Worldpay vs Square: which is right for your business?
This one splits by size. Square wins for smaller businesses taking under £20,000 a month on cards: no monthly fees, no contracts and a simple app. Worldpay wins at £50,000 a month and above, where custom rates, a dedicated account manager and a 99.9% uptime guarantee earn their keep.
Rates and contract terms checked July 2026 · Based on providers' published pricing
Square
- Monthly fee
- £0
- Contract
- None
- Best under
- £20k/mo
Worldpay
- Rates
- Custom
- Support
- 24/7 phone
- Best from
- £50k/mo
Where each provider wins
Where Square wins
- No monthly fees - you only pay when you take a payment
- No contracts - full flexibility to leave whenever you like
- Simple, intuitive app - quick to set up and easy to run
- Small business fit - built for startups and businesses under £20k/month
Where Worldpay wins
- Custom rates at volume - negotiated pricing from £50k/month
- 24/7 phone support - and a dedicated account manager
- 99.9% uptime SLA - an enterprise-grade reliability guarantee
- Multi-site businesses - built to handle several locations
How we calculated this
We take Worldpay's and Square'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 Worldpay and Square before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better: Worldpay or Square?
Square is better for small businesses (under £20k/month) - cheaper, no contracts, easier to use. Worldpay is better for larger businesses (£50k+/month) - custom rates, enterprise features, 24/7 phone support, 99.9% uptime guarantee.
The verdict
Choose Square if
- You process under £20k a month
- You want no monthly fees
- You prefer a simple, intuitive app
- You want no contracts and full flexibility
- You run a small or startup business
Choose Worldpay if
- You process £50k or more a month
- You need 24/7 phone support
- You want a dedicated account manager
- You require a 99.9% uptime SLA
- You run a multi-site business
Not sure which suits you?
Tell us your monthly card takings and we'll run Worldpay, Square and 13 other UK providers at your volume. Free, no obligation.
See also the full UK card machine rates table, all 15 providers in one place.