Zettle vs Bill Feeds: Which EPOS Is Better for UK Restaurants in 2026?
Zettle (formerly iZettle, now owned by PayPal) is popular for small UK businesses. But is it the right EPOS for a restaurant? We compare Zettle and Bill Feeds across the features that matter most to UK hospitality businesses.
What is Zettle?
Zettle (formerly iZettle) is a PayPal company that offers card readers and basic point-of-sale software for small UK businesses. It's popular with market traders, pop-up stalls, and simple retail environments. Its free app charges 1.75% per card transaction processed through a Zettle card reader.
Zettle's fundamental limitation: it's not a restaurant EPOS
Zettle is a payments-first product. Its POS functionality is basic — it can take an order and process a payment, but it lacks the restaurant-specific features that define a proper EPOS system:
- No Kitchen Display System — orders don't route to the kitchen in real time
- No table management — no dine-in workflow with table assignment
- No QR table ordering — customers cannot order from their phone via QR code
- No VAT reporting for HMRC — no MTD-compatible VAT summary export
- No allergen management — no Natasha's Law compliance built in
- No multi-branch dashboard — each location is completely separate
Comparison table: Zettle vs Bill Feeds
| Feature | Zettle (PayPal) | Bill Feeds |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free + 1.75% per transaction | £19/mo flat |
| Transaction fees | 1.75% every card sale | None |
| Kitchen Display System (KDS) | Not available | Included from £19 |
| Table management (dine-in) | No | Yes |
| QR table ordering | No | Yes (Growth+) |
| UK VAT auto-calculation | Basic | Full, built-in |
| MTD VAT reports for HMRC | No | Yes |
| Allergen / Natasha's Law | No | Yes |
| Multi-branch reporting | No | Growth plan £39 |
| BYOD (use existing device) | Requires Zettle reader | Any tablet/phone |
| Takeaway Status Display | No | Yes |
| Contract required | No | No |
The real cost of Zettle for restaurants
Zettle's 1.75% transaction fee is charged on every card payment. UK restaurants typically take 70–90% of their revenue via card. Let's look at a real example:
- Monthly revenue: £20,000
- Card payments (80%): £16,000
- Zettle fee (1.75%): £280/month
- Bill Feeds Growth plan: £39/month
The saving is £241/month, or £2,892/year — for a system that also includes KDS, QR ordering, allergen management, and MTD reports that Zettle doesn't offer.
Zettle requires its own card reader
Zettle is designed around its proprietary card reader hardware (£29–79). Bill Feeds is a pure BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) EPOS — it runs on any tablet, iPad, or smartphone you already own, with no hardware purchase required. For payment processing, you integrate your own payment gateway (Stripe, Razorpay, or Tap).
Who should choose Zettle?
- Market traders or street food vendors who need a simple card reader with basic receipts
- Businesses with very low card payment volume where the 1.75% fee is negligible
- Businesses that only need to take payments with no kitchen management
Who should choose Bill Feeds?
- Any restaurant or takeaway that needs a full EPOS system (not just a card reader)
- VAT-registered businesses that need HMRC-compliant reporting
- Restaurants with a kitchen team that needs a display system
- Businesses taking significant card revenue where transaction fees add up
- Multi-branch restaurant groups
The verdict
Zettle is a payments tool, not a restaurant EPOS. If you're running a restaurant, takeaway, or curry house, Zettle's missing features (KDS, table management, QR ordering, MTD reporting, allergen management) make it the wrong choice. Bill Feeds is built for exactly this use case — from £19/month with no transaction fees.
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