SumUp vs Square vs Zettle: the UK Pay-As-You-Go Shootout
SumUp is the cheapest on rate at 1.69% per transaction; Square and Zettle both charge 1.75%. All three charge £0 monthly fee.
At £2,000/month in card sales the gap is small: £33.80/month with SumUp vs £35.00 with Square or Zettle, £14.40 a year.
So choose on ecosystem: SumUp for the lowest rate and simplest setup, Square if you want point-of-sale software around your payments, Zettle if you already run on PayPal (funds settle to a PayPal account, typically in 1-2 business days).
Rates checked: August 2026
Side by Side
| Feature | SumUp | Square | Zettle by PayPal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 1.69% flat | 1.75% flat | 1.75% flat |
| Monthly fee | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Setup fee | Buy reader outright | Buy reader outright | £0 (reader bought outright) |
| Payout | To your bank account | To your bank account | To PayPal, typically 1-2 business days |
| Account requirement | SumUp account | Square account | PayPal account required |
| Ecosystem fit | Simplest: card payments first | Payments plus point-of-sale software | PayPal integration, user-friendly app |
| Cost at £2,000/month | £33.80 | £35.00 | £35.00 |
Rates are each provider's published flat pricing, checked August 2026. Reader hardware is bought outright; prices vary by model and promotion, so check the provider's site for current hardware costs.
Worked Example: £2,000/Month in Card Sales
Assumptions:£2,000/month card turnover. Because all three charge a flat percentage with no monthly fee, average transaction size doesn't change the total. Only the rate does.
At this volume the rate difference is pocket change: pick on features. The gap only starts to matter as volume grows, and past roughly £4,000-£5,000/month all three are usually beaten by negotiated pricing anyway.
Verdict by Business Type
Choose SumUp: sole traders, market stalls, mobile trades
If you just need to take cards at the lowest flat rate, SumUp's 1.69% beats the field and the setup is the simplest of the three. See the head-to-head Square vs SumUp comparison for the finer detail.
Choose Square: cafés and shops that want a till, not just a reader
Square's pull is payments wrapped in point-of-sale software: items, staff and sales reporting in one place. You pay 0.06 percentage points more than SumUp (60p per £1,000) for that convenience.
Choose Zettle: businesses already living in PayPal
Zettle settles into your PayPal account, typically within 1-2 business days, and a PayPal account is required. If PayPal already handles your online sales, that integration is worth more than SumUp's small rate edge. We compare the pair directly in SumUp vs Zettle.
Choose none of them: £4,000-£5,000+/month by card
At that volume, flat 1.69%-1.75% is usually beaten by bespoke pricing: Dojo, for example, typically prices at 1.2% to 1.9% depending on card turnover (we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses), with terminal rental from £20/month. The crossover arithmetic is on our full card machine rates page and in our no-monthly-fee guide.
Common Questions
Which is cheapest: SumUp, Square or Zettle?
SumUp is the cheapest of the three on headline rate at 1.69% per transaction, against 1.75% for both Square and Zettle. All three charge £0 monthly fee. At £2,000/month in card sales that works out at £33.80/month for SumUp versus £35.00/month for Square or Zettle, a difference of £1.20/month, or £14.40/year.
What is the real difference between SumUp, Square and Zettle?
Price is nearly identical (SumUp 1.69%, Square 1.75%, Zettle 1.75%, all £0/month), so the deciding factor is ecosystem. SumUp is the simplest, lowest-rate option for basic card taking. Square suits businesses that want their card reader tied into point-of-sale software. Zettle settles funds into a PayPal account (typically within 1-2 business days), so it fits businesses already running on PayPal; note a PayPal account is required.
Do SumUp, Square or Zettle charge monthly fees?
No. SumUp (1.69% per transaction), Square (1.75%) and Zettle (1.75%) all charge £0 monthly fee for basic card payments in the UK. You buy the card reader up front and pay only per transaction.
When should I avoid all three and negotiate a rate instead?
Above roughly £4,000-£5,000 a month in card sales, flat rates of 1.69%-1.75% usually cost more than a negotiated deal. Bespoke providers such as Dojo typically price at 1.2% to 1.9% depending on card turnover, and we have seen quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses, with terminal rental from £20/month, which tends to undercut the flat-rate readers at higher volumes.
The 10-Second Recap
- Cheapest rate: SumUp, 1.69% vs 1.75%
- Best with POS software: Square
- Best for PayPal businesses: Zettle
- All three: £0 monthly fee, reader bought outright, no contract lock-in
Taking More Than £4,000 a Month?
Then all three of these readers are probably overcharging you. Tell us your card volume and we'll compare negotiated quotes against 1.69%-1.75% flat. Free, no obligation.
Compare Rates at My VolumeOr call: 0333 041 3933