It’s easier than ever to accept credit and debit cards. Forget the costly card machines of yore. Instead, check out these contactless card readers that process payments with a smartphone or tablet through easy-to-use, free point of sale (POS) apps.
In 2021, the race between the most popular mobile card readers in the UK is close. On our top three list, cost-conscious start-ups often prefer SumUp’s lowest transaction fee. Zettle’s card reader is simply the most loved while Square has the most superior free card reader app.
| Zettle Reader 2 | SumUp Air | Square Reader | |
|---|---|---|---|
 Full review |
 Full review |
 Full review |
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| Solution | Card reader + smartphone/tablet app | ||
| Price | £19 ( |
£29 + VAT (offer) | £19 + VAT (offer) |
| Transaction fee | 1.75% | 1.69% | 1.75% |
| Contract lock-in | None | None | None |
| Monthly fee | None | None | None |
| Minimum sales volume | None | None | None |
| Cards accepted |           |
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| Contactless |     |
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| Payouts | 1-3 working days | 1-3 working days | 1-2 working days |
| PIN pad | On card reader | On card reader | In app on mobile screen |
| Compatible receipt printers | Star Micronics, AirPrint | Star Micronics, Bixolon, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print | Star Micronics, Epson |
| Digital receipts | |||
| Staff accounts | |||
| Product library | |||
| Tipping | |||
| Sales reports | CSV, Excel, PDF, Xero & QuickBooks integration | CSV, Excel, PDF | CSV, Xero, Zoho Books & several other integrations |
| Use abroad | |||
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| Zettle Reader |
SumUp Air |
Square Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Full review |
Full review |
Full review |
| Card reader + smartphone/tablet app | ||
| £19 ( |
£29 + VAT (offer) | £19 + VAT (offer) |
| 1.75% transaction fee | 1.69% transaction fee | 1.75% transaction fee |
| No contract lock-in | ||
| No monthly fees | ||
| No minimum monthly sales volume required | ||
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| Payouts 1-3 working days | Payouts 1-3 working days | Payouts 1-2 working days |
| With physical PIN pad | With physical PIN pad | PIN pad in app on mobile screen |
| Compatible receipt printers | ||
| Star Micronics, AirPrint | Star Micronics, Bixolon, AirPrint, Google Cloud Print | Star Micronics, Epson |
| Digital receipts | ||
| Staff accounts | ||
| Product library | ||
| Tipping feature | ||
| Sales reports | ||
| CSV, Excel, PDF, Xero & QuickBooks integration | CSV, Excel, PDF | CSV, Xero, Zoho Books & several other integrations |
| Use abroad? | ||
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The three systems share characteristics that make them very attractive to small businesses. Setup costs are very low, and there are no fixed, monthly fees and no minimum transaction volume required. Plus: there’s no contractual commitment with any of these companies.
SumUp Air, Zettle Reader and Square Reader are therefore suitable both for infrequent use and processing many transactions daily as your primary POS solution.
Photo: Zettle by PayPal
Zettle Reader (previously iZettle Reader) is the most user-friendly card reader on this list.
Cards, payouts and charges
As against a traditional card reader machine, you purchase the mobile card rea