UK businesses pay £40–£120/month for EPOS software subscriptions — that is £7,200+ over 5 years. EposDirect costs £399 + VAT once. See the real monthly fee comparison here.
Most UK EPOS software providers charge monthly. They frame it as a lower upfront cost — but the long-term arithmetic is devastating for business owners. At £79/month, you pay £948/year. After 5 years: £4,740. After 10 years: £9,480. For software you never own, that can be switched off, and whose price increases at renewal. EposDirect breaks this model. Pay £399 + VAT once, own the software, use any payment provider, and never pay another software fee. For the overwhelming majority of UK businesses, EposDirect's one-time payment saves thousands over the life of the software.
| Provider | Monthly Cost | 5-Year Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| EposDirect (one-time) | £0/month | £399 + VAT total | Owned forever, all features included |
| Epos Now (subscription) | From £25–£99/month | £1,500–£5,940 | Contract, feature limits, card reader required |
| Lightspeed (subscription) | From £69–£119/month | £4,140–£7,140 | Annual contract, module add-ons cost extra |
| Square for Restaurants | From £0–£69/month | £0–£4,140 + transaction % | Transaction fees make it expensive at volume |
Pay £399 + VAT once. No monthly software fees. FREE setup by our UK team on your existing hardware.
Monthly subscriptions generate recurring revenue for the EPOS provider — and lock businesses into contracts. Every year, the subscription provider earns more from you. EposDirect's model is different: pay once, own the software, and save thousands over the life of your business.
If you stop paying a monthly EPOS subscription, your software is typically switched off — often with loss of access to your own sales data, customer records, and reporting. With EposDirect, you own the software outright. It continues working whether or not you have any relationship with us.
Yes — most subscription EPOS providers charge extra for features that should be standard: stock management, loyalty, kitchen display, multi-site, accounting sync. These add-ons can increase your monthly cost by 50–100% above the base price. EposDirect includes all these features in the £399 + VAT one-time price.
Yes — EposDirect's UK team migrates your product database, customer records, and historical data. Most UK businesses switch from monthly subscription EPOS to EposDirect within one business day with no disruption to trading.