Key takeaways
- Disclosure: ChaChaCha is a POS vendor, powered by AppsPOS. We compared ourselves with six other options using only what each vendor publishes on its own website as of September 2026.
- Hawker POS options fall into three groups: phone or payment-led apps with low fixed costs, flat-fee all-in-one platforms, and quote-based packages with hardware and setup included.
- For a one-person stall with a short menu, an SGQR code and cash may be all you need. A POS earns its keep when queues, add-ons, helpers or several payment types start causing mistakes.
- NEA’s Hawkers’ Productivity Grant closed its last phase on 31 March 2026. PSG becomes part of the EDGE Grant from 30 September 2026. Check what applies before you buy.
Last reviewed: September 2026
How we compared (and who wrote this)
ChaChaCha is a point-of-sale system for Singapore F&B, powered by AppsPOS Pte. Ltd., a Singapore POS company operating since 2013. We sell a hawker POS, so we compete with every vendor on this page. Please read our view with that in mind.
Our rules for this comparison:
- Vendor websites only. Every feature, price and grant statement about another vendor comes from that vendor’s own site, linked where we use it. If we could not find something, the table says “not stated on their website”. That does not mean the feature is missing.
- No scores or ranking. We did not run each system at a real stall, so we group options by the kind of stall they appear to suit.
- Dated and checkable. Everything was checked in September 2026. Prices and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you sign.
How we picked the options: we started from the vendors that show up in Singapore search results for “hawker pos system” and added hawker-focused vendors we knew of. A few results could not be used. The top result was a Lazada marketplace listing, and the seller and price details did not load for us, so we could not verify anything about it. One ranking page was a general product page not written for Singapore stalls, and another domain no longer showed POS content. Two vendor hawker URLs we tried (a Qashier hawker page and an EPOS hawker page) returned “page not found”, so we used those vendors’ current F&B, pricing and grant pages instead. Leaving a vendor out is not a judgement on it.
What a hawker stall actually needs from a POS
A hawker stall is not a small restaurant. For the scale of the sector, see Singapore hawker centres by the numbers. The counter is tiny, the queue is the dining room, and the person taking the order is often also cooking. Before comparing brands, be clear about what your stall has to do at 12.15pm on a weekday:
- Few taps per order. Your whole menu should fit on one screen. Add-ons like “extra egg”, “less rice” or “kosong” should be a single tap, not a sub-menu.
- Local payments without keying amounts twice. Most customers pay by PayNow or SGQR, and some still pay cash. If the POS generates the QR with the correct amount, you avoid wrong amounts and fake payment screenshots. See our guide to accepting PayNow as a business.
- CDC vouchers. Many heartland stalls accept them. The voucher flow runs separately from your POS, but your end-of-day totals should still make sense. Our CDC vouchers guide for merchants covers the details.
- A way to manage the queue. Queue numbers, an SMS when the order is ready, or a customer-facing screen all stop people crowding the stall.
- A report you can read on your phone. What sold, how much came in by payment type, and which hours were busy.
- Small hardware. Counter space is precious. A handheld, a compact terminal or a phone often beats a full-size till. Compare options in our mobile POS comparison.
- Something that works when the Wi-Fi doesn’t. Hawker centre connectivity varies, so ask each vendor what happens when the connection drops (see POS offline mode explained).
- A language your team is comfortable with. Many stall teams prefer Chinese on screen.
If most of these don’t apply to you, you may not need a POS at all. We cover that below and in more depth in Do hawker stalls need a POS or just an SGQR code?
Hawker POS comparison table
What each vendor states on its own website, checked September 2026. “Not stated” means we could not find it on the pages we reviewed.
| Option | Best for | Hawker-relevant points (as stated by vendor) | Published price | Hawker grant mention |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChaChaCha (powered by AppsPOS) | Stalls with queues, helpers and a Chinese-speaking team | Hardware in the package, PayNow and SGQR, queue SMS, daily reports, EN/中文, keeps taking orders offline | No, quote-based | Approved under the EDGE Grant (via AppsPOS) |
| Rewardly | NEA-licensed hawkers wanting a phone-based subscription | Runs on your phone, PayNow and tap-to-pay, QR ordering, loyalty, offline mode | Yes, Growth plan $39/month for NEA-licensed hawkers | Hawker page references the Hawker Productivity Grant; homepage also says “No Need Government Grant” |
| Qashier | Stalls that want every feature at one daily price | Soundbox for QR payments, compact terminals, QR ordering, loyalty, GrabFood and foodpanda | Yes, $5 a day excl. GST, terminals from $0.80 a day extra | Not stated on the current pages we reviewed |
| EPOS | Stalls wanting a supplier with a hawker grant track record | Says its EPOS Gold POS is on NEA’s Automation Equipment List; 24/7 local support | Partly: EPOS360 Grow “from SGD50” | Yes, HPG guide page |
| HitPay | Stalls that want no monthly fee and pay per transaction | PayNow QR and cards, free Tap to Pay, low-cost SoundBox | Yes, no monthly fee; per-transaction rates published | Not stated on their website |
| iMakan | Busy stalls wanting self-ordering | Self-order kiosks, 2-in-1 POS and kiosk, QR ordering, GrabFood | Not published | “Grants available”, contact them |
| Hawker POS (Hawker Online) | Stalls that want free software and will buy hardware separately | POS, customer-facing display and self-ordering software | S$0 software fee; hardware, setup and payments charged separately | Not stated on their website |
| SGQR code only (no POS) | One-person stalls with a short menu | Takes payment only; no orders, queue or sales report | Depends on your bank or acquirer | Not applicable |
The options in detail
Each summary lists what the vendor says about itself, with a link to the page we used. We have not added claims from reviews, forums or other third parties.
ChaChaCha (powered by AppsPOS)
This is us. For stalls, hardware is supplied by AppsPOS as part of the package; ask us to confirm the terminal and printer set-up. It takes PayNow, SGQR and cash, sends queue SMS alerts when orders are ready, and provides daily sales reports. The interface and kitchen tickets come in English and Chinese. It is a hybrid POS, so it keeps taking orders if the internet drops and syncs later. Pricing is quote-based. There’s more detail in the last section.
Rewardly
Rewardly’s pricing page lists a Growth plan “from SGD39/Month”: $39 for NEA-licensed hawkers and $59 for non-NEA-licensed hawkers. It is a single-outlet plan described as “best for hawker and home-based business”, and it includes POS, QR ordering, PaymentOS (SoftPOS, e-wallets, PayNow), LoyaltyOS Lite, DIY setup and 24/7 email support. Its hawker POS page says the system “runs on your phone, Apple or Android”, lets you “take an order and get paid in just 3 clicks”, and offers an optional P2 smart POS terminal. The homepage mentions “Offline Mode” and positions Rewardly as not needing a government grant.
Where it fits: an NEA-licensed hawker who wants a low, published monthly fee and is happy to set up the menu themselves.
Qashier
Qashier’s pricing page shows one plan: “$5 a day” (excluding GST) for the whole platform, with no feature tiers. Terminals are extra: the QashierXS at $0.80 a day more, the QashierX2 at $1 a day and the XL SLIM at $1.50 a day. Its F&B page lists “hawker stalls & kopitiams” as a use case, and its payments page sells a QashierPay Soundbox for $199 that “announces every QR payment out loud”, described as “perfect for hawkers, stalls and high-volume counters”. The same page lists in-store rates from 0.4% for PayNow and 1.8% for Visa and Mastercard, with next-business-day payouts. The pricing page says a zero-takings day’s charge is carried over to your next settlement.
Where it fits: a stall that wants loyalty, QR ordering and delivery apps included, and likes a daily price with no lock-in.
EPOS
EPOS’s Hawker Productivity Grant page says its EPOS Gold POS system “is eligible in NEA’s Automation Equipment List and is part of the approved supplier catalogue”, and mentions 24/7 local after-sales support. Its F&B page says the system suits “Restaurants, Cafes, Quick Service Restaurants, Bars or Hawkers” and covers QR ordering, table management and ingredient-level inventory. For software-only pricing, EPOS360 lists a Grow plan “from SGD50”, with 3 extra months free on a 12-month subscription and an optional SGD150 top-up for the BlueTap payment hub.
Where it fits: a stall that wants help from a supplier experienced with NEA’s grant process when a new HPG phase opens.
HitPay
HitPay’s POS page is headlined “PayNow QR, cards, no monthly fee”. It says there is no setup or monthly fee, and that “Point of Sale adds 0.2% on top of processing”. The pricing page lists in-person PayNow at 0.4% (minimum S$0.10), domestic cards at 2.5% + S$0.50, free Tap to Pay on a supported phone, and one-time hardware such as a SoundBox (SGD 30) and a WisePad 3 card reader (SGD 85). HitPay has also published a long hawker POS guide on its blog, which ranks for hawker searches.
Where it fits: a low-volume or part-time stall that would rather pay per sale than a fixed monthly fee.
iMakan
iMakan’s homepage focuses on self-order kiosks, QR ordering and online ordering, plus “iMakan Hybrid”, “a 2-in-1 countertop solution that combines a POS System & a Self Ordering Kiosk”. It lists GrabFood integration, kitchen printer and display routing, and its own cashless payment terminal. Its hawker article stresses compact hardware and NETS and PayNow support. Pricing is not published, and the site says “Grants available”, asking you to contact them.
Where it fits: a high-volume stall where letting customers order and pay themselves would take pressure off the counter.
Hawker POS by Hawker Online
Hawker Online offers “Free POS Software for Singapore Hawker Stalls”: “S$0 software fee” and “No monthly or annual software subscription” for its POS, customer-facing display (CFD) and self-ordering software. It is clear that “Hardware, setup and payment services are charged separately”. The site is offered in English, 中文 and BM.
Where it fits: a stall owner who is comfortable sourcing hardware and payments separately and wants to avoid a software subscription.
The honest alternative: an SGQR code and no POS
Plenty of stalls run well on a printed SGQR code and a cash tin. It is cheap and familiar to customers, and there is nothing at the counter to charge or reboot. The trade-off is that an SGQR code only takes payment. It doesn’t take the order, set the amount, manage the queue or combine cash and digital takings into one report. If you run the stall alone, your menu is short and the queue rarely builds, start here and add a POS when the problems appear. Our hawker POS vs SGQR guide walks through the decision.
Best hawker POS by stall type
Single-dish stall (chicken rice, laksa, fishball noodles)
Short menu, long lunch queue, one or two people. Speed and the queue matter more than features. An SGQR code may be enough if the queue is manageable. If orders get mixed up, look at phone-based options (Rewardly, HitPay) or a POS with queue alerts so paid customers aren’t crowding the stall.
Drinks stall
High volume, low ticket size, lots of modifiers (siew dai, peng, kosong, less ice). You want one-tap modifiers and fast payment confirmation. A payment soundbox (Qashier, HitPay) helps when your hands are wet. A small terminal with modifier buttons stops “kopi-O kosong peng” being charged as a plain kopi. If you run the whole coffee shop, see our guide to opening a kopitiam.
Multi-item stall or zi char
Big menu, add-ons, dine-in tables and a kitchen that needs clear tickets. This is where a fuller POS pays off: printed or displayed kitchen tickets, table numbers, split payments and a proper daily report. Consider quote-based packages with setup included (EPOS, iMakan, ChaChaCha) or an all-in-one plan (Qashier). Chinese kitchen tickets help if your cooks prefer them. For site, licence and kitchen questions, see our guide to opening a mala or zi char stall.
Multiple stalls or a stall plus a shop
You need all outlets in one dashboard, consistent menus and combined reports. Check each vendor’s multi-outlet terms. For example, Rewardly’s Growth plan is single-outlet, and its Professional plan covers multiple outlets. Where it isn’t published, ask each vendor how a second outlet is priced and whether menus and reports are shared across outlets.
Hawker POS costs and grants
Only a few vendors publish prices, and they price in different ways, so compare the total first-year cost: software, hardware, setup and payment fees together. Published figures as of September 2026:
- Rewardly: $39/month for NEA-licensed hawkers, $59/month otherwise (Rewardly pricing).
- Qashier: $5/day excluding GST, plus $0.80 to $1.50/day for a terminal; Soundbox $199 (Qashier pricing, QashierPay).
- EPOS360: Grow plan from SGD50 (EPOS360 pricing).
- HitPay: no monthly fee; PayNow 0.4% in person, and POS adds 0.2% on top of processing (HitPay pricing, HitPay POS).
- Hawker POS (Hawker Online): S$0 software; hardware, setup and payments extra (Hawker POS).
- iMakan and ChaChaCha: quote-based. Use our POS cost calculator for a ballpark, and see what a POS system costs in Singapore.
Hawkers’ Productivity Grant (HPG). According to NEA’s HPG page, eligible stallholders can claim up to 80% of the equipment unit cost (excluding GST), capped at $7,000, on a reimbursement basis. But “the last phase of application for the Hawkers’ Productivity Grant ended on 31 March 2026”, and the next phase “will be announced when details are available”. You need a valid tenancy agreement with NEA or an NEA-appointed operator with at least one year left. Qualifying equipment is on NEA’s Automation Equipment List. Our HPG guide covers the details. Don’t buy now expecting HPG to reimburse you later: EPOS’s HPG page notes that equipment bought before applying is not approved.
EDGE Grant. From 30 September 2026, Enterprise Singapore’s PSG, EDG and MRA are replaced by the EDGE Grant, which states “up to 70% for SMEs”, with support levels that differ by activity. A stall operated as a registered business may qualify. See our PSG and EDGE guide and ask each vendor, including us, which grant applies to the exact package quoted.
How to choose a hawker POS
- Time your lunch rush. Count orders per hour and note where time goes: taking the order, calculating, confirming payment or handing over food.
- Decide if you need a POS at all. If SGQR and cash cover it, stop there. If orders, add-ons or the queue are the problem, keep going.
- Pick a pricing model. Per transaction (low volume), per day or per month (steady volume) or a quoted package (if you want hardware and setup handled).
- Test with your real menu. Ask for a demo with your dishes and modifiers. Time a typical order with add-ons and payment, using our POS demo checklist.
- Ask what happens offline. Pull the router plug during the demo, if the vendor agrees.
- Check the screen language for everyone who will use it.
- Get the full first-year cost in writing, including hardware, payment rates and support hours, and confirm which grant applies.
Starting a new stall? Read how to start a hawker stall in Singapore first, as tenancy terms affect grant eligibility. Planning a noodle concept? See our noodle stall opening guide. For a pick-your-own-pieces stall, see how to open a yong tau foo stall.
Where ChaChaCha fits
ChaChaCha suits stalls that have outgrown a QR sticker: a queue that builds, add-ons that get mixed up, a helper at the counter or a mix of cash and digital payments. Our hawker POS setup covers:
- Hardware supplied by AppsPOS as part of the package. Ask us to confirm the terminal and printer set-up for your stall.
- PayNow and SGQR, plus PayLah!, NETS and cards, recorded against each order so your daily totals match. See POS payments.
- Queue numbers with SMS alerts and a digital queue display, so customers wait away from the counter.
- A daily sales report on your phone, showing sales, top items and payment breakdown. See POS reports.
- English and 中文 interface and kitchen tickets.
- Hybrid offline operation: the POS keeps taking orders if the internet drops and syncs when it’s back.
Pricing is quote-based. AppsPOS is approved under the EDGE Grant, and we will tell you what support applies to your setup. If you need a feature not listed here, ask us to confirm. Get it in writing from every vendor, including us. Contact us for a quote.
