Dojo vs Tide: which saves you more?
Dojo is cheaper above roughly £2,400 a month on cards. Its Fix plan is £39.99 a month covering card turnover up to £3,999 a month, then 1% flat: at £5,000 a month with a £25 average sale that is £49.99 against about £85 on Tide's 1.5% + 5p pay-as-you-go, and about £72 on Tide's 0.89% + 3p plan once the £17.99 + VAT monthly fee is counted. Below roughly £2,400 a month the arithmetic flips: Tide's pay-as-you-go costs about £34 at £2,000 a month against the £39.99 Fix fee, so stay put. One more line worth reading twice: Tide's 1.5% + 5p applies to domestic consumer debit cards, and its standard settlement takes up to 3 working days.
Rates and contract terms checked 27 August 2026· Based on providers' published pricing
Dojo
- Fix plan
- £39.99/mo
- Over £4k/mo
- 1% flat
- Settlement
- Next day
Tide
- Pay-as-you-go
- 1.5% + 5p
- On plan
- 0.89% + 3p
- Reader
- From £15
The MerchantSwitch route: Free Dojo terminal (no rental) through MerchantSwitch. Up to £3,000 towards your exit fees when you switch through MerchantSwitch. We have seen Dojo quotes as low as 0.29% for high-turnover businesses. Get the offer.
Rates and fees compared
Dojo prices by turnover: under £100,000 a year the Fix plan is £39.99 a month with 1% flat above £4,000 a month of card turnover, custom quotes above. Tide publishes two routes: pay-as-you-go at 1.5% + 5p, or a £17.99 + VAT monthly plan that cuts the rate to 0.89% + 3p. Tide figures checked against tide.co, August 2026.
| Feature | Dojo | Tide |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Fix plan: £39.99/month covers card turnover up to £3,999/month, then 1% flat above £4,000 (under £100k/year); custom quote above | Pay-as-you-go 1.5% + 5p (domestic consumer debit), or the Sell In-person plan at £17.99/month + VAT with 0.89% + 3p |
| Card types | One price on the Fix plan, Amex included | 1.5% + 5p applies to domestic consumer debit; other card types priced per Tide terms |
| Settlement | Next day as standard | Up to 3 working days; next-day boost costs £2.99 + VAT/month |
| Monthly fee | £39.99 on the Fix plan (platform fee included) | £0 on pay-as-you-go; £17.99 + VAT on the plan |
| Contract | 30-day trial, then a 12-month price-locked plan | Pay as you go, no fixed term |
| Card reader / terminal | From £179 upfront; free via MerchantSwitch | Card Reader Nano from £15 + VAT; Card Reader £159 + VAT |
| Account required | Any UK business bank account for settlement | A Tide business account |
| Support and hardware depth | UK support, pay-at-table, 450+ EPOS integrations | App-led; readers pair with the Tide account |
The takeaway, with the arithmetic shown (£25 average sale assumed): at £2,000 a month, Tide pay-as-you-go costs £30 + £4 in 5p fees = £34, beating the £39.99 Fix fee, so do not switch. At £5,000 a month, Fix costs £49.99 against £85 on Tide pay-as-you-go (£75 + £10) and about £72 on the Tide plan (£17.99 + VAT + £44.50 + £6). At £8,000 a month, Fix is £79.99 against £136 pay-as-you-go and about £102 on the plan. Add Tide's settlement (up to 3 working days unless you pay £2.99 + VAT a month for next-day) and the case above roughly £2,400 a month is Dojo's.
Want Tide and Dojo priced at your numbers?
Tell us your monthly card takings and we will quote both, honestly, plus other UK providers. Free Dojo terminal with no rental if Dojo wins it. We respond in under 5 minutes.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Dojo | Tide |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Fix plan: £39.99/month covers card turnover up to £3,999/month, then 1% flat above £4,000 (under £100k/year); custom quote above | Pay-as-you-go 1.5% + 5p (domestic consumer debit), or the Sell In-person plan at £17.99/month + VAT with 0.89% + 3p |
| Card types | One price on the Fix plan, Amex included | 1.5% + 5p applies to domestic consumer debit; other card types priced per Tide terms |
| Settlement | Next day as standard | Up to 3 working days; next-day boost costs £2.99 + VAT/month |
| Monthly fee | £39.99 on the Fix plan (platform fee included) | £0 on pay-as-you-go; £17.99 + VAT on the plan |
| Contract | 30-day trial, then a 12-month price-locked plan | Pay as you go, no fixed term |
| Card reader / terminal | From £179 upfront; free via MerchantSwitch | Card Reader Nano from £15 + VAT; Card Reader £159 + VAT |
| Account required | Any UK business bank account for settlement | A Tide business account |
| Support and hardware depth | UK support, pay-at-table, 450+ EPOS integrations | App-led; readers pair with the Tide account |
Where Dojo wins
- Lower cost past the crossover - £49.99 against £72 to £85 at £5,000 a month, with the gap widening at volume
- One price for all card types - Fix covers Amex and commercial cards at the same price; Tide's headline rate is for domestic consumer debit
- Next-day settlement as standard - Tide takes up to 3 working days unless you pay for the boost
- Terminal-led depth - pay-at-table, 450+ EPOS integrations and UK support, with the terminal free through MerchantSwitch
Where Tide wins
- Low volume - under roughly £2,400 a month, 1.5% + 5p with no monthly fee beats the £39.99 Fix fee
- Cheap hardware - the Card Reader Nano starts at £15 + VAT
- No fixed term - pay-as-you-go with no contract
- Banking in one place - payments settle into the Tide business account you may already run
How we calculated this
We take Dojo's and Tide's published or typical advertised rates and apply them to example monthly card volumes. Total cost is worked out as transaction fees plus fixed monthly fees over 12 months. Rates change and individual pricing can often be negotiated, so treat these figures as a like-for-like guide rather than a quote. Always confirm current pricing with Dojo and Tide before you commit.
The verdict
Choose Dojo if
- You take roughly £2,400 or more a month on cards, where Fix beats both Tide routes
- Your card mix includes credit, Amex or business cards, all covered at one price on Fix
- Next-day settlement matters to your cash flow
- You run hospitality or retail and want pay-at-table and EPOS integration
- You want the terminal free through MerchantSwitch
Choose Tide if
- You take under roughly £2,400 a month, where pay-as-you-go wins on cost
- You already bank with Tide and want payments in the same app
- You want a reader for £15 + VAT and no contract
- Most of your customers pay with domestic consumer debit cards
See also Tide vs SumUp, the full UK card machine rates table, or head back to the Dojo card machines hub.