POS software runs the sale and, in most trades, something else alongside it: appointments in a salon, table plans in a restaurant, stock in a shop. That second thing is what decides the supplier, because a general till that needs a separate booking system usually costs more in total than a trade specific one that includes it.
Salons buy a diary, not a till
A salon's day is a booking sheet: stylists, chair time, deposits, no shows and repeat clients. A till that cannot hold that is a till you will run beside a separate diary, entering everything twice. When comparing salon POS, price the appointment side first and treat the payment side as the easier problem, because every provider here can take the card.
What the monthly figure actually buys
Published UK tiers between zero and about 200 pounds a month per site cover a spectrum from a product list to full multi site operations. The step that costs money is almost always staff and stock: permissions, timesheets, purchase orders and transfers. If you do not need those, the entry tier is genuinely enough and paying above it is buying a feature list.
Integrated card rates, and whether to accept them
Trade specific POS suppliers frequently bundle the card terminal, which is convenient and makes the card rate part of the software contract. That is fine when the bundled rate is competitive with the published shelf, which runs from 0.79% to 1.75% here. Ask what the rate is in writing, and whether you may bring your own acquirer if it is not.
Questions people ask about pos software
What does salon POS software cost?
UK POS tiers generally run from free to about 200 pounds a month per site, and trade specific salon systems sit toward the middle of that once appointments and staff management are included.
Do I need trade specific POS software?
If your business runs on bookings or table service, usually yes, because the alternative is a second system and double entry. A straightforward shop can run perfectly well on a general till.
Can I keep my own card provider with POS software?
Sometimes. Suppliers that bundle payments often prefer you do not, and the software price usually assumes you will use theirs. Ask before signing, because unbundling later means reopening both contracts.