POS System Pricing in the UAE: What Should You Actually Pay?

5 July 2026 · MidaOne

Ask five POS vendors in the UAE what their system costs and you will get five different answers, several of which won't mention the real total until you're mid-demo. Pricing in this category is deliberately confusing — per-till fees, module add-ons, setup charges, and support tiers all stack on top of a headline number that looked reasonable. Here is what you should actually expect to pay, and the questions that expose the real cost before you sign anything.

The three common pricing models

Per-till / per-terminal — a monthly fee for each device running the POS. Common at AED 300–900+ per till per month; a two-till café can be paying AED 1,500–3,600 a month before add-ons.
Per-module — a base POS fee, then separate charges for inventory, accounting, loyalty and a QR menu, each billed on top.
Flat annual — one price per year that covers the software regardless of how many devices or staff you run. Rarer, but far easier to budget.

Per-till and per-module pricing aren't inherently dishonest, but they punish exactly the thing you want to do as you grow — add a second till, open a second branch, turn on the module you actually need. Every one of those moments becomes a renegotiation.

What to ask before you compare two quotes

Does the price include VAT accounting, or is that a separate module?
Is there a per-till or per-device fee, and does it apply to phones and tablets too, or only 'official' terminals?
Is hardware (printer, cash drawer, terminal) bundled, rented, or a separate one-time purchase?
What happens to the price when you add a second branch?
Is there a setup fee, and does support cost extra after the first few months?

Run every quote through those five questions and the 'cheap' headline price often turns into the more expensive system once you add a second till or open a second branch — see our guide on POS for multi-branch cafés for what changes at that point.

What a fair price actually looks like

For a single café or a small group, a flat yearly price that includes every feature and every device is almost always cheaper than per-till billing once you account for a full year — and it is far easier to budget, since next year's invoice doesn't depend on how many tills you added mid-year. MidaOne uses exactly this model: one flat yearly price covering point of sale, live inventory, VAT accounting, loyalty and a QR menu, with unlimited staff devices and no per-terminal fee. There's no separate module to unlock VAT accounting or the QR menu — they're included from day one.

Don't forget the cost of switching later

The cheapest system today isn't always the cheapest system in a year. If a low headline price locks you into a vendor with expensive add-ons, the true cost shows up later — and migrating your menu, stock and sales history to a new system has its own cost in time. Our guide on switching POS systems without losing data covers what that move actually involves, so you can weigh it against staying somewhere expensive.

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Frequently asked questions

What's a typical monthly cost for a café POS in the UAE?

It depends heavily on the pricing model. Per-till systems often run AED 300–900+ per till per month before add-ons, which can total thousands per year for a two-till café. Flat annual pricing, like MidaOne's, avoids the per-till multiplier entirely.

Are VAT accounting and inventory usually included?

Not always — many vendors sell them as separate modules on top of the base POS price. Always ask explicitly whether VAT accounting, inventory, loyalty and a QR menu are included or billed separately before comparing two quotes.

Is hardware included in the price?

Rarely, and it varies by vendor — some bundle a terminal, some rent one, some expect you to buy your own. A modern POS that runs in any browser and on Android, like MidaOne, lets you use phones, tablets and printers you may already own instead of buying proprietary hardware.

Does price change if I open a second branch?

With per-till or per-branch pricing, yes — expect the bill to roughly multiply. With a flat annual price covering unlimited devices, adding a branch doesn't automatically mean a new negotiation, though check the specific terms with your vendor.

Don't compare headline numbers — compare what's actually included. A slightly higher-looking flat price that covers VAT accounting, inventory, loyalty, a QR menu and every device you'll ever add is usually the cheaper system once the first year is over.