

Visit the help centre →Ask us on WhatsApp
How much is Square for Restaurants in the UK?+

Square’s UK pricing page lists a Free plan at £0, Plus at £69 per location a month with a 30-day free trial, and custom Premium pricing for venues processing more than £200,000 a year. In-person card payments are 1.75% on Free and Plus.

Is Café QR cheaper than Square?+

Not always. Square’s Free plan has no monthly fee, while Café QR’s POS plan is £39 a month. Café QR includes the kitchen screen, QR ordering, bookings and an opt-in loyalty list in that price, and card payments go to your own Stripe account. Compare the total on your own card takings.

Can I use Café QR with my Square till?+

Yes. Café QR can import your Square catalogue, push paid QR orders into Square and hide items that are sold out in Square, so you can add table ordering without changing your till.

Keep comparing

Related pages. Read the next one.

  • Compare UK POS systems→Square, Lightspeed, Epos Now, SumUp and Toast side by side.
  • Square QR ordering alternative→Keep your Square till and add QR table ordering.
  • The Café QR till→Cash, card, tabs, refunds and cash-up.

Prefer to talk it through?

Book a walkthrough or ask us anything.

Tell us about your venue and we’ll reply, usually within one working day, to plan your setup or show you round the till on a call. It’s an enquiry only: no card, no subscription and no trial started.

WhatsApp usOr try the live demo →

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Café QR

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Product+
  • All features
  • Integrations
  • EPOS till system
  • Kitchen display system
  • Self-order kiosk
  • Floor plan and tabs
  • Table bookings
  • Stock and recipes
  • Cash-up and reports
  • Food safety and HACCP
  • EPOS system
  • Cheap EPOS system
  • Card machines for small business

Ordering

  • QR table ordering
  • Order and pay at table
  • Online ordering
  • Delivery app orders
  • CRM and loyalty
  • Profit per dish
  • QR code menu
Solutions+
  • Café POS and till
  • Restaurant POS and management
  • Pub and bar POS
  • Takeaway POS
  • Food truck POS
  • Event POS
Compare+
  • Compare UK POS systems
  • Square POS alternative
  • Lightspeed alternative
  • Epos Now alternative
  • SumUp POS alternative
  • Toast POS alternative

QR ordering

  • SumUp Order & Pay alternative
  • Square QR ordering alternative
  • Sunday alternative
  • Storekit alternative
  • Yoello alternative
  • Scantorder alternative
  • Flipdish alternative
Company+
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Founding venue offer
  • Refer a venue
  • Partners
  • Staff sign in

Resources

  • Pricing
  • Live demo
  • How it works
  • Help centre
  • Blog
  • QR poster maker
  • Where to put your QR codes
  • Data and security

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