Not the edible kind — just the ones that help us understand how you use our site and improve your experience.
Square looks free. Until you add everything a takeaway actually needs.
| Feature | ServeMate | Square |
|---|---|---|
| POS System | (from £0-£69/mo) | |
| Card Payments | use your own provider | (1.75% in-person, 1.4% + 25p online) |
| Online Ordering | (0% commission) | (generic Square Online) |
| Kitchen Display | (£15/mo per device) | |
| Branded Website | (takeaway specific) | (generic Square Online) |
| Kiosk System | (Classic & IOC) | (£35/mo per device) |
| Loyalty Manager | (£25-£65/mo) | |
| Marketing Automation | (from £9/mo) | |
| Inventory & Profit Calculator | (via MarketMan from £79/mo) | |
| Aggregator Integration | (via Deliverect) | |
| Staff Scheduling / Rota | ||
| SMS Pricing | (3.5p per SMS) | |
| TV Menus | ||
| Driver Tracking | ||
| Health & Safety Module | ||
| AI Manager | ||
| Shift Assistant AI | ||
| AI Phone Ordering | (12p/min PAYG) | |
| WhatsApp AI Ordering Bot | (usage-based) |
What a typical UK independent takeaway actually pays monthly.
Before you even pay card processing fees
Square is genuinely good for very small or new operations just starting out. If you run a small coffee cart, a weekend food stall, or a brand new business with very low order volume and you just need a quick way to take card payments without upfront costs, Square's free tier is a great starting point.
ServeMate is built for serious UK takeaways that need a full tech stack. Once your takeaway is doing real volume, you need kitchen screens, driver tracking, proper loyalty, and dedicated ordering systems. Square charges you for every one of those additions. ServeMate gives you everything in one platform for a flat £47/month.