Square vs SumUp

Card payments, till software, invoices and online booking, with a free plan. Card readers and payment links for small traders, with pay-as-you-go fees.

	Square	SumUp
Price	Free plan: £0 a month (you pay per transaction). Plus: from £29 a month.	Pay-as-you-go: 1.69% per transaction, no monthly fee. Payments Plus: £189 a year with 0.99% per transaction.
Free plan	Yes. No set-up or monthly fees; you pay when you take a payment.	Yes. Pay-as-you-go plan has no monthly fee; you buy a card reader.
Best for	Shops, cafés and mobile traders taking card payments.	Market traders and mobile businesses taking occasional card payments.
Watch out for	Transaction fees apply on every payment; check the rates for your payment types.	Payments Plus only pays off at higher volumes; SumUp suggests it for £3,000+ a month.
UK notes	UK prices in pounds.	UK prices in pounds.
Made by	Block	SumUp
Checked	2026-10-14	2026-10-14

Our verdict

For most small UK businesses starting out, SumUp is the easier first pick because its entry plan costs less. Pick Square instead if this sounds like you: shops, cafés and mobile traders taking card payments.

UK price difference

Cheapest paid plans: Square £29 (Plus, per month, from); SumUp £15.75 (Payments Plus, a month equivalent of £189 a year). SumUp is £13.25 a month cheaper at entry level, though billing terms differ. Check on the provider page whether VAT is included before you buy.

Who should pick which?

Choose Square for: shops, cafés and mobile traders taking card payments.
Choose SumUp for: market traders and mobile businesses taking occasional card payments.

Both have a free plan, so the simplest test is to try each on a real job for a week. Prices change, so check the provider's page before buying.

Full details

Square tool page · SumUp tool page · How we check prices

Sources

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