SumUp vs Zettle: Which is better for taking payments?

Our team of professional and independent researchers have awarded Zettle as the winner between SumUp and Zettle for 2024. Although it’s a little pricier when putting the POS system costs head to head, Zettle comes with more integrations, better scalability, and slightly better quality overall – so it wins out as the better value POS system, between the two.

But when it comes to choosing the right payment processor for your business, it’s never been more important to choose a provider that offers the best value and features for you, that will fit your unique business needs.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the various merits and drawbacks of each of these POS providers, helping you to understand which is the best choice for your own business needs. We’d also highly recommend taking just a moment to compare costs on POS systems using the simple tool, below. After answering just a few questions, you’ll be able to compare setup, hardware and transaction fees from top providers:

Of course, neither SumUp nor Zettle are the only game in town when it comes to POS systems. Below, we’ve ranked some of our other top choices for you to consider when picking a system for your own business:

SumUp vs Zettle: Overview

Both Zettle by PayPal and SumUp’s card readers are among the best card machines for small businesses.

However, there are a few differences between the two products and how a POS system works which may make one more suitable for you than the other:

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WINNER
Zettle by PayPal	SumUp
Software cost Free	Software cost Free
Hardware cost Starting from £29 + VAT	Hardware cost Starting from £29 + VAT
Transaction fees 1.75% for all contactless or card payments	Transaction fees 1.69% for all contactless or card payments
Includes payment software? Yes	Includes payment software? Yes
Online store? No	Online store? Yes
Warranty 12 months	Warranty 12 months
Money-back guarantee Yes, if returned within 30 days	Money-back guarantee Yes, if returned within 30 days
Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi	Mobile/Wi-Fi? 4G and Wifi
Payment gateway Yes	Payment gateway Available through integration with WooCommerce
PCI compliance Free – Zettle handles this	PCI compliance Free – SumUp handles this
Other fees Up to £250 chargebacks/month covered for free No refund fees	Other fees No monthly fees and no contractual obligations

*Pricing correct as of August 2023

SumUp vs Zettle: Pricing

We observed the SumUp card reader taking payments at Jerry’s, London

Key Takeaways

SumUp is the cheaper product, due to its lower transaction fees, and a cheaper card machine. 

But as the saying goes “you get what you pay for” and business owners looking to scale quickly may need to look at a card processing company or point of sale provider that offers more in the way of software features and expandable hardware sets. 

For business owners looking for a cheap and cheerful way to take card payments, the cost of the SumUp card reader and the lower transaction fees are ideal.

Zettle is a tad more expensive, but business owners do get more bang for only a little more buck, including the option to integrate the best accounting software for small businesses such as QuickBooks, Xero and more – and sales analytics. 

SumUp vs Zettle: Features

We observed The Zettle card reader taking payments at Shrubs And Dubs in London

Key takeaways

SumUp charges small businesses 1.69% per transaction – that’s one of the lowest rates you can expect to find among merchant services for small businesses.

And for small businesses that often take to the road, the SumUp 3G card reader offers the easiest way to keep business costs and personal costs separate – because a mobile hotspot uses mobile data, while the SumUp card reader has its own mobile reception.

While Zettle charges higher fees, as we go deeper into our Zettle review and SumUp you’ll discover there’s a reason for that. 

Ultimately, when it comes to making your decision on which payment provider to choose, it’s the details that matter.

SumUp vs Zettle: Point Of Sale Equipment

London cafe The Rugged Bunch also spoke to us about their Zettle card reader

Frederico is the owner of Rugged Brunch, a cafe in North London. He opened the cafe in 2020, and has had the Zettle card reader since then. He notes: “I find Zettle easy-to-use and straightforward. It has everything we need. I haven’t considered switching to a different device and don’t plan to any time soon.”

“That said, to make it even more customer-centric, the Zettle could have a larger display screen. Some of my customers also prefer buttons to input their data rather than a touch-screen.”

Key takeaways

To benefit from SumUp’s card machine and low processing fee alongside a complete POS system, you’ll need to use the SumUp card machine alongside compatible third-party POS software, like Vend or Kounta.

If you’d rather stick to the basics, SumUp does offer its 3G card reader alongside an integrated printer which, combined with a mobile phone or tablet, gives businesses a fully operational point of sale system. 

On the other hand, Zettle’s software does integrate with third-party Bluetooth-enabled point of sale equipment, making it a fully scalable solution in its own right. This means you’ll be able to hook up printers, cash drawers, and even barcode scanners.

SumUp vs Zettle: E-Commerce

The Sumup card reader at Jerrys, London

Key takeaways

SumUp and Zettle enable businesses to get their products online, thanks to easy to set up online stores. 

With Zettle and SumUp, all it takes is taking some high quality photos of your products, deciding on product categories, allocating products to categories and entering price details to get your store up and running.

Neither Zettle’s nor SumUp’s ecommerce offerings integrate with delivery apps like Deliveroo, but they do give you the means to take orders online and deliver using your own delivery team.

While both providers offer this service for free, they do charge a higher processing fee of 2.5% per transaction. 

It’s also worth noting that thanks to Zettle’s pairing with PayPal, you’re only charged 2% if customers choose to pay through their PayPal account.

Both of these ecommerce options are fairly basic, which is fine if you’re looking to guide customers from your social media pages or run a simple site. 

For those looking to take their online store to the next level, it’s handy to know that both SumUp and Zettle integrate with Shopify, which offers businesses more scope when it comes to marketing and managing your website and online presence. Learn more about creating online stores with our Shopify review.

SumUp vs Zettle: Security

When it comes to security, neither SumUp nor Zettle mess around. Both payment processors adhere to the latest PCI standards, and both take extra measures when it comes to protecting your data. 

SumUp promises that it never secures sensitive data on your mobile device and all data secured on its servers is encrypted.

Zettle goes even further. Its card reader is tamper-proof and self-destructs if it gets in the wrong hands, so you can start building a successful business knowing you’re not going to get stung in the future.

SumUp vs Zettle: Customer Support

Business owner Jerry taking payments with a SumUp reader

Jerry’s is a store in Angel, London that uses the SumUp card reader. When asked about his experiences of using the machine for eight months, owner Jerry told us that, on the rare occasions customer service is needed, “it’s not too difficult to communicate with a human being, which is quite nice”.

Key takeaways

When it comes to customer support, SumUp does have the edge because it offers its customers weekend support. 

The customer review outlook is positive for both suppliers, with fairly high TrustPilot ratings indicating generally satisfied customers. 

SumUp customers often praise its efficient service and ease of use, while Zettle’s slightly slower response time seems to account for its slightly lower score.

SumUp vs Zettle: Setting Up

The Zettle card reader being used to take a payment at Shrubs And Dubs

When it comes to setting up Zettle and SumUp payment systems, it’s all fairly simple. You’ll need the app – both are available in the Apple and Google Play store – and the card machine. 

Initial Setup

Before you pair your software and your card machine, you’ll need to set up and account with your chosen provider. They’ll ask you for some basic information on your business, and the details of your business bank account. 

(Neither SumUp nor Zettle require you to have a merchant account – simply a business bank account in the name of the person setting up the payment system.)

Once you’ve provided all the information, you can pair your card reader.

Pairing Your Equipment

Zettle and SumUp’s card readers are Bluetooth-enabled, so before you start taking payments, you’ll need to pair them with the device that hosts the accompanying software – this is either your tablet or smartphone. 

To do that, you simply head into the software app of your choice, tap into settings and select which device you want to pair. Then hold down the sync button on your card reader and the technology will do all the hard work. 

Syncing any additional hardware to your Zettle POS system follows the same process. Select the device you’re looking to pair on the app and hold down the sync button on the device.

SumUp vs Zettle: The Verdict

Our comparison of Zettle and SumUp has revealed that Zettle is the best value choice for small businesses, with a score of 5 out of 5 overall. 

SumUp is a great choice for small shops and pop-up stalls, offering business owners a quick and simple way to start taking card payments. And, if you start to need more from your point of sale system, you can always integrate SumUp with a software product like Vend (though this will incur its own charges).

But those looking to scale their business in significant ways should choose Zettle, as it offers business owners the tools and data collection they need to make informed business decisions, without the need to use any additional third party providers.