Your Till.
Your Choice.
Square, Lightspeed, Vend, and Flipdish lock you into their hardware, their payments, or their commission model. We don't.
Why Businesses Switch.
They start simple but the compromises add up. Locked hardware, locked payments, commission on orders, and features you pay for twice.
Locked Payment Terminals
Square forces you onto their reader. Lightspeed and Flipdish tie you to their payments. Switch provider and you lose your till system.
Proprietary Hardware
Dedicated terminals that cost hundreds upfront. If the hardware dies, you're stuck waiting for a replacement. Any modern tablet should be a till - because it can be.
Features Behind Tiers
Kitchen display? Extra. Inventory management? Higher tier. Loyalty programme? Add-on. The price you see is never the price you pay.
Commission on Orders
Flipdish charges 7% commission plus 50p per order on top of 2.5% card processing. On a £15 takeaway order, that's £1.80 gone before you see a penny.
No Wi-Fi, No Sales
Most cloud EPOS systems stop working when the internet drops. In a busy lunch rush, that means lost sales and frustrated customers.
The Full Comparison.
Every feature that matters for hospitality, retail, and wholesale. Side by side.
| Feature | Square | Lightspeed | Vend | Flipdish | Highland Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | Free-£69/mo + add-ons | £59-£239/mo | £69-£199/mo | From £119/mo per site | Fixed setup + flat monthly |
| Order commission | None | None | None | 7% + 50p per order | None - zero commission |
| Payment terminal | Square Reader only | Lightspeed Payments only | Limited options | Flipdish payments only | Stripe, SumUp, Zettle, or your own |
| Hardware | Square hardware required | iPad + their peripherals | iPad or PC | Proprietary hardware pushed | Any tablet, any printer |
| Kitchen display | £15/mo add-on | £30/mo add-on | Not available | Paid add-on | Included |
| Offline mode | Card payments only | Limited functionality | Basic offline mode | Not available (cloud only) | Full system works offline |
| Electronic shelf labels | Not available | Not available | Not available | Not available | Built in - SOLUM, Opticon, VUSION |
| Reduced-to-clear | Manual price changes | Manual price changes | Manual price changes | Not available | One click - label + auto promotion |
| Label printing | Basic via third-party | Basic via third-party | Basic via third-party | Not available | Direct via WebUSB - no drivers |
| Multi-site management | Higher tier only | Higher tier only | Higher tier only | Per-site billing (£119+ each) | Included |
| Retail & wholesale | Retail focused | Retail focused | Retail focused | Food service only | Hospitality, retail, and wholesale |
| Online store sync | Square Online (separate) | Lightspeed eCom (extra) | Via Shopify (extra) | Flipdish ordering only | Built in - pairs with Commerce |
| Contract term | Monthly (cancel anytime) | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual | 12-month minimum, auto-renews | No minimum term |
| Exclusivity clause | No | No | No | Yes - can't use competing tools | No restrictions |
| Price increases | With notice | With notice | With notice | Up to 5%/yr without consent | Fixed - agreed in writing |
| Data ownership | On their platform | On their platform | On their platform | On their platform | Yours. Export anytime. |
| Lock-in | Yes (hardware + payments) | Yes (payments) | Moderate | Yes (contract + payments + exclusivity) | None. Leave anytime. |
What You Actually Pay.
The monthly fee is just the beginning. Factor in hardware, payment processing, commission, add-ons, and per-till charges.
| Cost | Square | Lightspeed | Vend | Flipdish | Highland Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform fee | £0-69/mo | £59-239/mo | £69-199/mo | From £119/mo per site | Flat monthly fee |
| Order commission | None | None | None | 7% + 50p per order | £0 - no commission |
| Payment processing | 1.75% in-person | 2.6% + 10p | Varies by provider | 2.5% (their processor) | Your provider's rate (no markup) |
| Hardware | £19-799 (Square only) | £300-1,000+ | £200-600 | £500-1,500+ (proprietary) | Any tablet you own |
| Kitchen display | £15/mo | £30/mo | Not available | Paid add-on | £0 - included |
| Additional tills/sites | £40/mo each | £30/mo each | £49/mo each | £119+/mo per site | £0 - add unlimited |
| Early exit fee | None | None | None | Remaining months owed in full | £0 - no contract |
| Maintenance & updates | Included | Included | Included | Included | Fully managed by us |
Commission Adds Up Fast.
Flipdish charges 7% + 50p per order + 2.5% card processing. Here's what that actually costs.
Single-Site Takeaway
400 orders/mo, £20 avg (£8,000/mo)
Flipdish
£119 platform + £560 commission (7%) + £200 per-order fees (50p) + £200 processing (2.5%) = ~£1,079/mo
Highland Code
Flat monthly fee. No commission. Your own card rates.
3-Site Restaurant Group
1,500 orders/mo, £20 avg (£30,000/mo)
Flipdish
£357 platform (3x) + £2,100 commission + £750 per-order fees + £750 processing = ~£3,957/mo
Highland Code
One flat fee covers all sites. No commission. No per-site charges.
Busy Food Hall
3,000 orders/mo, £17 avg (£50,000/mo)
Flipdish
Multiple site fees + £3,500 commission + £1,500 per-order fees + £1,250 processing = £6,500+/mo
Highland Code
Flat fee. Multi-vendor support included. Zero commission.
Ready to Switch?
No locked hardware. No payment provider lock-in. No commission on orders. A modern EPOS with everything included.