SumUp vs Zettle: card payments at your stall
SumUp is the more flexible pick: besides its card readers, it lets you take tap-to-pay on your phone and send payment links and invoices, with a free POS app and online store. Zettle suits you if you already run your business through PayPal and want card takings from the same provider. Both charge no monthly fee and take a fee per transaction, so the choice comes down to those extras and the provider you already trust.
Which one to pick
You want to start taking cards today on your phone, send payment links to customers who are not in front of you, or invoice from the same app.
You already sell through PayPal, take cards a few times a day at a shop, stall or pop-up, and want a reader you buy once with no fixed costs.
Side by side
Questions
Do SumUp and Zettle charge a monthly fee?
No. Neither has a monthly fee or a contract: you pay a fee on each card transaction. With Zettle you also buy the reader once. SumUp sells low-cost readers too, or you can skip the reader and accept tap-to-pay on your phone.
Which one has lower transaction fees?
We do not quote fee rates here, because both set them per country and our data does not confirm them. Check the current rate on each provider's site for your country before you buy a reader. For a stall taking a few payments a day, a small difference in rate matters less than the hardware cost.
Can customers pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay?
Yes, both readers accept contactless cards and phone wallets. Zettle names phone wallets alongside cards as standard. SumUp's tap-to-pay on your own phone also takes contactless cards and wallets, with no reader at all.
Can I switch from Zettle to SumUp later?
Yes, with no contract on either side you can stop using one any day. You will need a SumUp reader, or use tap-to-pay on your phone while you wait for one. Rebuild your product list in SumUp's free POS app before your first market day.
Are both available in my country?
SumUp serves the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy and the US among others. Zettle covers the UK, Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Mexico, but not the US. If you trade in the UK or the EU countries we cover, either one works.