SumUp alternatives UK: ranked by monthly cost
Revolut Business and Lopay are the cheapest SumUp alternatives on published UK consumer card rates: a shop taking £5,000 a month would pay £45.00 and £49.50 in card fees against £84.50 on SumUp pay as you go. Below £2,000 a month the saving is small enough that staying on SumUp is a fair choice, and above £10,000 a month you should be asking for custom quotes, SumUp included.
Prices read from each provider's own UK pricing page on 1 November 2026. Device prices for SumUp, Square and Zettle checked 25 August 2026. Card fees only; we assume a £20 average sale (for the pence part of Revolut and Tide prices) and UK consumer cards, because that is the only card type every provider publishes a rate for.
Which SumUp alternative is cheapest?
Ranked by monthly card fees at £5,000 a month. "Custom quote" in the Dojo row at £10,000 means Dojo prices that volume (£120,000 a year) individually, so there is no published figure to compute.
| Provider | Published price | £2,000/month | £5,000/month | £10,000/month | Hardware |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revolut Business | 0.8% + 2p, £0/month | £18.00 | £45.00 | £90.00 | Revolut Terminal Lite £129 + VAT or Terminal £169 + VAT (the older £49 Reader is discontinued; Revolut pricing page, checked 1 November 2026) |
| Lopay (Standard) | 0.99%, £0/month | £19.80 | £49.50 | £99.00 | £35 plus P&P for the first reader ordered in the Lopay app (£49 otherwise) |
| Dojo | 1.2% blended, under £100,000 a year | £24.00 | £60.00 | Custom quote | Dojo Go Max £149 (launch offer, usually £229) or £25/month |
| Tide Sell In-Person Premium | 0.69% + 3p + £19.99/month | £36.79 | £61.99 | £103.99 | Card Reader £29 on this plan |
| SumUp Payments Plus | 0.99% + £19/month | £38.80 | £68.50 | £118.00 | Solo Lite £25 ex VAT |
| Flatpay | 1.49%, £0/month | £29.80 | £74.50 | £149.00 | Terminal £0 to start |
| SumUp (pay as you go) | 1.69%, £0/month | £33.80 | £84.50 | £169.00 | Solo Lite £25 ex VAT |
| Tide Pay As You Go | 1.5% + 5p, £0/month | £35.00 | £87.50 | £175.00 | Card Reader £49 |
| Square | 1.75%, £0/month | £35.00 | £87.50 | £175.00 | Reader £19 + VAT |
| Zettle | 1.75%, £0/month | £35.00 | £87.50 | £175.00 | First reader £29 |
Monthly plan fees are included in the cost columns. Tide's rates cover domestic consumer debit cards only (Tide states that its transaction and subscription fees increase on 1 December 2026). Lopay's and Revolut's rates cover UK consumer Visa and Mastercard; SumUp Payments Plus covers domestic debit and credit cards. Sources: Revolut, Lopay, Tide, Flatpay, SumUp, Square, Zettle, Dojo.
What would the £5,000 a month shop pay with each?
Our house example takes £5,000 a month on cards in 250 sales of £20. The arithmetic, cheapest first:
- Revolut Business: £5,000 × 0.8% + 250 × 2p = £45.00
- Lopay Standard: £5,000 × 0.99% = £49.50
- Dojo: £5,000 × 1.2% = £60.00, plus the terminal (£149 upfront or £25/month for the Go Max)
- Tide Sell In-Person Premium: £19.99/month + £5,000 × 0.69% + 250 × 3p = £61.99
- SumUp Payments Plus: £19 + £5,000 × 0.99% = £68.50
- Flatpay: £5,000 × 1.49% = £74.50
- SumUp pay as you go: £5,000 × 1.69% = £84.50
- Tide Pay As You Go: £5,000 × 1.5% + 250 × 5p = £87.50
- Square and Zettle: £5,000 × 1.75% = £87.50
Moving from SumUp pay as you go to Revolut saves £39.50 a month, or £474.00 a year. Moving to Lopay saves £35.00 a month (£420.00 a year).
Lopay vs SumUp: which is cheaper?
Lopay, on UK consumer cards. The Standard account charges 0.99% (settled up to 1 business day after the transaction), the Essential account 0.79% if you accept being settled once a week, and Instant to Bank 1.79%. There is no monthly fee and the first reader is £35 plus P&P for the first reader ordered in the Lopay app (£49 otherwise). The catch is the card mix: Lopay charges +1% each for American Express, international and corporate cards, and the surcharges stack where more than one applies, so an Amex sale on the Standard account costs 1.99%, more than SumUp's flat 1.69%. Disputes also carry a £20 dispute admin fee.
Flatpay vs SumUp: which is cheaper?
On paper Flatpay, by a little. Its terminal page lists 1.49% per transaction on all cards below £200,000 a year of card turnover, 0.99% above £200,000 a year (custom pricing for some businesses), with £0 to start for the terminal, £0 a month and daily payouts. At £5,000 a month that is £74.50 against SumUp's £84.50. Two things stop us ranking it higher: Lopay and Revolut are cheaper still on consumer cards, and some other Flatpay UK pages (business-type pages) still show a 1.69% flat rate, so get the rate confirmed in writing before you sign. Flatpay's Amex rate: Not published (the terminal page says "all cards" and names Visa and Mastercard only).
Is Revolut cheaper than SumUp?
Yes, and it is the cheapest published option here for UK consumer cards at 0.8% + 2p. UK consumer Amex is 1.7% + 2p, close to SumUp's flat rate, but 2.6% + 2p for non-UK consumer cards and all commercial cards, well above it. The reader is Revolut Terminal Lite £129 + VAT or Terminal £169 + VAT (the older £49 Reader is discontinued; Revolut pricing page, checked 1 November 2026). You need a Revolut Business account; check the rate shown for your account plan. If many of your customers pay with company cards, Revolut's advantage shrinks fast.
Is Tide's card reader cheaper than SumUp?
Tide Pay As You Go (1.5% + 5p) is not cheaper: the 5p per sale pushes the £5,000 shop to £87.50. Tide Sell In-Person Premium (£19.99/month plus 0.69% + 3p, 12-month contract) is, at £61.99. Both rates are for domestic consumer debit cards only; all other card types are priced in the Tide Membership and Product Terms, so credit cards and Amex fall outside the headline price. Tide states that its transaction and subscription fees increase on 1 December 2026, so check the new figures before you commit to a 12-month plan.
Is Dojo cheaper than SumUp?
On rate, yes: Dojo publishes a 1.2% all-in blended transaction rate for all card transactions for businesses with annual card turnover below £100,000, against SumUp's 1.69%. The terminal is what decides it for a small shop. Renting the Go Max at £25 a month, the £5,000 shop pays £60.00 + £25.00 = £85.00, roughly level with SumUp at £84.50. Bought outright at £149, the £24.50 monthly rate saving pays for the device in about 7 months. Dojo’s fees schedule also lists a secure transaction fee, a refund fee and a minimum monthly payment, each set by your agreed plan; the amounts are not published. Our Dojo vs SumUp comparison covers the rest.
Are Square and Zettle cheaper than SumUp?
No. Both charge 1.75% against SumUp's 1.69%, so they cost £3.00 a month more at £5,000. People pick them for other reasons: Square's free point of sale software, or Zettle paying out typically within minutes, into a PayPal Business account. See Square vs SumUp and SumUp vs Zettle, or the three-way SumUp vs Square vs Zettle answer.
What changes if customers pay by Amex?
The cheap headline rates above only cover UK consumer cards. Put £500 of the £5,000 on UK consumer Amex cards and the order changes:
- Revolut: £4,500 × 0.8% + £500 × 1.7% + 250 × 2p = £49.50
- Lopay Standard: £4,500 × 0.99% + £500 × 1.99% = £54.50
- SumUp Payments Plus: £19 + £4,500 × 0.99% + £500 × 1.69% = £72.00
- SumUp pay as you go and Dojo do not change: £84.50 and £60.00
Our guide to accepting American Express lists every provider's published Amex rate.
When should you stay with SumUp?
Stay put if you take under about £2,000 a month, where the best saving is £15.80 a month, or if a large share of your customers pay with Amex, international or business cards, which SumUp charges at the same 1.69%. SumUp also pays card sales into its own business account by 7am the next day, weekends and bank holidays included; see what the SumUp business account changes. Leaving costs nothing because SumUp has no contract; our SumUp cancellation guide has the steps. At £10,000 a month and above, SumUp offers a custom plan for businesses processing £10,000 or more a month (bespoke fees, not published), so get that quote alongside the others.
Not sure which side of the line you are on? Send us a recent statement through the free statement review and we will work out your effective rate, or read our full SumUp review.
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SumUp alternatives: common questions
What is the cheapest alternative to SumUp in the UK?
On published rates for UK consumer cards, Revolut Business (0.8% + 2p) and Lopay Standard (0.99%) are the cheapest. At £5,000 a month that is £45.00 and £49.50 against £84.50 on SumUp pay as you go, assuming a £20 average sale. Both charge more for Amex, international and business cards, so the gap narrows if many customers pay that way.
Is Lopay cheaper than SumUp?
Yes for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard: 0.99% against 1.69%, so £5,000 a month costs £49.50 instead of £84.50. Lopay adds +1% for Amex, international and corporate cards (and the surcharges stack), while SumUp charges 1.69% on every card.
Is Flatpay cheaper than SumUp?
Slightly, if the 1.49% on Flatpay's terminal page is the rate you are offered: £5,000 a month would cost £74.50 against £84.50. Some other Flatpay UK pages (business-type pages) still show a 1.69% flat rate, so get the rate confirmed in writing before you sign.
Should I leave SumUp at £2,000 a month?
Only if the trade-offs suit you. At £2,000 a month SumUp costs £33.80; Revolut would be £18.00 and Lopay £19.80, a saving of £15.80 a month at most. Do not move to a monthly plan at this level: SumUp Payments Plus would cost £38.80 and Tide Premium £36.79, both more than staying put.