It’s easier than ever to accept credit and debit cards. Forget the costly card machines of yore. Today’s contactless card readers come out-of-the-box with every tool needed to sell in person, remotely and online.
Zettle was long the best-known brand in the UK, but SumUp and Square have taken over as stronger alternatives. All famous for card readers that process payments with a smartphone or tablet through easy-to-use, free point of sale (POS) apps, they now offer much more.
All of these companies offer standalone, portable touchscreen terminals that work without a phone. If that’s not enough, their apps have now started accepting contactless cards directly on your phone.
Cost-conscious startups often prefer SumUp’s lowest transaction fee, while Square has the most superior free app. Zettle Reader used to be the most popular card reader, but the company hasn’t really developed their offering since PayPal acquired it.
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| Square review | SumUp review | Zettle review | |
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| Terminal price | £19–£149 + VAT | £22–£139 + VAT | £29–£249 + VAT |
| Transactions | 1.75% | 1.69% | 1.75% |
| Lock-in | None | None | None |
| Monthly fee | None | None | None |
| Min. sales volume | None | None | None |
| Payouts | 0-2 working days | 1-3 working days | 1-3 working days |
| Use abroad | |||
The systems share characteristics that make them very attractive to small businesses. Setup costs are very low, and there are no fixed, monthly fees and no minimum transaction volume required. Plus: there’s no contractual commitment with any of these companies.
SumUp, Zettle and Square are therefore suitable both for infrequent use and processing many transactions daily as your primary POS solution.
Cards, payouts and charges
Unlike a traditional card reader machine with a contract, you purchase mobile card readers for a low price with no rental charges or lock-in.
Zettle and SumUp accept the most payment cards. On top of Visa, Mastercard and American Express accepted by Square, both SumUp and Zettle can handle Diners Club, JCB, Discover and UnionPay as well.
Zettle used to accept PayPal QR codes in its app, but has removed this feature. Square accepts Clearpay, a Buy Now Pay Later solution, and it works both in person and online.
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| Accepted cards | ||
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| Accepted digital wallets | ||
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Zettle and Square charge a fixed percentage (1.75%) for all chip and contactless card transactions, but SumUp offers the lowest card rate at a fixed 1.69%, beating Zettle and Square by 0.06 percentage points. All of these fees apply to any credit and debit cards, including foreign-issued and premium brands like Amex.
With a subscription, SumUp only charges 0.99% for domestic consumer cards in store and online, but international and commercial cards would then cost 1.99%. The monthly cost (£19) of this subscription is only worth the 0.99% fee if you accept over £2,000 monthly from UK consumer cards.
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| Card readers | From £19* | From £22* | From £29* |
| Best deal | |||
| Chip, tap payments | 1.75% | Pay-as-you-go: 1.69% £19/mo plan: 0.99%/1.99% |
1.75% |
| Online store payments | UK cards: 1.4% + 25p Non-UK cards: 2.5% + 25p |
Pay-as-you-go: 2.5% £19/mo plan: 0.99%/1.99% |
n/a |
| QR code payments | UK cards: 1.4% + 25p Non-UK cards: 2.5% + 25p |
Pay-as-you-go: 2.5% £19/mo plan: 0.99%/1.99% |
n/a |
| Payment links | UK cards: 1.4% + 25p Non-UK cards: 2.5% + 25p |
Pay-as-you go: 2.5% £19/mo plan: 0.99%/1.99% |
2.5% |
| Invoice transactions | 2.5% | Pay-as-you-go: 2.5% £19/mo plan: 0.99%/1.99% |
n/a |
| Keyed transactions | 2.5% | 2.95% + 25p | n/a |
| Monthly fee | None | Pay-as-you-go: Free SumUp One: £19/mo |
None |
| Min. sales volume | None | None | None |
| Payouts | Free, 1.5% for instant | Free | Free |
*Excluding VAT. Offers apply to the first card reader purchased.
With SumUp, settlement takes up to three working days. Zettle and Square deposit funds in your bank account slightly faster, within one or two working days.
In addition, Square offers Instant Transfers, a voluntary setting that clears transactions in your bank account within 20 minutes at an additional cost of 1.5% per transaction. To compete, SumUp Business Account (with a prepaid Mastercard) gives you free access to transactions within 24 hours, even on weekends.
Card readers and point of sale apps
The cheapest card readers of the three companies are:
- Square Reader: £19 + VAT
- SumUp Air: £22 + VAT
- Zettle Reader: £29–£59 + VAT
They cost less than other card machines because they require a Bluetooth connection with an iPad, iPhone or Android tablet or smartphone.
Photo: Emmanuel Charpentier, Mobile Transaction
Square Reader is the smallest of the card readers.
The inventory libraries in each app look neat with images and product information so you can sell different sizes and types of each item.
Square’s app, ‘Point of Sale’, beats Zettle and SumUp with additional features like split bills, custom employee permissions (costing extra) and much more.
Zettle’s POS features come second with physical gift card options and stock counts, but features have been removed since PayPal got involved. The SumUp app has slightly fewer POS features, but many more remote payment methods.
You can use any of the card readers with more complex POS software so you are not limited to the free apps.
Square users can subscribe to Square for Retail, Square for Restaurants or Square Appointments for advanced till features. Several other excellent till systems, like Shopwave and TouchBistro, can be integrated too.
SumUp merchants can upgrade to SumUp Point of Sale, a user-friendly POS system where you can add modules of specialised features to suit any type of business. A free booking system can also be set up through SumUp.
Both Square and SumUp have their own self-service kiosks to purchase, where customers can order directly on a touchscreen.
Zettle doesn’t have its own more professional POS system or self-service kiosk, but their card reader is compatible with leading POS systems.
What are the alternatives? See all app-based card readers in the UK
A more recent addition to all the platforms is Tap to Pay on iPhone or Android; the ability to accept contactless cards or mobile wallets directly on your smartphone, without a separate card reader.
Square, SumUp and Zettle’s tap-on-phone feature works on both Android smartphones and iPhone.
Standalone terminals available
If card readers for phones are not for you, Square, Zettle and SumUp offer card terminals that work independently. These have exactly the same transaction fees, no monthly costs and no contractual commitment.
One is Square Terminal with a built-in receipt printer and touchscreen with POS features similar to the Square Point of Sale app. It works with secured WiFi connections only, so is best at a fixed location, but can be carried around for table-service around your premises.
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| Card reader with app | ||
| Square Reader: £19* |
SumUp Air: £22* |
Zettle Reader 2: £29–£59* |
| Standalone card machine | ||
| Square Terminal: £149* |
SumUp Solo: £79* SumUp Solo & Printer: £139* |
Zettle Terminal without barcode scanner: £149* Zettle Terminal w/ scanner or printer: £199* Zettle Terminal w/ scanner and printer: £249* |
*Excluding VAT. Free shipping included.
SumUp Solo, on the other hand, doesn’t just work with WiFi – it works with 4G, thanks to its SIM card with unlimited free data. It has very simple features: it accepts cards or mobile wallets and can processes refunds. You can also get it with a built-in receipt printer that doubles as a portable charger.
The pricier Zettle Terminal comes with the Zettle POS app built in and looks a lot like a smartphone. It works directly with WiFi or 4G (SIM card with unlimited data is included) and can be purchased with or without a built-in barcode scanner and/or a receipt printer dock.
Photo: Emily Sorensen, Mobile Transaction
Zettle Terminal has almost exactly the same POS features as the Zettle Go app.
Free online payment tools included
Square users get most options for keyed and online payments: a free virtual terminal for telephone payments, e-gift cards, digital invoices (with invoice app), online store builder, payment links, QR codes for touch-free payments, and the ability to manually enter card details in the POS app.
| Remote payment | |
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| Payment link | |||
| E-gift card | |||
| QR code | |||
| Email invoice | |||
| Telephone payment | |||
| Online store | |||
| Click & collect |
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| Payment links | ||
| E-gift cards | ||
| QR codes | ||
| Email invoices | ||
| Telephone payments | ||
| Online store | ||
| Click & collect | ||
In second place, SumUp offers complimentary payment links to share via QR code, messaging or text, digital gift cards, email invoices and a basic online store created through the app in a few simple steps. A basic virtual terminal can also be activated for most users, including manual card entry at the POS checkout.
Zettle only offers gift cards and payment links. The platform used to include PayPal QR codes and email invoicing, but new users are instead encouraged to download the PayPal Business app for those now. You can nevertheless integrate Zettle with ecommerce platforms like Shopify and PrestaShop.
Many of these online payments were introduced as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but only Square and SumUp support a click-and-collect service.
They’re complete business solutions
Square, Zettle, and SumUp aren’t just about card readers – they offer a range of business tools that work together in one account, helping you do more with less effort.
All three offer inventory management for retail and hospitality, with Square having the most advanced features.
They also provide analytics and sales reports, with options to export data or integrate with accounting software like Xero, Sage or QuickBooks.
“In our years of testing all three, I’m most impressed by Square’s ever-expanding features and SumUp’s ability to stay both simple and innovative. I love Zettle’s card readers, but since PayPal’s takeover of the company, the product has stagnated.”
– Emily Sorensen, Senior Editor, Mobile Transaction
Square is constantly expanding its own (paid or free) business tools, such as the email marketing and customer loyalty features built into the platform. Users can also connect with lots of external software for things like ecommerce, marketing, food delivery and inventory management.
Zettle only connects with a few accounting systems and ecommerce builders. SumUp has a closed system relying on its own features, but recently added accounting and ecommerce integrations.
Whichever platform you choose, there are no contract obligations, monthly fees or complicated terms. Instead, you get simple fees and a trusted payment system designed to help your business grow – it doesn’t get simpler than that.
