Softwr

Restaurants · head to head

Caviar vs Epos Now

Caviar logo

Caviar

Restaurants

Premium restaurant delivery service

From
$20/order
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Epos Now logo

Epos Now

Restaurants

Cloud point of sale for hospitality and retail sold with hardware finance and attached payment processing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Caviar limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas; Epos Now hardware is often placed on a finance agreement with a third party, so cancelling the software subscription leaves the equipment payments running for the remainder of the term.
  • They diverge on capability: Caviar covers Premium delivery, Epos Now covers Cloud till software.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Caviar and Epos Now actually diverge.

Attributes where Caviar and Epos Now differ
AttributeCaviarEpos Now
Starting price$20/orderOn request
Pricing modeltransactionquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Windows
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Restaurants).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Caviar

  • Premium delivery
  • Curated marketplace
  • Order management
  • Quality-focused
  • Analytics
  • DoorDash
  • Toast
  • Square

Only in Epos Now

  • Cloud till software
  • Hardware bundles
  • Integrated payments
  • AppStore add ons
  • Stock and product management
  • Multi site reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Caviar

  • Point of Salenot Epos Now
  • Order Managementnot Epos Now
  • Inventory Controlnot Epos Now
  • Staff Schedulingnot Epos Now

Epos Now

  • A single site cafe or bar wanting a low upfront cost till system installed quicklynot Caviar
  • An independent needing basic stock, staff and sales reporting without an implementation projectnot Caviar
  • An operator running both a small retail line and a food offer on one systemnot Caviar
  • A business replacing a mechanical till that has no reporting or remote access at allnot Caviar

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Caviar

  • Limited availability to 20 major metropolitan areas
  • Service fee of 18 percent applied to all orders
  • Not available in all regions as standalone service

Epos Now

  • Hardware is often placed on a finance agreement with a third party, so cancelling the software subscription leaves the equipment payments running for the remainder of the term.
  • Software, hardware finance and card processing are three separate agreements with different notice periods, which makes a clean exit difficult and is the source of most published complaints.
  • The vendor makes its margin on payment processing, so the low advertised software price is offset by a card rate that costs far more across a year of trading.
  • Sales is telesales led and buyers report pressure to sign quickly, which is a poor fit for a decision involving multi year finance commitments.
  • Useful capability is spread across paid add ons in the application store, so the functional system a restaurant actually needs costs considerably more than the entry subscription.

Pricing, plan by plan

Caviar

$20/order
  • Standard$25/percent
    • Premium delivery
    • Curated placement

Epos Now

On request
  • Epos Now$undefined/year
    • Software subscription quoted per till
    • Hardware frequently supplied under a separate finance or lease agreement
    • Card processing contracted separately and priced by negotiated rate

Which should you pick?

Choose Caviar if

  • You need premium delivery.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want curated marketplace.
Caviar review

Choose Epos Now if

  • You need cloud till software.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
  • You also want hardware bundles.
Epos Now review

Questions people ask

Is Caviar or Epos Now better?
Neither clearly leads. Caviar starts at $20/order and Epos Now at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Caviar or Epos Now?
Caviar starts at $20/order and Epos Now at On request.
Does Caviar or Epos Now run on more platforms?
Caviar runs on Web, iOS, Android. Epos Now runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
What is Caviar best used for?
Caviar is most often used for point of sale, order management, inventory control, staff scheduling. Of those, point of sale and order management are not what Epos Now is typically brought in for.
What can Caviar do that Epos Now cannot?
Caviar covers Premium delivery, Curated marketplace, Order management, Quality-focused. Epos Now covers Cloud till software, Hardware bundles, Integrated payments, AppStore add ons.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Caviar: What does Caviar charge for delivery?

A service fee of 18 percent is applied to each Caviar delivery order. The delivery fee ranges from $1.99 to $8.99 depending on distance and demand. Customers ordering for pickup pay no order minimums, service fee or delivery fee.

Source
Epos Now: Is the hardware bought or leased?

Frequently financed through a third party agreement rather than bought outright. Ask explicitly which it is and read the term before signing.

Caviar: Is Caviar available as a standalone service?

No. Caviar was acquired by DoorDash in October 2019 and now operates as part of the DoorDash platform. DoorDash members with DashPass enjoy waived delivery fees and reduced service charges on Caviar orders.

Source
Epos Now: Can I cancel the software and keep trading?

You can stop the subscription, but a separate hardware finance agreement continues to its own end date, and processing is contracted separately again.

Epos Now: Do I have to use their card processing?

It is the commercial basis of the pricing. Using another acquirer, where permitted, changes the software quote.

Epos Now: Is it suitable for a busy full service restaurant?

It handles straightforward hospitality service. Complex coursing, large table management and high volume kitchens are better served by restaurant specific systems.

Share

Related pages

More on Caviar

More on Epos Now

Keep looking

Other head to heads