Search this comparison and the top results include SumUp's page (SumUp wins), Zettle-flavoured pages (Zettle wins), and affiliate reviews whose winner pays the best commission. Here's the version with no referral links and actual arithmetic, verified August 2026.
| Provider | In-person rate | Entry reader | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp | 1.69% | ~£19 + VAT | none (0.99% + £19/mo on Payments Plus) |
| Square | 1.75% | ~£19 + VAT | none |
| Zettle | 1.75% | ~£29 + VAT | none |
At £1,000 of card takings a month, SumUp's 1.69% costs £16.90; Square and Zettle cost £17.50. The famous rate difference is 60p a month — £7.20 a year. Over a first year including readers, the totals land within about £20 of each other. If you're choosing between these three on rate alone, you're optimising the wrong thing.
Connectivity: for markets and fairs, whether the reader happily pairs with your phone (all three) or works standalone with its own SIM (the ~£99 terminals — note SumUp's 3G terminal carries a £5/month SIM fee while Zettle's 4G terminal doesn't) matters more than 0.06%. Payout speed, app and ecosystem (Square's free POS is the most complete; Zettle ties into PayPal; SumUp is the most stripped-back), and customer support at 8am on a market day are the real differentiators. Volume plans: only SumUp publishes one — Payments Plus at 0.99% + £19/month, which pays for itself above about £2,714/month of card takings.
Under ~£500/month: buy whichever reader is on offer this week — the fee difference is pence. £500–£2,700: SumUp is arithmetically cheapest but the margin stays small; pick on ecosystem. Above £2,714: SumUp with Payments Plus is the published-price winner, and at that volume it's also worth asking Zettle about their custom pricing. In every band, run your own number rather than trusting a comparison page — including, in fairness, ours: the calculator below shows its working.
Rates verified August 2026 from provider pricing pages; providers change rates and discount hardware constantly — check current pages before buying. Not affiliated with SumUp, Square, Zettle or PayPal; no referral links. Not financial advice.