Alternatives
Zettle by PayPal alternatives
Zettle by PayPal: Card readers and a point-of-sale app from PayPal, with one transaction rate and no monthly fee. Its price when we checked: 1.75% per card or mobile wallet transaction, including American Express. Invoices and payment links 2.5%. PayPal Reader £29 excl. VAT for new business users (extra readers £69); PayPal Terminal from £149 excl. VAT. No contracts or recurring fees. If it isn't right for you, these tools do a similar job.
Prices at a glance
| Tool | Cheapest paid plan | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Zettle by PayPal | Not published | Yes |
| SumUp | £15.75 (Payments Plus, a month equivalent of £189 a year) | Yes |
| Square | £29 (Plus, per month, from) | Yes |
| myPOS | Not published | Yes |
| Dojo | £25 (Plus, per month per location (offer £11.99 for new customers)) | No |
Our verdict
Free plans: SumUp, Square, myPOS. Priced in pounds (no exchange-rate surprises): SumUp, Square, Dojo. Cheapest pound-priced entry plan: SumUp at £15.75 (Payments Plus, a month equivalent of £189 a year). Choose by the job you need doing: each entry says who it suits best.
SumUp
Card readers and payment links for small traders, with pay-as-you-go fees.
- Price: Pay-as-you-go: 1.69% per transaction, no monthly fee. Payments Plus: 0.99% per transaction for £19 a month or £189 a year. Readers: Solo Lite £25, Solo £79, Terminal £135 (excl. VAT); Tap to Pay on your phone £0.
- Free plan: Yes. Pay-as-you-go plan has no monthly fee; you buy a card reader.
- Best for: Market traders and mobile businesses taking occasional card payments.
Compare Zettle by PayPal and SumUp side by side
Square
Card payments, till software, invoices and online booking, with a free plan.
- Price: Free plan: £0 a month. In person: 1.75% for UK cards (1.75% + 1.95% for non-UK cards); manually keyed: 2.5%. Square Reader from £19 + VAT. Plus: from £29 a month, paid monthly, cancel any time.
- Free plan: Yes. No set-up or monthly fees; you pay when you take a payment.
- Best for: Shops, cafés and mobile traders taking card payments.
Compare Zettle by PayPal and Square side by side
myPOS
Standalone card machines with a free business account and instant payouts.
- Price: £0 monthly costs; transaction fee from 1.10% + £0.07 (varies by payment method). myPOS Go 2 £39, myPOS Flex £49 (offer, was £59), myPOS Ultra £179, all excl. VAT. Custom quotes above £10,000 a month.
- Free plan: Yes. No monthly fee or long-term contract; free business account and data SIM.
- Best for: Trades and mobile businesses who want a standalone machine with its own SIM.
Compare Zettle by PayPal and myPOS side by side
Dojo
UK card machines with next-day payouts, a blended transaction rate for smaller businesses and an optional Plus plan.
- Price: 1.2% blended rate on all card transactions below £100,000 annual card turnover; custom rates above. Dojo Pocket £239; Dojo Wired £179 upfront. Plus plan £25 a month per location (£11.99 offer for new customers when checked). Tap to Pay on iPhone available.
- Free plan: No. No free plan listed; the Essential package covers core payments, with Plus as a paid upgrade.
- Best for: Shops, salons and hospitality with steady card takings who want UK phone support.
Compare Zettle by PayPal and Dojo side by side
Sources
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