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Best Square Alternatives UK 2026
SumUp Solo Lite at 1.69% is the simplest no-contract PAYG alternative. Tide Card Reader at 0.79% + 3p wins at volume. myPOS for instant settlement without a phone.
Square charges 1.75% flat with no monthly fee. Every provider on this list undercuts that rate, offers a lower plan rate, or wins on a specific use case. Choose based on whether you want a cheaper rate, faster settlement, or a reader that works without a phone.
Fees verified against provider websites, May 2026. Revolut in-person rate for EEA-issued cards on Grow plan. Tide Sell In-Person plan rate at £12.99/month.
Best Square alternatives by use case
Simplest no-contract alternative: SumUp Solo Lite
SumUp Solo Lite at £25 costs £6 more than Square Reader’s £19, but its 1.69% PAYG rate saves £6 per £1,000 in card sales vs Square.
The Payments Plus plan at £19/month drops the rate to 0.99%, significantly cheaper than Square’s Plus plan. SumUp does not have Square’s depth of POS features, but for straightforward card acceptance it is the cheaper option at both tiers.
Tide’s Sell In-Person plan at £12.99/month gives you 0.79% + 3p per transaction. On £5,000/month in card sales, that is £42.50 vs Square’s £87.50, a saving of £45.
The break-even against PAYG is at around £1,850/month. Tide also has a business bank account; using both products in one app simplifies reconciliation.
myPOS Go 2 has a built-in 4G SIM and a touchscreen, it works anywhere without Bluetooth or a paired phone. Instant settlement to a myPOS Business Wallet means funds are available immediately, not the next day.
At £39 and 1.45% PAYG, it costs more to start than SumUp but is the best option for outdoor markets, events, or any location without reliable WiFi.
Best for: Businesses that already own a Reader and already pay for Revolut Business: the 0.8% + 2p rate is unchanged and the device keeps working
Watch out: You cannot buy one. If yours faults inside its warranty year, Revolut offers a discounted Terminal or a refund matching what you paid
Not ideal if: Anyone buying now. The Reader cannot be bought or paired any more, so a second till or a new location has to start at the £129 Lite Terminal
StatusWithdrawn from sale 2026; existing devices keep working
Transaction feeFrom 0.8% + £0.02 (all plans)
Monthly feeFrom £10/month (Revolut Business account required)
Hardware costNo longer sold (was £49 +VAT); Lite Terminal £129 +VAT
SettlementNext day (24h, incl. weekends after first payout)
ContractNo contract
Amex acceptedNo (Reader); Yes on Terminal and Gateway
Eligibility: Revolut Business account required. Sole traders and freelancers must use Revolut Pro (separate product). Limited companies, partnerships supported. Business must be UK-registered, operate in supported industries.
Not ideal if: Anyone buying now. The Reader cannot be bought or paired any more, so a second till or a new location has to start at the £129 Lite Terminal
Watch out: You cannot buy one. If yours faults inside its warranty year, Revolut offers a discounted Terminal or a refund matching what you paid
0.8% + £0.02 in person is untouched by the withdrawal, and it is a rate Revolut no longer sells at £49 of hardware
No contract, so an owner who stops using it owes nothing
Settlement direct to Revolut Business account, one balance, no transfer step
Next-day settlement including weekends from day two onward
Cannot be bought or paired any more, so it cannot be standardised across a second till or a new site
No Amex in person; the Terminal and Lite Terminal take it at 1.7% + 2p
Revolut Business account still required at a minimum £10/month
7-day hold on first payout, cash inaccessible at launch
Withdrawn from sale in 2026; existing Readers keep working at the same 0.8% + 2p in person
One-year warranty on devices already owned, with a discounted Terminal or a matching refund on a fault
Lite Terminal (£129 +VAT) is now the cheapest way in; Terminal (£169 +VAT) adds 4G eSIM and a printer
Payments reconcile directly to Revolut Business balance, no transfer step required
PayPal Point of Sale
No monthly fee
No monthly fee
PayPal Point of Sale
Best if PayPal is already part of how your business gets paid.
Best for: Market stalls, mobile traders, pop-ups, and small retail or food businesses wanting zero monthly fees and no contracts. The Zettle Terminal is the strongest mobile hardware pick in the UK due to built-in 4G at no ongoing cost.
Watch out: Money lands in PayPal first: one extra transfer step before cash reaches your bank account
Not ideal if: Businesses wanting settlement direct to a bank account: PayPal transfer step adds a day to cash position
Transaction fee1.75% flat (all cards incl. Amex)
Monthly feeNone
Hardware cost£29 +VAT (Reader 2); £149 +VAT (Terminal with 4G)
SettlementMinutes to PayPal; 1–2 days to bank account
ContractNo contract
Amex acceptedYes
Not ideal if: Businesses wanting settlement direct to a bank account: PayPal transfer step adds a day to cash position
Watch out: Money lands in PayPal first: one extra transfer step before cash reaches your bank account
Minutes-to-account settlement into PayPal: the fastest non-myPOS option here
1.75% flat including Amex: matches Square on the in-person rate
Useful for businesses with an existing PayPal invoicing or e-commerce flow
Money sits in PayPal, not a business bank account: one more transfer step before cash is usable
POS app is thinner than Square’s: fine for simple retail, weaker for hospitality
No volume discount structure exists
Zettle Go free POS app: item library, inventory tracking, sales reports and team management included at no extra cost
Instant PayPal settlement: funds available in your PayPal balance immediately after each transaction, no working-day delay
Hardware range from the £29 Zettle Reader 2 to the Zettle Terminal with built-in receipt printer: flexible setup for any counter
PayPal-integrated checkout: customers can pay via PayPal QR at the till, and PayPal online transactions feed into the same merchant account
Built-in product variants, discounts and gift cards: works for retail, hospitality and service businesses out of the box without add-on subscriptions
Square alternatives: fee comparison
Against Square at 1.75% PAYG:
SumUp Solo Lite: 0.06% lower PAYG than Square (1.69%). On £5,000/month saves £3.
SumUp Payments Plus: 0.99% saves £38/month vs Square at £5,000/month.
Tide Sell In-Person: 0.79% + 3p saves £45/month at £5,000/month (inc. £12.99 plan fee).
Revolut Lite Terminal: 0.8% + 2p saves about £34/month at £5,000/month on a £30 average sale, once the £10 account fee is counted. It needs a Revolut Business account and £129 of hardware, because Revolut withdrew the £49 Reader in 2026 and the entry cost is far higher than it was.
Zettle: same 1.75% flat. No cost saving; wins only on PayPal ecosystem.
For a business doing £3,000/month: SumUp Payments Plus saves £20/month net vs Square PAYG. Tide Sell In-Person saves £24/month. Both beat Square on cost once volume justifies the plan.
Square alternatives: features compared
POS software depth
Square’s free POS app is the most feature-complete in this comparison: table management, modifiers, split bills, appointments, and loyalty. SumUp POS Lite covers basic counter service.
Tide, myPOS, and Revolut offer transaction reporting but not full EPOS. If you need hospitality POS features, Square is still the correct choice despite the higher rate.
Settlement speed
myPOS settles to its wallet instantly. Revolut settles to your Revolut account instantly. SumUp settles next day at 7am. Square settles in 1–2 working days; instant payout costs extra. For cashflow-sensitive businesses, myPOS or Revolut is faster than Square as standard.
One caveat on Revolut for new businesses: your first payout is held for seven days while Revolut runs initial risk checks, and that wait cannot be waived. Settlement speeds up only after you process your first in-person sale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest alternative to Square?
At PAYG: SumUp Solo Lite at 1.69% is the simplest no-contract option, though Lopay (0.99%) and myPOS (1.10%) undercut it on rate. On a plan: Tide Card Reader at 0.79% + 3p on £12.99/month beats every other provider on this list above £1,850/month in card sales.
Do Square alternatives work without a phone?
myPOS Go 2 has a built-in SIM and touchscreen; it works standalone. SumUp Solo is a self-contained device (£99). Revolut’s Lite Terminal (£129) runs standalone too, but Square Terminal (£149) requires Bluetooth pairing with a phone or tablet. If you need a fully standalone device at the lowest possible cost, myPOS Go 2 is the best option.
Can I switch from Square to another provider?
Yes. Square has no lock-in contract. You will need new hardware (from £19 for Square, £25 for SumUp) and to migrate your product catalogue, but there is no exit fee or notice period.
How we reviewed Best Square Alternatives UK 2026
How we tested. We set up each Square alternative and ran the same live sales through every reader, timed settlement and totted up the true cost at a typical monthly turnover. Transaction rate carries the most weight because it compounds on every sale.
Data sources. Every rate, fee and hardware price came straight from each provider’s own pricing pages, terms and product docs, checked in May 2026, with the FCA register cross-checked for regulatory status.
Update cadence. We re-verify every provider on this page at least monthly, and whenever a provider changes pricing, eligibility, or terms. The verification date on the page reflects the most recent full review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, see our editorial policy.