Square vs Zettle vs SumUp: compare the UK’s best card readers

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.

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.

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.

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% 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: £39 + 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.

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.