Head to head · Pay-as-you-go card readers
Square vs SumUp: which card reader costs less?
Updated
Both sell a cheap reader, charge one rate for every card and have no monthly fee or contract. They are the usual choice for market stalls, mobile services and new businesses. SumUp’s rate is lower; Square gives you more software for the difference.
Verdict
SumUp is cheaper on every in-person sale: 1.40% against Square’s 1.6%, which is $240 a year on $10,000 a month. Its hardware is cheaper too. Square earns its higher rate if you use its free point-of-sale apps or want next-day money on weekends; SumUp pays out in one to three business days.
Your numbers
The published terms
SumUp and Square in-person plans
| Plan | In-person rate | Monthly | Upfront | Amex | Settlement | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp Air reader | 1.4% | $0 | $49 | Amex accepted; one 1.40% reader rate is published, with no separate Amex rate | 1 to 3 business days | SumUp pricing | SumUp (opens in a new tab) |
| SumUp Solo | 1.4% | $0 | $79 | Amex accepted; one 1.40% reader rate is published, with no separate Amex rate | 1 to 3 business days | SumUp Solo | SumUp (opens in a new tab) |
| Square Reader (Free plan) | 1.6% | $0 | $65 | Same 1.6% as Visa, Mastercard and eftpos | Next day, including weekends, free | Square pricing | Square (opens in a new tab) |
| Square Terminal (Free plan) | 1.6% | $0 | $329 | Same 1.6% as Visa, Mastercard and eftpos | Next day, including weekends, free | Square pricing | Square (opens in a new tab) |
SumUp: “For our card reader, this transaction fee is 1.40%.” There are no monthly fees or binding contracts. (SumUp pricing, checked )
Square: “Visa, Mastercard, eftpos or American Express all cost the same rate. 1.6% per transaction.” (Square pricing, checked )
SumUp’s Air product page offered the reader for $24 on 3 October 2026; its pricing page listed $49. (SumUp Air, checked )
What 0.2 points adds up to for a small seller
Fees a year at three monthly volumes
| Plan | $3,000 a month | $10,000 a month | $25,000 a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| SumUp Air reader | $5041.40% | $1,6801.40% | $4,2001.40% |
| Square Reader (Free plan) | $5761.60% | $1,9201.60% | $4,8001.60% |
| Square, joined before 30 May 2024 | $6841.90% | $2,2801.90% | $5,7001.90% |
At $3,000 a month the gap is $72 a year, less than the price difference between a standalone SumUp Solo and a Square Terminal. At $25,000 a month it is $600, and SumUp says it will talk about custom fees above $20,000 a month.
Square sellers who signed up before 30 May 2024 still pay 1.9% on the Reader, Stand and Tap to Pay. For them the gap to SumUp is half a percentage point, $600 a year at $10,000 a month.
What each one is better at
Square includes its point-of-sale apps free with every account, so you get Square’s till software with the reader at no extra cost. Tap to Pay on an iPhone or Android phone is free, so you can start without buying hardware. Money arrives the next day, weekends included.
SumUp is cheaper on the rate and the hardware, and its Solo terminal has built-in mobile data, so it works without a phone. Payouts take one to three business days, which matters if you restock from last week’s takings.
- SumUp payment links: 2.10%. (SumUp pricing, checked )
- Square keyed-in and card-on-file payments: 2.2%. (Square pricing, checked )
How long the hardware takes to pay back
SumUp is cheaper upfront and cheaper per sale, so there is no trade-off on cost alone. The question is how quickly the gap pays for anything Square gives you. A standalone Square Terminal costs $250 more than a SumUp Solo. At $5,000 a month in card sales the 0.2-point fee gap is $10 a month, so over a year you would pay about $370 more for the Square setup.
That is the price of Square’s software and weekend payouts. For a business that would otherwise pay for a point-of-sale app, it can be a fair price; for one that only needs to take a card, it isn’t.
Check your surcharge setting
On 3 October 2026 SumUp’s product pages still described a feature to automatically apply a surcharge rate. (SumUp Air, checked )
Whatever your reader offers, card surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard, Visa, American Express and UnionPay cards are no longer allowed. If you switched surcharging on before 1 October, switch it off in the app. What the ban covers.