Hospitality POS: complete comparison guide [2026]

Looking for the best hospitality POS system for your restaurant, cafe or bar? Choose a point of sale system that fits your type of venue, connects with your payment and reservation tools, and grows with your ambitions. For most hospitality businesses, it comes down to a handful of proven names: unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA. Each has its own strengths per venue type and budget.

You run a busy venue and your POS system stutters at exactly the wrong moment. Sound familiar? A solid hospitality POS solves that, but the choice is hard because every vendor paints the prettiest picture. In this guide you get an honest comparison, the selection criteria that truly matter, and you will see how a smart POS integration with QR payments raises your table turnover and tips. No jargon, no invented numbers.

What a hospitality POS actually is

A hospitality POS is the point of sale system built specifically for the hospitality industry. POS stands for Point of Sale, the place where the transaction happens. Unlike a regular retail till, a hospitality POS accounts for tables, courses, splitting, tips and the flow of ordering at the table.

The system does far more than take payments. It records orders, sends tickets to the kitchen, tracks your revenue and delivers data that helps you buy and plan smarter. In short, it is the backbone of your operation.

A good hospitality POS system typically combines these components:

• Order entry at the table, at the bar or via a handheld terminal
• Kitchen routing with ticket printers or kitchen display screens
• Table management with a visual floor plan of your venue
• Payment processing via card, cash and increasingly QR
• Reporting on revenue, popular dishes and peak hours
• Stock and product management linked to your menu

To be clear: Splitty is not a POS system itself. Splitty connects with your existing hospitality POS and handles the payment moment via QR at the table. More on that later.

Why your POS system decides more than you think

Your POS touches every moment of service. A slow or illogical system costs you time, mistakes and ultimately revenue. A system that fits lets your team work fluidly and gives you a grip on your numbers.

Think about the concrete pain points a wrong system creates:

• Staff hunting for the right button during the rush
• Tickets ending up in the wrong place in the kitchen
• Bills that do not add up when splitting
• No view of which dishes make money and which do not
• Separate tools that do not talk to each other, so double work

The opposite is just as important. A POS system that connects seamlessly with your payment solution speeds up settling the bill enormously. At venues that work with Splitty, guests pay in around 15 seconds on average instead of waiting minutes for service. That does not just save time, it frees up tables faster.

Want to know how that time saving translates into more revenue? Read our guide on raising table turnover and getting more covers out of your venue.

The leading restaurant POS systems compared

The market has a handful of serious players. Below we compare the systems Splitty connects with, plus the context you need to choose. We deliberately avoid exact prices or market shares we cannot verify. Always check the current rates and terms with the vendor.

unTill

unTill is a well-known name in hospitality, used by everything from local pubs to full table-service restaurants. The system is known for extensive table management and strong functionality for service at the table.

Strong in:

• Extensive table and course management
• Proven reliability in busy venues
• A wide choice of integrations and peripherals

Watch out for:

• The setup takes some attention at the start
• Ask for current licence and support terms from the vendor

Splitty connects directly with unTill. Guests scan, split, pay and tip at the table, while every transaction is processed automatically in unTill. Want to know more? See how you connect your unTill POS to Splitty.

Lightspeed Restaurant

Lightspeed is an international, cloud-based player used by many restaurants that value extensive reporting and a large ecosystem of apps and integrations. The system is popular with venues managing multiple locations or channels.

Strong in:

• 100 percent cloud, accessible anywhere
• Large range of integrations and apps
• Strong analytics and stock functions

Watch out for:

• The many features can be overkill for a small venue
• Check the current subscription tiers with Lightspeed

The connection between Lightspeed and Splitty is one of the most requested. Every QR payment flows back automatically into Lightspeed, so no retyping and no waiting tables. Read more about the Lightspeed connection with Splitty.

Vectron

Vectron is an established name with strong, reliable hardware and tills widely used in cafes, brasseries and restaurants. The system is known for speed and stability during peak moments.

Strong in:

• Robust, fast POS hardware
• Reliable at high transaction volumes
• Suitable for a variety of venue types

Watch out for:

• Ask about the options for cloud and reporting features
• Discuss integrations up front with your vendor

Splitty connects directly with your Vectron POS. Guests settle up themselves via QR and every payment is written back automatically. Discover the details in the Vectron connection for faster payments.

MplusKASSA

MplusKASSA is a flexible, modular system popular with operators who want to pay for what they use. The cloud approach makes it scalable, from a single venue to a chain.

Strong in:

• Modular build, pay for what you need
• Cloud architecture, suited for growth
• Extensive reporting options

Watch out for:

• Extra modules raise the cost, calculate the total price
• Ask for the current module costs from MplusKASSA

Splitty connects plug and play with MplusKASSA. Guests scan the QR at the table, split and pay themselves, and every transaction arrives automatically and flawlessly. Read the MplusKASSA connection guide for faster payments.

Where Splitty fits in this list

Important to understand: Splitty does not compete with these POS systems. Splitty is the layer on top that takes over the payment moment. You simply keep your trusted POS and add QR payments at the table. No switch, no extra hardware, no complicated installation.

Selection criteria: how to choose the best hospitality POS

The best hospitality POS does not exist as a general answer. The best system is the one that fits your venue type, budget and way of working. Run through these criteria before you sign.

1. Does it fit your type of venue

A fine dining restaurant has different needs than a busy terrace or a quick lunch spot. Check whether the system is strong at what you do most: table service, bar sales, takeaway or a mix. Choose functionality you actually use, not the longest feature list.

2. Scalability

Think beyond today. Do you want to open a second location in two years? Then choose a system that handles multiple locations with central management. A system you outgrow later costs you a painful migration.

3. Integration options

Your POS has to talk to your other tools: payment solution, reservation system, accounting and staff planning. An open API and proven integrations save you huge amounts of manual work. Ask explicitly about the connection with your payment solution.

4. Total cost over several years

Look beyond the purchase price. Calculate licence costs, hardware, training, updates and support over at least 3 years. A cheap entry system can end up more expensive than a complete package once all the modules are added.

5. Reliability and support

Your POS must not go down during the Friday night rush. Ask about offline functionality, uptime and how quickly you reach support when something goes wrong. Support in your own language is worth its weight in gold.

6. Ease of use for your team

Your staff need to work it blind. A steep learning curve means mistakes and frustration. Ask for a demo where your service team can click around themselves, not just the salesperson.

7. Data and reporting

Good reporting lets you buy, plan and optimise menus more smartly. Without insight you steer on gut feeling. Read more about what you can pull from your POS data in restaurant POS data: 9 insights that count.

Cloud versus local: what fits your venue

One of the first choices is cloud or local (on-premise). Both have pros and cons. The right choice depends on your internet connection, your need for remote access and your risk tolerance.

Cloud-based POS

• Accessible anywhere, including from home or on the go
• Automatic updates, always the latest version
• Usually a monthly subscription
• Dependent on your internet connection

Local (on-premise) POS

• Keeps working during an internet outage
• Data sits physically in your venue
• Often a larger upfront investment
• You handle updates and maintenance yourself or via your vendor

Many modern systems are hybrid: they keep working locally during an outage and sync as soon as the connection returns. Always ask explicitly what happens if your internet drops during service. That is exactly the moment you do not want to be figuring it out.

Integrations: why your POS is the nervous system

Your POS system is the heart of your operation, but it only truly performs when it connects seamlessly with the rest of your tools. Separate systems that do not talk to each other mean double entry and more chance of errors.

The most important connections for most hospitality venues:

• Payment solution: card, QR and tips, processed directly in the till
• Reservations: tables and availability in one overview
• Accounting: revenue passed through automatically, less manual work
• Staff planning: hours and labour costs linked to revenue data
• Digital menu: your offering current on every channel

The payment connection in particular delivers direct gains. A QR payment solution linked to your hospitality POS speeds up settling the bill and prevents double admin. Want to weigh up different payment methods? Read payment kiosk or QR payments: what fits your venue.

A digital menu belongs in this list too. More on smarter ordering in digital menu: smarter ordering in your venue.

Hospitality POS and QR payments: the win of a connection

This is where the biggest opportunity sits for most venues. You already have a good POS system, but the payment moment stays a bottleneck. Guests want to pay, and it takes too long. Your team runs back and forth with the card machine. Tables stay occupied while people wait at the door.

A QR payment solution on top of your hospitality POS solves that. Here is how it works with Splitty:

1. The guest scans the QR code on the table, no app needed
2. Splitty pulls the live bill directly from your POS system
3. The guest splits per dish, equally or with a custom amount
4. Payment goes via iDEAL, Apple Pay or credit card
5. A tip suggestion appears, entirely optional
6. After payment an automatic request for a Google review follows
7. The payment flows back automatically into your POS, no retyping

The results we see at venues that work with Splitty:

• Payment in 15 seconds instead of waiting minutes
• On average 5x more tips thanks to smart tip suggestions
• Up to 7x more Google reviews via the automatic review request
• On average 450 transactions per month per venue via QR

The beauty: nothing changes about your guest contact. Guests still order with the service team as they are used to. Only the payment goes faster and smoother. Want to see how QR payments lower the workload on your team? Read QR payments: reducing staff workload in your venue.

And because every payment is a chance at a review and at winning back the guest, the payment moment is suddenly more valuable than ever. More on that in winning guests back after payment: complete guide.

Splitting without the hassle

Large groups are often the hardest to settle up. Everyone wants to pay separately, and then the arithmetic starts. With a QR payment solution each guest chooses their own items or a custom amount. No payment requests after the fact, no discussion at the table.

For venues that receive a lot of groups, this is a relief. Read the complete approach in group payments restaurant solution: complete guide.

Cost of a hospitality POS system

The cost of a hospitality POS system varies widely. It depends on the number of terminals, the modules you take, the hardware and the service level. We deliberately avoid quoting amounts we cannot verify. Always request a tailored quote.

What do the costs usually consist of:

• Hardware: tills, ticket printers, handheld terminals, cash drawer
• Software: licence or monthly subscription per terminal
• Modules: extra functions such as reporting or stock
• Installation and training: one-off at the start
• Support and updates: ongoing, often in a service contract

A tip that saves a lot of money: calculate the total cost over 3 years, not just the entry price. A system that looks cheap but has expensive modules can work out more costly than a complete package.

And then the payment side. Splitty works without fixed monthly costs, you only pay per transaction. For the exact terms per venue it is best to get in touch via the Splitty contact form.

Implementation: from choice to live

A good choice is half the work. The other half is a smooth implementation. The longer your venue is down or stuttering during the switch, the more it costs.

The steps when implementing a new POS system:

1. Inventory: map out your tables, menu and way of working
2. Configuration: products, prices and floor plan in the system
3. Place hardware: terminals, printers and network
4. Connections: payment solution, accounting and reservations
5. Training: your team learns to work with the system
6. Test run: a quiet service as a trial before going live
7. Live and adjust: fine-tune in the first weeks

The connection with a QR payment solution is often faster than you think. At Splitty the onboarding is plug and play. We handle the setup, connect with your existing POS and briefly train your team. You do not have to switch to a different POS system, so your existing workflow stays intact.

Real-world example: busy terrace on a Saturday night

Picture this: a brasserie with a 40-table terrace on a warm Saturday night. It is packed and the queue at the door is growing.

The situation: the POS system runs fine for taking orders. The service team is working flat out, dishes come out on time, the atmosphere is great.

The problem: the payments jam up. Guests want to pay, but the service team is still busy with other tables. Groups want to split, which costs extra time at the card machine. Tables stay occupied while people wait. Every minute of waiting is a missed turnover.

The solution: a QR payment solution on top of the existing POS system. Guests scan the QR on the table, see their live bill, split themselves and pay when they are ready. The service team no longer runs back and forth with the card machine. The payment flows back automatically into the till.

The result: at venues that work with Splitty this way, we see payment happen in around 15 seconds instead of waiting minutes. Tables free up faster, so more covers per evening. The team keeps time for hospitality. And because every guest sees a tip suggestion, tips come out on average 5x higher. After paying, an automatic review request follows, which benefits online visibility.

This example is recognisable and hypothetical, but the underlying Splitty figures (15 seconds, 5x more tips, 450 transactions per month per venue) are the averages we see in practice.

Common mistakes when choosing a POS system

You do not choose a POS system every month. That is exactly why it is a shame to fall into one of these traps.

• Choosing on price alone. The cheapest system is rarely the most economical over 3 years. Look at total cost and what you get back.
• Buying too many features. A long feature list feels safe, but you pay for functions you never use. Choose what fits your venue.
• Forgetting integrations. A system that does not connect with your payment solution or accounting costs you a lot of manual work later.
• Not involving the team. Your service team works with it daily. Let them help decide and try the demo themselves.
• Underestimating support. Ask up front how quickly you get help during a failure at the peak. Then you know where you stand.
• Ignoring the payment moment. Many operators optimise ordering but leave the payment moment untouched. That is exactly where the most time saving and tips sit.

Want to look beyond just the POS system and also modernise your payment process? Compare the options in contactless payments in hospitality: SoftPOS vs QR.

Summary

• A hospitality POS is the POS system built specifically for hospitality, with tables, splitting, tips and kitchen routing.
• The best hospitality POS depends on your venue type, budget and way of working, not on the longest feature list.
• The main players Splitty connects with are unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA. Check current prices and terms with the vendor.
• Choose based on fit, scalability, integrations, total cost, reliability, ease of use and reporting.
• Cloud, local or hybrid: always ask what happens during an internet outage in service.
• The biggest win often sits in the payment moment. A QR payment solution on top of your existing POS speeds up settling to around 15 seconds.
• At venues that work with Splitty we see on average 5x more tips, up to 7x more Google reviews and on average 450 transactions per month per venue.
• Splitty is not a POS system but a connection on top, without a switch or extra hardware.

Frequently asked questions

What is a hospitality POS?

A hospitality POS is a POS system designed specifically for the hospitality industry. POS stands for Point of Sale. Unlike a retail till, a hospitality POS accounts for tables, courses, splitting, tips and the flow of ordering at the table. It records orders, sends tickets to the kitchen, processes payments and delivers reporting on your revenue. In short, it is the backbone of your operation that keeps both the service and the admin running smoothly.

What is the best POS system for hospitality?

There is no general answer, because the best POS system depends on your type of venue, budget and way of working. For most hospitality businesses, unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA come into view, each with its own strengths. unTill is strong in table management, Lightspeed in cloud and integrations, Vectron in reliable hardware and MplusKASSA in modular flexibility. Choose based on fit, scalability and integration options, not just the longest feature list or the lowest price.

What does a hospitality POS system cost?

Costs vary widely and depend on the number of terminals, the modules, the hardware and the service level. They usually consist of hardware, a software licence or subscription, extra modules, installation, training and ongoing support. Calculate the total cost over at least 3 years rather than looking only at the entry price. Always request a tailored quote from the vendor. On the payment side, Splitty works without fixed monthly costs, you only pay per transaction.

Is Splitty a POS system?

No. Splitty is not a POS system but a QR payment solution that connects with your existing hospitality POS. You keep your trusted till and add QR payments at the table. Guests scan the QR code, see the live bill from your POS system, split, pay and tip. Every transaction flows back automatically into your POS. So you do not have to switch to a different system and no extra hardware is needed.

Which POS systems does Splitty connect with?

Splitty connects with unTill, Lightspeed, Vectron and MplusKASSA. Is your POS system not among them? Then a connection is often still possible. Get in touch to discuss the options for your system. Splitty handles the connection, without extra hardware or complicated installation. Payments are processed automatically in your till, so no retyping and no double admin.

Cloud or local POS, which is better?

That depends on your situation. A cloud-based system is accessible anywhere, gets automatic updates and works on subscription, but depends on your internet connection. A local system keeps working during an internet outage and the data sits physically in your venue, but often requires a larger upfront investment. Many modern systems are hybrid: they keep working locally during a failure and sync as soon as the connection returns. Always ask explicitly what happens during an internet outage in service.

How long does POS implementation take?

That varies per system and per venue. A cloud-based system can be operational relatively quickly, while a more complex installation with customisation takes more time. The biggest time investment usually sits in configuring your menu and training your team. A connection with a QR payment solution is often quick to arrange. At Splitty the onboarding is plug and play: we handle the setup, connect with your existing till and give your team a short training.

Does QR payment change contact with my guests?

No, the guest contact stays intact. Guests still order with the service team as they are used to. Only the payment goes via the QR code on the table. That means your team runs back and forth less with the card machine and keeps more time for hospitality. The personal moment at the table stays, while the frustrating wait for the bill disappears. At venues that work with Splitty, guests pay in around 15 seconds on average.

What happens if a guest leaves without paying?

That is theoretically possible, but in practice hardly ever a problem. Someone who plans to walk out is not stopped by a card machine either. In practice this happens very rarely. Splitty also prevents double payments: as soon as an item is settled, it disappears from the overview of other guests. So your team keeps an overview via the dashboard and the POS system of what has been paid and what is still outstanding.

How does a good POS connection help my revenue?

A good connection between your POS system and your payment solution speeds up settling the bill. Faster payment means tables free up sooner, so more covers per evening at peak moments. At venues that work with Splitty we see payment in around 15 seconds and on average 5x more tips through smart tip suggestions. On top of that, the automatic review request after payment delivers up to 7x more Google reviews, which improves your online visibility and therefore your footfall. More revenue from the same venue, without extra staff.

Can my staff still settle up manually?

Yes. A QR payment solution works alongside your POS system, not in its place. Your team can still manage or close bills manually as usual. Guests who prefer to pay cash or by card can keep doing so. Splitty is an extra option for convenience and speed, not an obligation. So you keep all the flexibility while guests who want it can settle up lightning fast themselves.

Sources

This article is based on product documentation from Splitty and the POS system vendors. For current prices, terms and features, always consult the vendor directly.

Compiled by Team Splitty this article is based on official documentation from payment providers, industry research and hands-on experience within hospitality.