Zettle vs Square: which card reader is better?
There's almost nothing between them on running costs: both charge 1.75% per transaction with no monthly fee. Square edges it because its reader is £10 cheaper upfront (£19+VAT vs £29+VAT) and its free tools go further. Zettle wins if you want to take PayPal QR payments or trade in the EU.
Rates and contract terms checked July 2026 · Based on providers' published pricing
Square
- Transaction
- 1.75%
- Monthly
- £0
- Reader
- £19+VAT
Zettle
- Transaction
- 1.75%
- Monthly
- £0
- Reader
- £29+VAT
What each one costs
Both readers are pay-as-you-go with no contract, so the only real cost difference is the hardware you buy upfront.
| Cost | Square | Zettle |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Monthly fee | £0 | £0 |
| Card reader | £19+VAT | £29+VAT |
The takeaway:running costs are identical at 1.75% per transaction with no monthly fee. Square's reader is £10 cheaper upfront, and over three years of typical usage the total difference between the two stays under £50, so pick on features, not price.
Feature by feature
| Feature | Square | Zettle |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction fee | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Card reader cost | £19+VAT | £29+VAT |
| Inventory and team tools | Inventory, team management, shift scheduling | More basic |
| PayPal QR payments | Not available | Accepted alongside cards |
| Where it works | UK only | UK and EU |
Where Square wins
- Cheapest hardware - the reader is £19+VAT, £10 less than Zettle
- More advanced features - inventory management, team management and shift scheduling
- Better for growth - the free tools scale further as your business does
Where Zettle wins
- PayPal integration - part of the PayPal family, with PayPal features built in
- PayPal QR codes - customers can pay by QR code as well as card
- Works in the EU - Square is UK only
How we calculated this
We take Zettle'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 Zettle and Square before you commit.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper: Zettle or Square?
Identical pricing: Both charge 1.75% transaction fee with no monthly fees. Hardware: Zettle £29+VAT, Square £19+VAT. Square is £10 cheaper upfront. Over 3 years with typical usage, the difference is minimal (under £50).
Which has better features?
Square has more advanced features: better inventory management, team management, shift scheduling. Zettle has advantage of PayPal integration - customers can pay via PayPal QR codes as well as cards. For feature-rich: Square. For PayPal users: Zettle.
The verdict
Choose Square if
- You want the cheapest reader upfront
- You need inventory, team management or shift scheduling
- You plan to grow into more advanced tools
- You only trade in the UK
Choose Zettle if
- You already use PayPal for your business
- You want customers to pay by PayPal QR code
- You trade in the EU as well as the UK
Want this worked out at your exact numbers?
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See also the full UK card machine rates table, all 15 providers in one place.