Which Is Better for Small UK Businesses?
The deciding question is how much you take in a typical month, and how steady it is.
Run a market stall or a quiet salon and SumUp is the obvious start. A £25 reader, no monthly fee, and you pay only when a card taps.
In a flat February, footfall down to a few sales a day, SumUp takes its slice of each one and nothing more. Dojo still bills the £39.99 Fix Plan plus rental, sale or no sale.
That is the whole tension. Dojo only makes sense once the till is busy enough to use the rate it charges for.
We ran the break-even: around £3,550 a month is where Dojo stops being the dearer option. Below it you pay £40 plus rental for a lower rate you never tap enough to feel.
SumUp vs Dojo Fees and Charges
Card Transaction Fees
SumUp charges a flat 1.69% on every in-person card, Amex included. It drops to 0.99% if you take its £19/month plan.
Nothing to negotiate, and no nasty surprise when a customer pays on a premium card.
Dojo bundles fees into the £39.99 Fix Plan up to £3,999 of turnover, then 1% above it. Bigger businesses haggle a rate of 1.0% to 1.6%.
We took both rates straight from the providers’ own pages, not an aggregator.
Monthly, Setup and Contract Costs
SumUp has no monthly fee on its base tier and sells the reader outright from £25. Stop trading for a month and you owe nothing.
Dojo carries a real floor: £39.99 a month plus £15 to £25 terminal rental, paid whether you trade or not.
To ease the switch it covers up to £3,000 of a rival’s exit fees. That tells you exactly who Dojo is chasing, and it is not the weekend market trader.
Other Fees to Watch
SumUp’s weak spot is online. It charges 2.50% on payment links and invoices, well above its in-person rate.
Sell a few hundred pounds of stock through a link each month and that gap quietly eats the saving you made at the counter.
Dojo’s costs are mostly fixed, which makes budgeting easy and a quiet month unforgiving. And you rent the terminal, so you never own the kit on your counter.
Fee Verdict: Who Costs Less
Below roughly £3,550 a month, SumUp costs less once Dojo’s plan and rental are in the sum. The flat rate is higher per tap, but it carries no dead weight.
Above it, Dojo’s cheaper marginal rate pulls ahead, and a negotiated deal widens the gap for an established venue.
The honest answer rests on a number only you have. We would work out your real monthly volume before trusting either headline.
SumUp vs Dojo Payment Methods and Checkout Options
Cards, Wallets and Alternative Payment Methods
Over the counter the two are level. Chip and PIN, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay and American Express, all handled by both.
Your customer won’t notice which machine you hold, so this is not where the decision lives.
Checkout Experience
SumUp throws in a free online store, invoicing and payment links, handy if you sell beyond the counter.
Dojo keeps its eyes on fast in-person checkout and bill-splitting, not web sales.
Methods Verdict
Mixed online and in-person trade points to SumUp.
A high-volume counter that lives at the till points to Dojo. We would split this by where your money actually changes hands.
SumUp vs Dojo Hardware, POS and In-Person Payments
Card Readers and Terminals
SumUp sells the Air from £25, the 4G Solo at £79 and larger terminals to £135. Whatever you buy, you keep.
Dojo supplies the Go, Wired and Pocket on rental from £15 to £25 a month, with support and replacement included. Good kit, but never yours.
POS Software and Hardware Add-ons
SumUp’s POS Lite handles stock and reporting for a small shop.
Dojo plugs into 50-plus ePOS systems. A Friday-night restaurant splitting one bill six ways and firing the order straight to the kitchen screen: that is Dojo’s home ground, and SumUp never tries for it.
So we would hand hospitality to Dojo and the market stall to SumUp.
In-Person Verdict
Want a cheap reader you own, with costs that flex with trade? SumUp.
Run a busy venue that values a rented, supported terminal wired into the till? Dojo. The footfall decides it.
SumUp vs Dojo Online Payments and Integrations
Hosted Checkout, Payment Links and APIs
SumUp gives you a hosted store, payment links and invoicing, billed at 2.50% online.
Dojo is an in-person specialist and does not chase web checkout, so an online-led business is pointed straight at SumUp.
Platform Integrations
SumUp connects to Shopify, WooCommerce, Xero and QuickBooks. Its 4am Xero sync means the morning your VAT return is due, the figures are already sitting there.
Dojo’s strength is ePOS: 50-plus till systems with bill-splitting built for hospitality.
Online Verdict
Selling online, or wanting your takings to reconcile on their own? SumUp wins.
Wiring the till to the kitchen in a venue? Dojo. We give the web to SumUp and the floor to Dojo.
SumUp vs Dojo Payouts, Contract Terms and Account Risk
Settlement Speed and Payout Schedule
SumUp pays out next day at 7am into a free SumUp account, slower to an outside bank.
Dojo pays next day by 10am, including weekends. So a Saturday night’s takings are with you on Sunday morning, not stranded until Monday while a supplier waits to be paid.
Contract Length and Exit Terms
SumUp is pure pay-as-you-go, with nothing to cancel.
Dojo runs 30-day rolling or 12-month terms, and will cover up to £3,000 of a rival’s exit fees. That makes leaving a locked-in legacy provider far less painful.
Reserves, Holds and Account Stability
Here is the part worth reading twice.
A run of chargebacks or one unusually big sale can trip SumUp’s risk checks, and the money sits frozen while you explain it. Reviewers say it is slow to put right.
Dojo runs as a direct acquirer, which we rate steadier: fewer of the abrupt algorithmic holds that hit aggregator platforms.
With either, keep a cash buffer. Never bet next week’s payroll on funds clearing on time.
SumUp vs Dojo Customer Reviews and Reputation
Trustpilot and Independent Review Themes
SumUp holds 4.1 out of 5 across 42,000-plus reviews. Dojo sits higher at 4.3, with real praise for UK phone support and reliable hardware.
The recurring gripe about Dojo is not the kit but the sell: pushy independent reps at sign-up, pressing for a signature on the day. We read the recent reviews, not just the score. Take the demo, then take your time.
Support Channels and Response Times
When a terminal dies mid dinner rush, you want a person on the phone, not a help article. Dojo’s UK phone support is a genuine asset there.
SumUp leans on app and online help. Fine for setup, slower the day a hold needs a human.
Reputation Verdict
We give reputation to Dojo for support and stability, with the caveat about the hard sell.
SumUp stays a trusted, no-drama name for smaller traders.
SumUp vs Dojo for Hospitality and High Street Retail
For a busy cafe or shop, Dojo is built for the shift.
Weekend 10am payouts keep cash moving after a packed Saturday. ePOS bill-splitting clears a crowded table fast. And the volume earns a keener rate than any flat fee.
SumUp can run a small cafe perfectly well. But it is happiest with the seasonal or low-volume trader who cannot justify a fixed monthly cost.
We point established venues to Dojo and occasional traders to SumUp.
Downsides of SumUp and Dojo
Downsides of SumUp
SumUp’s 2.50% online rate is hard to defend. Its flat rate never falls with volume. And its risk checks can freeze an account mid-chargeback, then take their time releasing it.
Downsides of Dojo
Dojo’s monthly floor punishes a quiet or seasonal month. The hardware is rental-only, so you never own it. And the sign-up sell can be pushy. Good kit, firm salespeople.
Alternatives to SumUp and Dojo
Need the cash the instant it taps? myPOS settles in seconds at 1.10% + 7p.
Want a free till app and a cheap owned reader? Square at 1.75% is the one to weigh.
Already bank with Tide? Its card reader drops to 0.79% + 3p on the plan. We rate each of these a better fit than SumUp or Dojo for its own particular job.
Final Verdict: SumUp or Dojo?
Choose SumUp if you trade seasonally, take modest volume, or sell a bit online. No fixed cost, a cheap owned reader, nothing to sign. For most small traders, that is the call we would make.
Choose Dojo once you are clearing more than roughly £3,550 a month in a busy venue.
There the cheaper marginal rate, weekend 10am payouts, ePOS muscle and UK phone support earn the monthly cost. Just hold your nerve on price with the sales team.
Frequently Asked Questions
At what turnover does Dojo become cheaper than SumUp?
The crossover is around £3,550 in monthly card turnover. Below that, SumUp’s flat 1.69% with no fixed cost is cheaper. Above it, Dojo’s £39.99 Fix Plan, which covers all fees on the first £3,999 of turnover, works out lower per pound, and a negotiated rate widens the gap for higher-volume venues.
How does the Dojo Fix Plan work?
The Fix Plan costs £39.99 a month and covers all transaction fees on your first £3,999 of monthly card turnover. Anything above £3,999 is charged at a flat 1%. Terminal rental of £15 to £25 a month is on top.
Do I own the card reader with SumUp or Dojo?
With SumUp you buy the reader outright from £25 and own it. With Dojo you rent the terminal from £15 to £25 a month and never own it, though support and replacement are included.
Do both accept American Express?
Yes. SumUp accepts Amex at its flat 1.69% with no surcharge. Dojo accepts Amex too, priced within your Fix Plan excess rate or your negotiated agreement.
How fast do SumUp and Dojo pay out?
SumUp pays next day at 7am into a free SumUp account, or one to three days to an external bank. Dojo pays next day by 10am including weekends and bank holidays, which helps venues that take most of their money at the weekend.
How we compared SumUp and Dojo
Ranking criteria. We compared SumUp and Dojo on transaction fees, monthly and hardware costs, payment methods, payouts, contract terms and account risk, weighted by what matters to a UK business taking card payments.
Data sources. Every figure was checked directly against sumup.com/en-gb and dojo.tech on 3 June 2026, with the FCA register used to confirm regulatory status. No comparison-site data, no press releases, no affiliate material.
Update cadence. We re-verify this page at least monthly and whenever either provider changes pricing or terms. The verification date reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.