Tide vs SumUp: same money, very different small print
At £5,000 a month of all-debit card sales, Tide's paid plan costs £68.49 and SumUp's costs £68.50: a difference of pennies. The decision lives in the small print, and it points one way. SumUp's 0.99%plan rate covers domestic debit and credit cards and cancels monthly; Tide's 0.89% + 3p covers domestic consumer debit only and locks you in for 12 months, with the remaining subscription charges payable if you leave early. Unless your takings live inside a Tide business account, SumUp is the safer version of the same price.
Rates and contract terms checked 24 August 2026· Based on providers' published pricing
Tide
- Debit rate
- 1.5% + 5p
- Plan
- 0.89% + 3p
- Hardware
- From £15
Rates cover domestic consumer debit cards; plan runs a 12-month minimum term.
SumUp
- PAYG rate
- 1.69%
- Plan
- 0.99%
- Hardware
- From £25
Plan rate covers domestic debit and credit; subscription cancels monthly.
Monthly cost, worked at a £25 average payment
Tide adds pence per transaction, so we fix an average payment of £25 (200 payments per £5,000). The Tide columns assume every card is domestic consumer debit, the best case for Tide; SumUp's plan column assumes domestic debit or credit, which its 0.99% actually covers. Both plans keep premium, international and Amex cards at higher rates.
| Monthly turnover | SumUp PAYG | SumUp Plus + £19 | Tide PAYG (debit) | Tide plan + £17.99 (debit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000 | £33.80/mo | £38.80/mo | £34.00/mo | £38.19/mo |
| £5,000 | £84.50/mo | £68.50/mo | £85.00/mo | £68.49/mo |
| £10,000 | £169.00/mo | £118.00/mo | £170.00/mo | £118.99/mo |
The takeaway:the two paid plans are within a pound or two of each other at every volume, and both beat their pay-as-you-go rates from roughly £2,500 a month. So price does not decide this one. Coverage and commitment do: SumUp's plan rate stretches over credit cards and can be cancelled next month; Tide's is debit-only for a 12-month term. The exception is a business already run entirely through a Tide account, where the banking convenience is the product.
Over £5,000 a month? Neither may be your answer
At that volume, negotiated pricing usually beats both flat-rate readers. Send a statement and we price the whole market against it, free.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Tide | SumUp |
|---|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-go rate | 1.5% + 5p - domestic consumer debit cards only | 1.69% - one rate for in-person payments |
| Monthly plan | £17.99/month + VAT: 0.89% + 3p on domestic consumer debit | £19/month: 0.99% on domestic debit AND credit (premium, international and Amex stay at 1.69%) |
| Plan commitment | 12-month minimum term; leave early and the remaining subscription charges are payable | Rolling subscription, cancel any time (unused periods not refunded) |
| Cheapest hardware | Tide Nano from £15 + VAT | Solo Lite £25 ex VAT; Tap to Pay £0 |
| Settlement | Up to 3 working days as standard; next-day costs £2.99 + VAT per month | Typically next working day |
| Banking | Takings settle into a Tide business account, everything in one app | Works with any bank account |
How we calculated this
We take Tide's and SumUp's published or typical advertised rates and apply them to example monthly card volumes (£2,000 to £10,000 a month at a £25 average payment). 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 Tide and SumUp before you commit.
The verdict
Choose Tide if
- Your business banking already runs through Tide and you want takings in the same app
- Your customers pay almost entirely by domestic debit card
- You are comfortable committing to the plan for 12 months
Choose SumUp if
- You want the plan discount to cover credit cards as well as debit
- You want to be able to cancel the plan next month if trade changes
- Next-working-day settlement matters to your cash flow
- You want the cheapest way in: Tap to Pay for £0, Solo Lite for £25
See also Tide vs Square, Square vs SumUp, or the full UK card machine rates table.