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Compare Epos Now vs CAKE POS: pricing, features, pros, cons, and which is right for your business.

Epos Now vs CAKE POS

Updated October 2026 · Restaurant POS Software software comparison

Epos Now

Epos Now

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Low-cost iPad and tablet restaurant POS with in-house flat-rate card processing

★ 4.6 26 reviews
CAKE POS

CAKE POS

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All-in-one restaurant POS with a guest display, processing, and support bundled at $0 down

★ 4.6 522 reviews

At a Glance

Criteria Epos Now CAKE POS
Overall Rating ★ 4.6
26 reviews
★ 4.6
522 reviews
Starting Price Contact vendor Contact vendor
Pricing Model Quote Only Quote Only
Free Trial No No
Deployment cloud, mobile cloud, mobile
Best For Freelancer, Smb Smb, Mid Market

Strengths & Weaknesses

Epos Now
CAKE POS
Pros
✓Low upfront cost — the hardware bundle headline (around $349) undercuts restaurant-native rivals
✓All-in-one bundle: POS, payments, online ordering, loyalty, gift cards, and kiosk under one vendor
✓Transparent flat card processing at 2.6% + 10¢ with free refunds and no long-term processing contract
✓Guest-facing Customer Touch Display included on every plan — an upsell and loyalty screen at checkout
✓Runs on your own iPad or Epos Now tablet kit — not locked to fully proprietary hardware
✓No up-front capital and no monthly POS bill — hardware, software, and support ride the processing rate
✓Ingredient-level inventory with automated purchase orders and low-stock alerts
✓24/7 U.S.-based human support on all plans — the dominant praise across reviews
✓KDS groups tickets by course and order type to speed the line during a rush
✓Lifetime equipment replacement advertised on every package
✓In-house payments plus accounting, loyalty and reservation integrations in one platform
✓Commission-free online ordering and DoorDash/Uber Eats/Grubhub consolidation in one ticket queue
Cons
✗Reporting depth is the dominant gap — basics are covered but data-driven operators outgrow it
✗Cost is embedded in the card-processing rate rather than a transparent monthly line — fees can add up and are harder to compare
✗Fees draw recurring complaints even with the flat published processing rate
✗Tied to CAKE's own payment processing; you cannot bring your own processor
✗Integrations can bring gaps or friction connecting some third-party tools
✗Reviewers cite gaps connecting some third-party tools
✗The mobile app experience is a repeated gripe in reviews
✗Reporting depth can fall short of what some operators want to pull
✗Software subscription is sold by quote with no public monthly price
✗A learning curve during initial setup
✗General retail-and-hospitality platform — restaurant workflows are broader but shallower than restaurant-only rivals
✗Runs only on CAKE's proprietary hardware, not off-the-shelf iPads

Who uses restaurant software — and what each person does with it

🧑‍🍳 Owner / GM

Watches sales, food cost, labor and prime cost across shifts and locations on one dashboard — sees which menu items and dayparts actually make money.

📋 Floor manager

Builds the schedule against forecasted sales, approves shift swaps, seats the floor and clears the waitlist, and pulls the daily close from the POS.

🍽️ Server / FOH

Fires orders from the POS or a handheld, splits and adjusts checks, takes payment tableside, and the kitchen sees the ticket instantly on the KDS.

👨‍🍳 Kitchen / BOH

Works tickets on the kitchen display with station routing and timers, marks items 86'd, and depletes inventory automatically as dishes sell.

The flow the software runs end to end: guest orders (dine-in, online or delivery) → ticket fires to the KDS → items depleted from inventory → payment captured at the POS → sales, food and labor cost post to reporting and accounting → schedule and purchasing adjust to the numbers. Each stage hands off to the next without re-keying.

Who Should Choose Which?

Choose Epos Now if…
  • Your team fits the freelancer or smb profile
  • Your preferred deployment is cloud or mobile
  • Low upfront cost — the hardware bundle headline (around $349) undercuts restaurant-native rivals
Choose CAKE POS if…
  • Your team fits the smb or mid market profile
  • Your preferred deployment is cloud or mobile
  • All-in-one bundle: POS, payments, online ordering, loyalty, gift cards, and kiosk under one vendor

Our Verdict

Epos Now targets freelancer/smb businesses with quote only pricing . Its strongest selling points include low upfront cost — the hardware bundle headline (around $349) undercuts restaurant-native rivals and transparent flat card processing at 2.6% + 10¢ with free refunds and no long-term processing contract.

CAKE POS targets smb/mid_market businesses with quote only pricing . Its key advantages include all-in-one bundle: pos, payments, online ordering, loyalty, gift cards, and kiosk under one vendor and guest-facing customer touch display included on every plan — an upsell and loyalty screen at checkout.

Both tools are reviewed independently — see the full reviews below to dig into integrations, implementation timelines, and user sentiment.

Free · No credit card

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  • 30-minute product walkthrough
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