Zeller vs Tyro: two Australian EFTPOS solutions, but are they equal?

Card machines

Zeller and Tyro offer very different card machine packages.

Tyro has EFTPOS machines for most scenarios

Until recently, Tyro used to have two old-school EFTPOS machines with occasional technical problems: a countertop model and a mobile terminal for portable use. These have been replaced with:

• Pro Touch – mobile, 6″ touchscreen, all-day battery life and receipt printer
• Pro Key – portable, push-button and small touchscreen, with printer
• Pro Lite – portable, lesser-performing, 5″ touchscreen

The terminals can all be used for a countertop, portably or on the go with a mobile SIM card. Only the Pro Touch and Key have Ethernet options.

Pro Touch is a high-end Ingenico DX8000 terminal model, which we were impressed by when testing it. The HD screen is crisp-clear with various accessibility settings, it has a built-in receipt printer, and the speed of transactions is fast. It’s the type of terminal you may enjoy using solely because it just feels like good quality, like an expensive iPhone.

That said, I can also recommend Pro Key for its physical, push-button keypad, which some customers find more accessible than a flat touchscreen. It’s easier to type on this when you wear gloves, and the tactile feel of the buttons is better for the visually impaired.

Although more “old-school” with buttons, this is actually one of Ingenico’s recent models (DX6000) with a high-end touchscreen above the keys.

The latest model, Pro Lite (Ingenico Axium DX4000), is cheaper because the hardware is not as ‘premium’ as Touch or Key. Still, it has similar features to Touch such as receipt printing, an HD touchscreen, WiFi and mobile network connections.

I’d go for this if I needed a budget terminal for fixed premises within reach of a fixed counter where it’s easier to keep it charged, since the battery does not last a whole day like the other Tyro machines. Then the reduced monthly cost is worth it over the long term.

The previous Tyro devices were subject to a serious outage in January 2021, rendering many Australian businesses unable to take cards. We think it was due to the outdated hardware, since they were old, dated-looking Worldline models. Thankfully, they were replaced with the new models above.

Zeller’s two terminals cater to most small businesses

Zeller sells two mobile card machines that work with both WiFi and 4G (if you buy a SIM card):

• Zeller Terminal 1x – 6.7″ touchscreen, with receipt printer
• Zeller Terminal 2 – 6.5″ touchscreen, longer battery life, no printer

They can both be used as a mobile, portable or countertop terminal, accepting swipe cards as well as tap and chip payments.

On both terminals, you can enter a payment total and add a surcharge (for as long as it’s legal) or tip. They also have Zeller’s own general POS software with a customisable product library, modifiers, discounting and more.

One feature that’s normally unheard of for a budget EFTPOS provider is Zeller’s screensaver option: you can upload any image file, like a business logo, promotional offers, QR codes or seasonal messages to show customers right at the checkout.

Both the EFTPOS machines can also display a QR code for the receipt that customers can scan without giving contact details.

We think Terminal 2 has the most unique design in Australia with its top and bottom legs stylishly supporting its oblong touchscreen. It’s got a better weight distribution in the hand (in my opinion), whereas Terminal 1x’s upper end weighs down because of the receipt roll compartment.

Terminal 1x does has a receipt printer, but then the battery “only” lasts 1,000+ transactions from a full charge compared with Terminal 2’s 1,300 transactions. This makes the latter more convenient for market stalls, pop-up shops without a fixed register or anywhere with limited sockets.

A web dashboard lets you to manage your terminal fleet at different locations for greater scalability.

Pricing: same fixed EFTPOS rate

Neither Tyro nor Zeller have fees for account creation, and there are no lock-in contracts. The similarities more or less end there.

Zeller focuses on simple, transparent fees applicable to everyone: 1.4% per chip, contactless and swipe transaction. Zeller Terminal 1x costs $99 upfront and Terminal 2 $99 including GST. This includes a 12-month guarantee, and then you own it.

With Zeller, you do have to pay for a SIM card if you want mobile connectivity. Zeller’s own SIM card costs $15 incl. GST monthly for unlimited data, but you can use another SIM card from a different provider.

“The Zeller Terminals are the cheapest independent EFTPOS machines you can buy in Australia. We think they’re superb value with a business account, card and no monthly fee – an asset to small businesses.”

– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction

Tyro offers a rental contract for all its terminals, so you cannot buy them upfront to avoid monthly charges. Pro Touch and Key cost $29 each per month, and Pro Lite $19 monthly, all including GST. If you want to add health fund claiming, an additional $10 + GST per terminal applies.

Tyro and Zeller pricing:

Transaction fees have recently become more simplified with Tyro: card payments now cost a fixed rate of 1.4% regardless of the EFTPOS machine – same as Zeller. It’s only if your card sales exceed $20,000 per month that you can negotiate lower, variable rates.

Certain transactions have an additional fee with Tyro, though: keyed and online transactions incur $0.15 extra, and foreign cards add 0.4% plus an additional 0.4% if a currency conversion took place. Zeller adds a fixed fee of $0.25 to Virtual Terminal, payment link and invoice transactions and charges a high rate for international cards via invoicing.

You can automatically accept Visa, Mastercard, UnionPay and eftpos cards with Tyro. American Express, JCB and Diners Club require separate agreements with those card schemes directly, incurring extra costs. Zeller does not require any additional costs to accept Amex and JCB in addition to eftpos, Visa, Mastercard and UnionPay.

Neither Zeller nor Tyro requires a minimum monthly turnover, so you are free to use the card machines as little or much as needed without paying extra. Payouts, chargebacks and refunds are free to process in both cases as well.

Payouts, accounts and debit card

Both Tyro and Zeller can settle transactions in a free business account, bypassing the need to connect with an external bank account.

In Tyro’s case, the business account is managed in the Tyro App. It comes with a physical Visa card for buying things in person, but the account can also process bank transfers, BPAY and direct debits.

EFTPOS transactions settle the same evening (between 8pm-5am Sydney time) in the Tyro account any day of the week, or within 1-2 business days in an Australian bank account linked to your business.

Zeller Terminal comes with a Mastercard in the box, linked to your own Transaction Account. This can be used for in-person and online payments, money transfers and paying invoices. Transactions clear in the account at midnight the same evening, or you can opt for settlement in an Australian bank account the following business day.

Both Zeller and Tyro (its business account) integrate with Xero accounting software. Eligible Tyro merchants may also apply for a business loan, which is unavailable with Zeller who instead offers a savings account.

POS integrations: pretty good options

Both providers integrate with POS systems for in-depth features at the checkout, so you’re not limited to Tyro’s basic EFTPOS software or Zeller’s simple POS interface.

Zeller’s external point of sale (POS) integrations include Impos, Erply, Lightspeed, H&L, OrderMate and plenty others for specialised industries. Some of these connect directly with the POS system while others require a custom setup.

Tyro has long been able to link with nearly any point of sale, though. Their EFTPOS terminals integrate with over 450 different POS or practice management system (PMS) platforms. This includes Bepoz, Timely, Pracsoft, Lightspeed and many others geared towards a wide range of industries.

There is no charge extra for integrating Tyro with a POS system, but costs do apply to your chosen software solution.

Online selling: not so extensive

The remote selling options for Zeller merchants are email invoices, payment links and keyed payments.

Keyed payments are where you manually enter card details on the EFTPOS machine or browser-based Virtual Terminal to accept a transaction where the customer is not present, mainly over the phone. Merchants can also send payment links from the Virtual Terminal so customers can pay online. Business owners can send and manage invoices from the Zeller app as well.

On the other hand, Zeller cannot integrate with ecommerce, but plans to add it soon.

Remote payment methods of Tyro and Zeller:

Tyro has slightly more options for remote payments. You can accept over-the-phone payments on their EFTPOS terminals or in-browser, set up recurring payments and send payment links and email invoices from a web portal.

Although Tyro hints at an ecommerce setup, the company is not transparent on which online store platforms it connects with. To find out, you need to speak to Tyro for a tailored solution.

Customer service and reviews

Both Zeller and Tyro offer round-the-clock support over telephone and email (and SMS, in Zeller’s case). For a service without monthly fees, though, Zeller really goes the extra mile compared with Square that generally sticks to weekday support.

Tyro’s onboarding can take two weeks from the initial quote to having the EFTPOS machine set up and ready to use – if all the required paperwork is submitted and accepted smoothly.

In contrast, Zeller’s online sign-up form only takes 5 minutes to complete, and then you’re accepted straight away in most cases, or within a day for more complex businesses. Shipping of the terminal takes anything from 1-11 business days depending on the delivery option chosen.

We’ve seen many bad reviews of Tyro in 2021 due to their terminal outage early in the year and lacking customer service when help is needed. It seems to be a good service when it works – but when it doesn’t, the consensus on how Tyro handles it is bad.

The Zeller reviews are mostly positive about its ease of use and reasonable fees with some reports about customer service issues.

Our verdict: pros and cons with each

The least complicated EFTPOS solution is Zeller hands down. The initial cost of the terminal may seem like much, but then you have a complete, affordable pay-as-you-go payment solution with an account and card. What stands out to me is how the extras genuinely helps me, like Zeller’s contacts directory where I could organise suppliers, staff expenses and customers for financial tracking.

Once you need more than just a card terminal, though, Zeller falls a bit short. For instance, no simple ecommerce integrations are available yet. They have, however, added more products in the past few years – like its own POS software with several advertised features “coming soon” (i.e. not substantial at this point).

The EFTPOS machines of Tyro connect with more POS systems than Zeller and are quite good quality compared with their older models. Tyro also includes slightly more remote payment options, but fails to be transparent about online store capabilities and hidden fees. The monthly cost of Pro may also be a deal-breaker for a small business.

As a service, Tyro had a lot to prove after its past terminal outages, but the company has caught up with new EFTPOS terminals and the tap-on-phone option.

Still, the faster sign-up and better all-in-one package from Zeller will appeal to many small businesses that want a simple, cheap and complete package.