Which POS system for a café, restaurant or shop?
Last checked: 25.10.2026 · Responsible: Nicolas Christen
In short
Four points matter: the till must handle several VAT rates (in a restaurant, the standard rate of 8.1% applies to food, otherwise food is usually 2.6%), accept card payments, pass sales to accounting and keep the data readable for ten years. The table below shows what the checked tills can do.
Why are the VAT rates so important?
Since 1 January 2024, the standard rate has been 8.1%, the reduced rate 2.6% and the special rate for accommodation 3.8%. Food generally falls under the reduced rate, but under the standard rate when served as part of catering services. The till should therefore be able to set the correct rate per item or per sale. For borderline cases such as take-away, the FTA or your accountant can help.
How long must POS data be kept?
Under Art. 958f CO, business ledgers and accounting vouchers must be kept for ten years from the end of the financial year. Electronic storage is allowed if the data can be made readable at any time. Ask the provider how you can export daily closings and sales.
Which POS systems have been checked?
Checked solutions by starting price, with our score for POS systems. With tills, there are often fees per card payment and one-off hardware costs: you will find these in the notes on the product page.
| Solution | Prices | Score | For restaurants | For retail | Card terminal included | Export to accounting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | from CHF 0 / month | 83Very good | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| payfix | from CHF 49 / month | 100Excellent | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| orderbird | from CHF 759 / year | 50Satisfactory | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| Shopify POS | from CHF 69 / month | 50Satisfactory | Ask the provider | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| Sitto | from CHF 69 / month | 50Satisfactory | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| SIDES | from CHF 72 / month | 50Satisfactory | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| Baldegger+Sortec | from CHF 79 / month | 50Satisfactory | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| gastronovi | from CHF 79 / month | 17Weak | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Lightspeed | from CHF 89 / month | 83Very good | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Cashsoft | from CHF 299 / month | 50Satisfactory | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider |
| FLM Kassensysteme | Price not online, on request from the provider | 33Adequate | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| ITworks Kassensystem | Price not online, on request from the provider | 67Good | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ready2order | from EUR 23.90 / month | 83Very good | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| RILA Kassensysteme | Price not online, on request from the provider | 33Adequate | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Viktoriadata | Price not online, on request from the provider | 17Weak | ✓ Yes | Ask the provider | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
From our checked data, excl. VAT. The order does not depend on commissions.