A takeaway till has one job the others do not: it has to take orders from three places at once, the counter, the phone and the delivery apps, and get them all to the kitchen in the right order. That integration is the whole decision, and it is usually the tier boundary rather than the entry level.
Delivery platform orders are the tier boundary
Accepting orders from third party delivery fleets without retyping them is the feature that makes a takeaway till worth paying for. storekit lists third party delivery fleets among the features of its paid tier rather than its free one, which is typical. A free tier that means retyping every delivery order is not free at all once you count the mistakes.
What a takeaway counter needs in hardware
A screen, a receipt printer at the counter and a second one in the kitchen, a cash drawer and a card terminal. Nothing exotic. The published component bands for a UK build put a screen, a printer and a scanner each in their own range, and a takeaway build is generally at the cheaper end because there is no scanning and no stock take.
Free takeaway software, honestly assessed
Free tiers exist and work for a small counter with no delivery integration. The moment a delivery platform is involved, or two printers, or staff permissions, the free tier stops covering the job. Price the paid tier you will actually be on within six months rather than the one you can start on.
Questions people ask about takeaway epos
How much does takeaway EPOS cost?
Published UK tiers run from free to about 200 pounds a month. A takeaway needing delivery platform integration and kitchen printing is usually on a paid tier rather than the free one.
Is free takeaway EPOS software any good?
For a counter only operation with one printer, yes. Once delivery platform orders or staff permissions are involved, the features you need are above the free tier at most suppliers.
Do takeaway tills connect to delivery apps?
The paid tiers of most current suppliers do. Ask which platforms specifically, because coverage varies, and ask what happens to an order if the integration fails mid service.