The best POS for most Australian restaurants is Square, which has free software, table management through Square for Restaurants, and a competitive flat rate. Lightspeed Restaurant is the strongest dedicated hospitality platform, Zeller offers the lowest flat rate for counter-service venues, and Idealpos suits pubs and clubs with gaming.
Independent guide by MerchantCompare. Prices last checked . How we compare
Square is the best all-round restaurant POS for most venues. The software is free, Square for Restaurants adds table management and coursing, the flat rate is competitive, and you can be trading the same day with inexpensive hardware.
Watch out: Less specialised than dedicated hospitality platforms for very large or complex venues.
Lightspeed Restaurant is built specifically for table service, with floor plans, coursing, and deep hospitality features. The right choice for a restaurant that wants a purpose-built platform rather than a general POS.
Watch out: It charges a monthly software fee, dearer than the free options.
Zeller has the lowest flat rate here and bundles a free Australian business account, which suits cafes and counter-service venues that take most payments at the till and want the cheapest processing.
Watch out: No table management, so better for cafes and counter service than full table-service restaurants.
Idealpos is built for pubs, clubs and hotels, with graphical floor plans, membership and gaming integrations. A specialist choice where venues need more than standard restaurant features.
Watch out: Pricing is by quote, so you need to contact them for a figure.
Toast is a dedicated restaurant platform popular with larger and multi-site venues that want an all-in-one hospitality system. Worth a look for ambitious or growing restaurant groups.
Watch out: Australian pricing is by quote and it is aimed at bigger operations.
Enter your business details to see what each option would cost you. Prices are live from our database and shown in Australian dollars.
| 5 Providers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Est. Cost /mo (AUD) | $320/mo | $79/mo+ processing | $280/moCheapest | ||
| Ratings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6Capterra (3,031) | 4.4Capterra (215) | 4.0Trustpilot (264) | — | 4.2Capterra (552) | |
| Software & Pricing | |||||
| $0/mo | $79-359/mo | $0/mo (POS Lite) | Quote | Quote (AU) | |
| 1.6% | BestVia Lightspeed Payments | 1.4% | Via integrated EFTPOS | Quote | |
| None | None | None | None | None | |
| From $65 | iPad-based, card reader from $65 | Terminal $99 | Proprietary bundles (quote) | Quote (AU) | |
| Free | Free | Free | Quote | Quote | |
| Month-to-month (no lock-in) | Month-to-month or annual | Month-to-month (no lock-in) | Quote | Annual (typical) | |
| Not needed (free to start) | Yes (14 days) | Not needed (free to use) | No (demo available) | Yes (free Starter Kit globally) | |
| Included (free per device) | +$40/mo per register | Included | Quote | Quote | |
| Core Features | |||||
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | Limited (basic items) | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Industry & Integrations | |||||
| Yes (Square for Restaurants) | Yes | No | Yes (graphical floor plans) | Yes | |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 300+ (Xero, MYOB, WooCommerce) | 200+ (accounting, delivery, ticketing) | Xero, MYOB | Gaming and membership systems | 100+ (delivery, accounting, marketing) | |
| Both | Hospitality | Both | Hospitality (pubs, clubs, hotels) | Hospitality | |
| Business hours (AU) | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 | 24/7 | |
| AI | |||||
| Native (AI builder, copy, Photo Studio) | Native (Lightspeed AI, menu insights) | Limited (smart insights) | No | Native (Toast IQ) | |
| Native MCP (dev/ops, beta) | Via 3rd-party (Zapier) | API only | API only | Via 3rd-party (community) |
A restaurant POS is the nerve centre of the venue: it takes orders, runs tables, sends tickets to the kitchen, processes payments and tells you what sold. The right system depends heavily on your service style, a quick-service cafe and a full table-service restaurant need very different things, and on whether you want a free all-rounder or a purpose-built hospitality platform. Below are our ranked picks, then a live calculator to cost each at your card volume.
Hospitality venues weigh POS on service-style fit first, then total cost. We ranked on whether the system has table management and floor plans (essential for table service, irrelevant for a coffee window), the processing rate and any software fee, how quickly you can be trading, and fit for specific venue types like pubs and clubs. Pricing is live from our database in Australian dollars.
This is the decision that matters most. If you take orders at a counter, a cafe, takeaway or coffee van, you want low cost and speed, which points to Square or Zeller with their free software. If you run table service, you need table management, coursing and the ability to split and transfer bills, which points to Square for Restaurants or a dedicated platform like Lightspeed Restaurant. Pubs, clubs and hotels with gaming and membership have their own needs, where a specialist like Idealpos earns its place.
A free POS on a flat rate can beat a paid platform with a lower rate once you count the monthly software fee, and vice versa at high volume. Work out software plus processing together at your real card takings, which is exactly what the calculator above does. For a busy venue, a slightly lower rate can outweigh a software fee; for a small cafe, free software usually wins.
For most Australian restaurants and cafes, Square is the best all-rounder: free software, table management when you need it, and a competitive rate. Choose Lightspeed Restaurant if you want a platform built purely for table service, Zeller if you run a cafe or counter-service venue and want the lowest flat rate, and Idealpos if you are a pub, club or hotel with gaming and membership needs. Toast is worth a look for larger, multi-site operations. Use the calculator above to cost each at your volume.
For most restaurants, Square is the best overall: free software, table management through Square for Restaurants, and a competitive flat rate. For a purpose-built hospitality platform, Lightspeed Restaurant is stronger, and cafes wanting the lowest rate should look at Zeller. See the live rates and calculator above.
Square and Zeller both have free POS software with no monthly fee, so you only pay card processing (Zeller has the lower flat rate of the two). That makes them the cheapest entry points for cafes and restaurants, versus dedicated platforms like Lightspeed Restaurant that charge a monthly software fee.
Some do. Square for Restaurants, Lightspeed Restaurant, Idealpos and Toast include table management and floor plans. Zeller does not, so it suits counter-service cafes more than full table-service restaurants. Match the feature to your service style before choosing.
A cafe taking orders at the counter does well with Square or Zeller for low cost and simplicity. A full table-service restaurant benefits from table management and coursing, so Square for Restaurants or a dedicated platform like Lightspeed Restaurant is the better fit.
We are independent and not owned by any provider. Our picks weigh price, features and Australian fit for restaurants and hospitality, using live pricing from our database, last checked 16 July 2026. The comparison table lets you estimate each option at your own numbers. See How we compare for our full method.