The Wrong Question Is “Which Is Best?” — The Right One Is “How Much Do I Take?”
Every “best card machine” list crowns a different winner, and they are all answering the wrong question. SumUp, Square and Zettle (now PayPal Point of Sale) charge almost the same headline rate — 1.69% against 1.75% — and all three sell you a reader with no monthly fee and no contract. The difference between them is not the headline rate. It is your monthly card volume, whether you take payments face to face or online, and how fast you need the money in your bank.
This guide uses the prices the providers publish themselves, checked in November 2026, and does the maths properly: what each machine costs over a full year at real volumes, and the exact monthly takings at which a monthly fee for a lower rate starts to save you money. Hardware prices below exclude VAT — add 20%.
The Short Answer, by Monthly Card Takings
Under about £2,500 a month: buy the cheapest reader and pay as you go. SumUp Solo Lite (£25) on 1.69% is the cheapest way in, and Square Reader (£19) is a close second.
£2,500 to £10,000 a month: SumUp Payments Plus at £19 a month wins, because its 0.99% rate beats both rivals’ 1.75% once your volume crosses about £2,700 a month.
Over £10,000 a month: stop comparing flat-rate readers. A provider with a negotiated or blended rate, such as Dojo’s published 1.2%, can save hundreds of pounds a month.
Mostly online sales: Square wins among the three — its online rate of 1.4% + 25p is far cheaper than SumUp’s and Zettle’s 2.5%.
Fees Compared: The Three Headline Rates
| SumUp | Square | Zettle (PayPal Point of Sale) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-person rate | 1.69% | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Monthly fee | £0 (or £19 on Payments Plus) | £0 (Free plan) | £0 |
| Lower-rate plan | Payments Plus: 0.99% for £19/month | Plus plan from £29/month | None published |
| Online payments | 2.5% (0.99% on Payments Plus) | 1.4% + 25p (UK cards) | 2.5% |
| Keyed-in (typed) payments | 2.95% + 25p | 2.5% | 3.4% + 20p |
| Payout speed | Next day by 7am, incl. weekends (SumUp Business Account) | Next working day free; instant for 1.95% | Minutes, to your PayPal balance |
| Contract | None | None | None |
The headline gap between SumUp and the other two is 0.06 percentage points. On £5,000 of monthly card sales that is £3 a month — £36 a year. The decision is the monthly-fee plan, and the rates for payments that are not tapped in person.
Hardware Costs: What You Actually Pay Up Front
| Cheapest reader | Standalone terminal | Countertop / register | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | Solo Lite £25 | Solo £79 | Terminal £135 |
| Square | Reader £19 | Terminal £149 | Register £599 |
| Zettle (PayPal) | Reader £29 (first), £69 extra | Terminal £149 (£199 with scanner) | — |
All prices exclude VAT. A few things worth knowing before you choose:
The cheapest reader is not always the cheapest choice. Square Reader at £19 needs your phone or tablet and its internet connection. SumUp Solo at £79 has its own 4G SIM with free data, so it works at a market stall or a customer’s door with no phone in sight. The Solo saves you nothing on fees — the rate is the same as the Solo Lite — but it pays for its extra £54 in convenience on the first busy weekend without Wi-Fi.
Zettle’s second reader costs more than its first. The first reader is £29, but extra readers are £69 each. If you need two or three readers for a busy counter, Square’s £19 readers or SumUp’s £25 Solo Lite work out cheaper.
Terminal prices converge. At the countertop level all three sit around £135–£149, so the choice there is about the software, not the price. Square’s free point-of-sale app is the strongest of the three for stock control and staff logins; Zettle’s terminal is the pick if you already run your business money through PayPal.
The Break-Even Maths: When a Monthly Fee Beats Pay As You Go
This is the calculation most comparison articles skip, and it decides the winner for most small businesses. A lower rate only saves money once the saving covers the monthly fee.
SumUp Payments Plus vs SumUp pay as you go. Payments Plus costs £19 a month and cuts your rate from 1.69% to 0.99% — a saving of 0.70p in every £100. Break-even is £19 ÷ 0.007 = £2,714 a month in card takings. Below that, pay as you go is cheaper. Above it, Payments Plus wins, and the gap grows fast: at £5,000 a month it saves £16 a month (£192 a year); at £10,000 a month it saves £51 a month (£612 a year).
SumUp Payments Plus vs Square. Against Square’s 1.75%, the saving is 0.76p per £100, so break-even is £19 ÷ 0.0076 = £2,500 a month. If you take more than £2,500 a month on cards, Payments Plus beats Square as well as beating SumUp’s own free plan.
What a Full Year Actually Costs
| Monthly card sales | SumUp PAYG (Solo Lite £25) | Square (Reader £19) | Zettle (Reader £29) | SumUp Payments Plus (Solo Lite £25) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000 | £431 | £439 | £449 | £557 |
| £5,000 | £1,039 | £1,069 | £1,079 | £863 |
| £10,000 | £2,053 | £2,119 | £2,129 | £1,457 |
First-year cost = hardware + 12 months of transaction fees at the published in-person rate. Two things jump out. First, at £2,000 a month the three pay-as-you-go options sit within £18 of each other over a whole year — the reader you like using matters more than the rate. Second, at £5,000 a month Payments Plus is already £176 a year cheaper than SumUp’s own free plan and £206 cheaper than Square.
The Rates Nobody Compares: Online, Keyed-In and Payout Speed
Online payments. If you sell through a website or send payment links, Square is the clear winner of the three: 1.4% + 25p on UK cards, against 2.5% at both SumUp and Zettle. On a £50 online order, Square costs 95p and the others cost £1.25. SumUp closes the gap on Payments Plus (0.99%), which makes the £19 plan worth a second look for any business that takes a mix of in-person and online payments. Our business expenses guide explains how to treat processing fees as an allowable expense.
Keyed-in payments. Typing a card number in by hand — for a phone order or a deposit — is the most expensive way to take a card. Square charges 2.5%, SumUp 2.95% + 25p and Zettle 3.4% + 20p. If you regularly take deposits over the phone, Zettle is the worst of the three by a clear margin.
Payout speed. SumUp pays into its free Business Account by 7am the next day, including weekends; to an external bank account it takes 1–2 business days. Square pays to your bank the next working day for free, or instantly for 1.95%. Zettle pays into your PayPal balance within minutes. If cash flow is tight, payout speed is worth real money — see our working capital guide.
Which One Fits Your Business?
Market trader, mobile service or pop-up: SumUp Solo. Its own 4G connection means you are never hunting for Wi-Fi, and at 1.69% with no monthly fee it is the cheapest way to start. Buy the Solo Lite (£25) if you are happy to pair it with your phone.
Café, salon or small shop taking £2,500–£10,000 a month: SumUp with Payments Plus. The 0.99% rate is the cheapest published in-person rate of the three at that volume, and it pays for itself from about £2,700 a month.
Shop or service business that also sells online: Square. The free point-of-sale app handles stock and staff, and the 1.4% + 25p online rate is the cheapest of the three by a wide margin. The £19 Reader is also the cheapest hardware on the market. Some banks bundle merchant services with your account, so check your business bank account guide before you buy.
Already running on PayPal: Zettle, now PayPal Point of Sale. Its 1.75% rate is not the cheapest, but money lands in your PayPal balance within minutes and your online and in-person sales sit in one place. Just avoid taking keyed-in payments on it, at 3.4% + 20p.
Taking over £10,000 a month on cards: get quotes. Dojo publishes 1.2% for businesses under £100,000 a year in card turnover, and traditional acquirers negotiate below the flat rates once your volume is serious. On £15,000 a month, the difference between 1.75% and 1.2% is £82.50 a month — nearly £1,000 a year — which dwarfs any hardware saving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SumUp really cheaper than Square and Zettle?
On pay as you go, yes — but only just. SumUp’s 1.69% against 1.75% saves £3 a month on £5,000 of takings. The bigger saving is SumUp Payments Plus at 0.99%, which beats both rivals once you take more than about £2,500 a month on cards.
Do I need a monthly contract for a card machine?
No. SumUp, Square and Zettle all work with no monthly fee and no contract on their free plans. The only monthly fees are optional: £19 a month for SumUp Payments Plus and from £29 a month for Square Plus.
What is the cheapest card machine for a brand-new business?
Square Reader at £19 + VAT, with no monthly fee and 1.75% per transaction. SumUp Solo Lite at £25 + VAT on 1.69% is a close second and slightly cheaper per sale.
Can I switch card machine providers later?
Yes. There is no contract and no exit fee — but the reader only works with its own provider, so switching means buying a new reader. At £19–£29 that is a small cost, which is why starting on pay as you go and switching when your volume grows is the sensible route.
The Bottom Line
For most UK small businesses in 2026, the choice is simpler than the comparison sites make it look. Taking under £2,500 a month on cards? Buy the cheapest reader — SumUp Solo Lite or Square Reader — and pay as you go. Taking £2,500 to £10,000 a month? SumUp Payments Plus at £19 a month is the cheapest published deal of the three, and it pays for itself from about £2,700 a month. Selling online as well as in person? Square’s 1.4% + 25p online rate makes it the pick. And once you pass £10,000 a month, stop comparing readers and get a quote — the rate matters far more than the hardware at that volume. Start free, measure your real takings for three months, and switch the month the maths tells you to. If you are still setting up, include the reader in your startup costs guide.
