EPOS vs POS: what’s the difference—and which suits your business?
Choosing a checkout system can feel like alphabet soup. Here’s a clear, jargon-free guide to help Irish retailers and hospitality owners pick the right fit.
Quick definitions
POS (Point of Sale)
The essentials for taking payments fast: tap/chip, receipts, simple totals. Ideal when you just need to charge and go.
EPOS (Electronic Point of Sale)
POS with brains: inventory, variants, staff permissions, detailed reports, customer/loyalty tools, table management, kitchen tickets/screens, and online ordering integrations.
How they differ (plain English)
- Payments & service
- POS: quick taps, basic receipts, refunds.
- EPOS: split bills, tabs, tips, service charges, vouchers, loyalty.
- Stock & products
- POS: minimal or none.
- EPOS: live stock, sizes/colours, bundles, low-stock alerts, purchase orders.
- Reporting
- POS: daily totals.
- EPOS: product mix, hourly sales, margins, by staff/site, wastage, promos.
- Team controls
- POS: simple login.
- EPOS: roles and permissions, void/discount controls, time clock.
- Integrations & scale
- POS: few add-ons.
- EPOS: accounting, delivery apps, e-commerce, gift/loyalty, multi-site.
Retail examples
- Pop-up market stall or craft fair
- Priorities: speed, portability, long battery life.
- Best fit: POS (mobile terminal). Near-zero training and setup.
- Boutique, convenience, off-licence
- Priorities: barcodes, promos, stock counts, end-of-day reports.
- Best fit: EPOS for proper inventory and margin tracking.
- Multi-site retail
- Priorities: central pricing, one product file, consolidated reporting.
- Best fit: EPOS with multi-site tools.
Hospitality examples
- Food truck or coffee cart
- Priorities: fast lines, compact kit, offline capability for patchy signal.
- Best fit: POS (portable).
- 40-seat café or casual dining
- Priorities: table numbers, modifiers (oat milk/no onions), split bills, tips, kitchen tickets/screens.
- Best fit: EPOS with table management + KDS/printer.
- Busy bar or restaurant group
- Priorities: tabs, happy hours, service charge rules, central menus, real-time sales.
- Best fit: EPOS—scale without losing control.
Costs & setup (no jargon)
- POS
- Hardware: portable card machine.
- Software: often included with payments.
- Training: minutes.
- Suits: start-ups, taxis, trades, events, pop-ups.
- EPOS
- Hardware: touchscreen, printer/KDS, payment terminal; optional handhelds.
- Software: monthly plan (per site/device).
- Training: a few hours (menu/products), then saves time daily.
- Suits: stock-driven retail, cafés/bars/restaurants, multi-site.
8 quick questions to decide
- Do you manage stock or variants (size/colour)? → EPOS
- Need tables, split bills or kitchen tickets? → EPOS
- One device taking simple payments all day? → POS
- Multiple staff with permissions/audit trails? → EPOS
- Pop-ups, taxis, mobile trades, events? → POS
- Want loyalty, gift cards, vouchers? → EPOS
- Running more than one site? → EPOS
- Patchy internet sometimes? Choose devices with offline mode so you can keep trading.
Rollout in six simple steps
- List your must-have features (stock, tables, reports).
- Choose hardware (counter screen vs handhelds; printer vs kitchen screen).
- Configure payments, taxes, tips/discounts.
- Load products/menu and set staff roles.
- Test: order → payment → receipt → report.
- Go live with a short team huddle and cheat-sheet.
How truepos can help
We match Irish businesses with the right setup—simple POS for fast, portable payments or full EPOS for stock, tables and deep reporting. Contracted or no-contract options, local onboarding, next-day payouts, and clear, negotiable rates.
Want a quick recommendation? Tell us your sector, average ticket, and whether you need stock or tables—we’ll point you to the best fit and arrange a demo.
