SumUp vs Zettle: Which is better for taking payments?

Based on findings from our impartial team of researchers, we can declare that, when it comes to the best free POS system, SumUp wins out between SumUp and Zettle. Our latest research from May 2025 found that SumUp comes with more advanced software features, and a better range of terminals and accessories – just giving it the edge over Zettle.

While SumUp might be the victor, it’s a close-run race, and both systems have strengths and weaknesses you’ll need to know about before choosing one. We’ll take you through a round-by-round breakdown in the areas that are most crucial to a successful retail or hospitality business.

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OVERALL WINNER
Provider SumUp	Provider Zettle
Score for retail businesses 4.5	Score for retail businesses 4.0
Score for food and beverage businesses 4.2	Score for food and beverage businesses 3.6
Top highlight Speed and efficiency at an affordable price point	Top highlight Great for managing sales on the go
Transaction fee 1.69%	Transaction fee 1.75%
Monthly subscription price from Free	Monthly subscription price from Free
Card machine price from £34 + VAT	Card machine price from £49 + VAT
Payout time One to three business days (barring Saturdays and Sundays), or next day payouts with Payments Plus	Payout time One to two business days
Pros Great range of hardware and accessories Built-in digital gift card functionality Seamless mobile experience Bulk upload inventory	Pros User friendly and simple Completely free iPad-based POS software Solid range of accessories Can create bespoke gift cards
Cons POS Pro is expensive Can’t create physical gift cards Doesn’t offer a handheld POS system Limited table reservation system	Cons Unreliable offline functionality Lacks some more advanced tools and features No kitchen display screen No countertop POS terminal
Compare Quotes	Compare Quotes

Which is cheaper?

Zettle’s pricing is straightforward and simple. It charges a flat 1.75% transaction fee, which is roughly about average compared to its competitors, making for a pretty great deal considering you’re getting it on Zettle’s free plan.

Like Zettle, SumUp also offers a free software plan. SumUp’s transaction fee of 1.69% for in-person payments is cheaper than Zettle’s 1.75%, but if you opt to pay an extra £19 per month for its Payments Plus plan, you’ll be charged rock bottom 0.99% transaction fees instead. And, at £34 plus VAT, SumUp’s card reader is slightly cheaper than the Zettle Reader 2, which is £49 plus VAT.

When we tested the portable SumUp Air card reader we were impressed with the entire process, from beginning to end. Source: Startups.co.uk

Want flexibility? SumUp offers multiple tiers, which include packages of more advanced software and hardware. However, SumUp’s free POS plan will get you access to basic capabilities, such as taking card and digital payments, tracking your sales, creating invoices, and managing tips.

To access the full range of extensive features, you’ll need to pay for SumUp POS Pro. The monthly fee and hardware price (the latter of which starts from £754.80 upfront) are expensive. There are also additional costs for certain features, including stock and ingredient management, so new starters need to bear this in mind.

It does provide a dedicated countertop option: the POS Lite (comprised of a 13″ tablet and a stand), which comes pre-installed with the free version of the software and bundled with the Solo card reader. A pretty solid package for £349 plus VAT.

While SumUp might be a nose ahead, ultimately both systems are very reasonably priced. For those who need to get set up on a budget and don’t want to be locked down into a contract, both are fantastic options.

Which is easier to use?

In our testing we liked how easily the Zettle Reader 2 paired with our PayPal account. Source: Startups.co.uk

Since our previous testing in 2024, Zettle has remained a consistently easy-to-use system. It’s refreshingly simple, and equally intuitive in both the front and back ends of the software. The stripped down minimalism of the menus and the large clear buttons really stand out as key design strengths.

While we did experience a few crashes and bugs, and a few issues persist into 2025 (like the lack of a search function on the item screen when using an iPad) we appreciated Zettle’s simplicity. The intuitive system is easy to navigate, quick to learn, and would be a good fit for pop-ups, cafes or businesses on the move, like food trucks.

The ordering page on Zettle’s POS is clear and minimal. Source: Startups.co.uk

Meanwhile, SumUp has made some notable changes to its front end since 2024, but we still found some frustrating issues with the back end. The front end is simple and responsive, but the back office is clunky and could be pretty slow to load. We also found that the front end didn’t always synchronise perfectly with the changes we made in the back end, and there are a few missing hospitality POS system features (like bill splitting).

However, the front end has seen improvement, especially when completing core tasks like table management, editing an order, or cancelling a payment. We also appreciated that SumUp includes a rather handy “park order” function. It would be a good beginner-friendly software, thanks to the easy navigation and short learning curve.

The ordering page on SumUp’s POS. Source: Startups.co.uk

It was a close call between the two platforms, as both excel in simplicity and ease of use (although Square beats them both as the most user-friendly POS platform for retail businesses, as well hospitality). However, we felt there was less of a disparity between the front and back office with Zettle’s interface, which just put it past the post for us.

What can SumUp and Zettle’s software do?

 We were impressed that the SumUp Air was fully charged and taking payments in under an hour. Source: Startups.co.uk

Both of these systems’ free plans come with some handy features included straight out the box, such as gift card creation, Tap to Pay on phone, and sales reports. However, SumUp is able to provide a more advanced set of tools with its Plus and Pro plans.

On SumUp’s Plus plan, you can get table management features, a real-time overview of your cash flow, and you can assign a printer to the bar or kitchen.

On the top tier, SumUp POS Pro, you get advanced employee management and inventory tools. These are helpful for both retail and hospitality businesses, especially combined with its multi-store support options. On this plan, you can also set up and customise mobile and QR code ordering, which could be essential for businesses that need a takeaway POS system, or events-based companies.

Recently, SumUp has launched SumUp Bookings. This feature allows you to streamline scheduling with tools including automatic appointment confirmations, the ability to add customer notes, and a free website you can use to display your services.

The table plan on SumUp’s POS. Source: Startups.co.uk

During our testing, we particularly appreciated:

• SumUp’s personalised loyalty programme that helps you drive repeat business (though this is a paid extra)
• The ingredient tracking feature
• The customisable kitchen display interface (subject to a monthly cost)
• Its built-in email marketing

Zettle offers some solid software as well, impressing us with how quick it is to add products and apply discounts. However, we did find it lacked the more advanced tools needed by bigger retail stores. While it could manage a basic inventory well, managing a complex inventory might prove more unwieldy.

The inventory page of Zettle’s POS. Source: Startups.co.uk

Zettle’s deficit of in-depth cost vs profit management tools would also be an issue for larger scale businesses, while the lack of built-in floor planning functionality will also rule it out for some restaurateurs.

That said, we did appreciate:

• The customisable gift card features, including the option to sell and accept physical gift cards
• Zettle’s customer loyalty programme, which is included as a free add-on

If you run a small, single-store retail or cafe business and only have a handful of items to sell, Zettle’s free software is still a very strong option for you. But it’s the depth of tools and features provided by SumUp’s Plus and Pro plans that seal the deal for us this round.

How does their point of sale hardware compare?

We liked how quickly it was to set up the SumUp Air and connect it to a smartphone via Bluetooth. Source: Startups.co.uk

Zettle provides the small, lightweight Zettle Reader 2 card machine and the PayPal Terminal, a handheld touchscreen POS terminal and card machine. The POS software can also be used on an iPad – in fact, Zettle is one of our top choices for an iPad-based POS. Zettle also provides a selection of’ ‘ready-made’ store kits that combine different hardware and accessories.

We particularly liked the haptic buttons on the Zettle Reader 2, which gave us great touch feedback when inputting a price. Source: Startups.co.uk

SumUp provides an impressive range of hardware. When we tested the SumUp Air card reader, we really liked how small and sleek it was. Most recently, we tested out the POS Lite countertop terminal (comprised of a tablet and stand), which comes pre-installed with the free SumUp POS software.

The POS Lite connects to the card reader, and has a 13” HD screen which SumUp claims is ‘splashproof’ (good for those hectic happy hours at the bar). We were impressed by how sleek and professional it felt, while still remaining lightweight.

With SumUp’s POS Pro plan, you can choose one of its card readers – either the SumUp Air or the SumUp Solo – which then connects to an iPad (which can be displayed on a stand to create a countertop terminal). You’ll also have the option to add on a separate kitchen display (a Lenovo 10” tablet).

However, SumUp doesn’t offer an all-in-one handheld device like the Zettle Terminal. The Zettle Terminal is especially handy if you’re solopreneur who wants to manage things on the move. Though, what SumUp does provide is a self-service kiosk, created specifically for the hospitality industry. It’s ideal for fully equipping POS systems for bars, as well as fast service restaurants.

What is their user support like?

SumUp’s help and support page. Source: Startups.co.uk

Both SumUp and Zettle offer a wide range of user support channels – including phone lines, email, live chat, in-platform support, and video tutorials – though, unlike SumUp, Zettle also provides support on social media.

This might have given Zettle the edge over SumUp, but when putting the knowledge centres through their paces, we found that SumUp’s performed slightly better. 

Zettle’s help and support page. Source: Startups.co.uk

That said, when we tested the chat functions of both platforms (we asked them “How can I view my sales and revenue reports?”) we found the speed and accuracy of the answers were identical – despite Zettle’s chat being answered by an actual human, whereas SumUp’s was just a bot.

What did finally push SumUp onto the winners podium, though, was the fact that, unlike Zettle, it offers a training mode for onboarding new staff.

SumUp vs Zettle: the overall verdict

The handy SumUp Air came out positively in our testing, but we also appreciated that we could take payment directly from an iPhone if needed. Source: Startups.co.uk

This was a close call, as both POS providers were often neck and neck, with comparable pros and cons.

But ultimately, SumUp’s potential for scalability and wider range of hardware make it the stronger option of the two. In particular, we feel that SumUps’ POS Pro, while expensive, will offer more bang for your buck if you run a small to medium-sized retail business, or if you’re running a cafe or small restaurant.

Zettle is still a very strong low-cost option, though. Zettle’s iPad-based free plan is great for ventures with smaller budgets, such as mobile businesses and pop-ups, as you can get started with it for very little investment.

Read more: The best POS systems for small businesses

Methodology: how we put SumUp and Zettle to the test

In our latest round of POS research conducted in May 2025, our Senior Research Executive evaluated a total of 11 systems, including SumUp and Zettle, in order to ensure our recommendations and insights are up to date and accurate.

Both of these systems were then tested by our dedicated Reviews Writer alongside other testers in our Startups offices in London, evaluating both the front and back ends of the platforms. This was set against a review framework devised by our Head of Research and Senior Research Executive.

In order to put Zettle and SumUp head to head, we compared them on the five categories we determined as the most important for POS users:

• Price: are you getting good value for money? We compare upfront costs, transaction fees, monthly costs, and whether a free trial is offered.
• Hardware: we examine the range of card readers, terminals and accessories that are offered by the provider.
• Software: we analyse the depth and range of features provided, including inventory management, reporting and analytics, employee management and more.
• Help and support: we look at the range and accuracy of the help and support options available.
• Usability: we test how easy to use the system is, on both the front end and back office.

As POS systems are needed across different industries, we determined two different testing groups for SumUp and Zettle: one specifically for their retail features, and one for the features that serve the hospitality industry. We were then able to cover the most important results from each group in this article, so that we can help you make a choice, whichever industry you’re in.