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Restaurants · head to head

Compeat vs Epos Now

Compeat logo

Compeat

Restaurants

Restaurant back office and accounting

From
$350/month
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: Compeat the Internet Archive's capture of Compeat's homepage on 9 January 2020 confirmed the restaurant management suite is sold only via 'Request Demo', bundling distinct modules named Accounting, Inventory, Intelligence, Logbook, Labor, Schedule, Compeat Pay, Compeat Advantage and Ctuit Radar, with no price figure published for any.; 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: Compeat covers Accounting, 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 Compeat and Epos Now actually diverge.

Attributes where Compeat and Epos Now differ
AttributeCompeatEpos Now
Starting price$350/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android, Windows
Founded1998Unknown

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 Compeat

  • Accounting
  • Inventory
  • Recipe costing
  • Labor scheduling
  • AP/AR
  • Financial reporting
  • Major POS systems
  • Payroll providers

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.

Compeat

  • 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 Compeat
  • An independent needing basic stock, staff and sales reporting without an implementation projectnot Compeat
  • An operator running both a small retail line and a food offer on one systemnot Compeat
  • A business replacing a mechanical till that has no reporting or remote access at allnot Compeat

Where each one falls short

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

Compeat

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Compeat's homepage on 9 January 2020 confirmed the restaurant management suite is sold only via 'Request Demo', bundling distinct modules named Accounting, Inventory, Intelligence, Logbook, Labor, Schedule, Compeat Pay, Compeat Advantage and Ctuit Radar, with no price figure published for any.

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

Compeat

$350/month
  • Standard$350/month
    • Accounting
    • Inventory
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Custom pricing
    • Full features

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 Compeat if

  • You need accounting.
  • You also want inventory.
Compeat 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 Compeat or Epos Now better?
Neither clearly leads. Compeat starts at $350/month and Epos Now at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Compeat or Epos Now?
Compeat starts at $350/month and Epos Now at On request.
Does Compeat or Epos Now run on more platforms?
Compeat runs on Web. Epos Now runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
What is Compeat best used for?
Compeat 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 Compeat do that Epos Now cannot?
Compeat covers Accounting, Inventory, Recipe costing, Labor scheduling. Epos Now covers Cloud till software, Hardware bundles, Integrated payments, AppStore add ons.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

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.

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