Epos Now vs Flipdish: Which POS Is Better for Restaurants?
Epos Now vs Flipdish: the short answer
Flipdish is the better choice for restaurants, takeaways, cafés and multi-location groups that need online ordering, mobile apps, kiosks and marketing tools working alongside their POS. Epos Now suits smaller operations that need a straightforward point-of-sale system at a lower entry price, but it lacks the integrated restaurant-specific features that growing food-service businesses need.
This comparison covers both platforms in detail so you can make an informed decision.
What is Epos Now?
Epos Now is a UK-based cloud POS provider serving hospitality and retail businesses. It launched in 2011 and has grown to serve a large number of businesses across the UK and internationally. Its hospitality offering covers restaurants, cafés, bars and takeaways.
Epos Now's main selling points are its relatively low entry price, cloud-based architecture and a broad app marketplace that allows third-party integrations for functions such as online ordering, accounting and reservations.
What is Flipdish?
Flipdish is a restaurant technology platform built specifically for food-service businesses. It provides a fully integrated suite covering POS, online ordering, branded mobile apps, self-service kiosks, AI phone ordering and AI marketing.
Flipdish works with restaurant groups and independent operators across the UK and Ireland. Its technology is designed so that all channels — in-store, online, kiosk and telephone — run through the same platform, giving operators a single view of orders, customers and performance.
Features comparison
| Feature | Epos Now | Flipdish |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-based POS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Table management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Menu management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Kitchen display system | Via third-party | ✓ |
| Online ordering (built-in) | Via third-party integration | ✓ |
| Commission-free direct ordering | No | ✓ |
| Branded mobile app | No | ✓ |
| Self-service kiosks | No | ✓ |
| AI phone ordering | No | ✓ |
| AI marketing | No | ✓ |
| Multi-site management | Basic | Advanced |
| Customer loyalty | Via third-party | Built-in |
| Reporting and analytics | Standard | Advanced |
| UK and Ireland support | ✓ | ✓ (strong local presence) |
| Designed specifically for restaurants | No — hospitality and retail | Yes |
The key distinction is integration. Epos Now relies on its app marketplace to extend beyond basic POS functionality. Each integration introduces a separate subscription fee, a separate support relationship and potential points of failure between systems.
Flipdish delivers all of these capabilities natively. A menu change made in the Flipdish platform updates instantly across in-store POS, the online ordering website, the branded mobile app and the kiosk — without needing to sync between platforms.
Pricing structure
Both Epos Now and Flipdish charge monthly subscription fees. Neither publishes fully itemised pricing for all scenarios publicly, which means direct comparison requires getting quotes from both.
Epos Now pricing
Epos Now positions itself as an accessible entry-level option. However, the full cost for a restaurant operation typically includes:
- Monthly software subscription per site or terminal
- Hardware costs (terminals, printers, card machines)
- App marketplace integrations — many of the features restaurants actually need require additional paid integrations
- Payment processing fees
- Onboarding fees
For a restaurant that needs online ordering, loyalty and marketing — not just in-store POS — the effective monthly cost rises considerably once third-party integrations are added.
Flipdish pricing
Flipdish pricing for online ordering is commission-free, which means restaurants keep more of every order rather than paying a percentage to a marketplace or integration.
Flipdish's subscription covers a broad range of capabilities from one vendor, which typically compares favourably against Epos Now plus the integrations needed to achieve comparable functionality.
Online ordering: a critical difference
For most restaurants today, online ordering is not optional. Whether you operate a takeaway, a QSR, a café with click-and-collect or a full-service restaurant accepting pre-orders, you need an online ordering channel.
How Epos Now handles online ordering
Epos Now does not include online ordering natively. Restaurants using Epos Now typically connect it to a third-party online ordering platform — which means an additional subscription, additional integration management and, in many cases, commission fees on every online order.
How Flipdish handles online ordering
Flipdish online ordering is built into the platform. Orders placed online flow directly into the same POS system that handles in-store orders. There is no separate integration to manage, no synchronisation lag and no risk of the two systems falling out of alignment.
Flipdish restaurant websites give restaurants a branded ordering presence on their own domain. Orders placed through the website are commission-free direct orders — unlike marketplace orders, every penny goes to the restaurant.
Mobile apps and kiosks
Two channels that Epos Now does not offer — and Flipdish does — are branded mobile apps and self-service kiosks.
Branded mobile apps
A branded mobile app puts your restaurant's ordering experience on your customers' phones, under your brand. Customers who order through a branded app typically reorder more frequently, spend more per order and are easier to re-engage through push notifications than customers who order through marketplaces.
Flipdish builds and manages branded apps for restaurants. Epos Now has no equivalent capability.
Self-service kiosks
Self-service kiosks are proven to increase average order values — customers presented with upsell prompts at a kiosk consistently spend more than those ordering at a counter. Flipdish kiosks integrate directly with the POS so orders flow into the same kitchen queue.
Epos Now does not offer kiosk hardware or software.
AI capabilities
Flipdish has invested in AI-powered tools designed specifically for restaurant operators:
- AI phone agent — handles telephone orders automatically, capturing revenue from calls that would otherwise go to voicemail or be handled by staff during peak service
- AI marketing — identifies customers at risk of lapsing and sends automated, personalised re-engagement campaigns
Epos Now has no equivalent AI-powered tools for restaurants.
Multi-site management
For restaurant groups with more than one site, multi-site management capability matters enormously. The ability to update a menu across all locations simultaneously, compare performance across sites and manage staff across a group from one dashboard saves significant operational time.
Flipdish was built with multi-location restaurant groups in mind. Its platform is used by restaurant chains and franchise operators across the UK and Ireland, and multi-site management is a core capability rather than an afterthought.
Epos Now offers basic multi-site reporting but lacks the depth of centralised control that growing restaurant groups need.
Which should you choose?
Choose Epos Now if:
- You operate a single site
- You need a basic point of sale at the lowest possible entry cost
- You do not currently need online ordering, kiosks, apps or multi-site management
- You are a small café or bar with simple operational requirements
Choose Flipdish if:
- You operate or plan to operate more than one site
- You want online ordering integrated with your POS
- You want a branded app for your customers
- You are interested in kiosks to grow average order value
- You want AI tools to handle phone orders and automate customer marketing
- You want one vendor relationship covering your entire technology stack
- You want commission-free direct ordering rather than marketplace dependency
For most restaurants with growth ambitions, Flipdish is the stronger long-term platform. The additional cost over Epos Now is offset by the revenue generated through additional ordering channels — and by the cost savings from not needing multiple separate tools to achieve the same outcome.
Switching from Epos Now to Flipdish
Restaurants currently on Epos Now and considering a switch to Flipdish typically find the migration process straightforward. Menu data, customer data and reporting history can be migrated, and Flipdish's implementation team supports the transition.
Key steps in switching POS providers:
- Audit your current tools and integrations — identify what you are paying for across all vendors
- Request a Flipdish demo to see the integrated platform in action
- Build a total cost comparison across 24 months, including all subscriptions, hardware and integration fees
- Plan your cutover to minimise disruption during service
- Use the transition as an opportunity to launch new channels — online ordering, a branded app or kiosks — that generate new revenue from day one
Conclusion
Epos Now is a competent entry-level POS that suits simple single-site operations. For restaurants that need more — online ordering, apps, kiosks, AI tools and multi-site management — Flipdish is the better platform.
The restaurant technology decision is rarely just about which POS is cheapest. It is about which platform generates the most revenue, reduces operational complexity and scales with your business. On those measures, Flipdish comes out clearly ahead.