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 27 August 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.
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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
See also the full UK card machine rates table, every published rate in one place.