Does SumUp charge monthly fees?

No. SumUp's core offering is pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee, charging only a percentage per transaction. That simplicity is its main appeal for low-volume sellers.

What is the best SumUp alternative for a growing retail shop?

Square is usually the best fit. It stays free to start but adds inventory, staff management, loyalty, and an app ecosystem that a growing shop needs, which SumUp lacks.

Is PayPal Zettle better than SumUp?

They are very similar low-fee readers with no monthly fee. Zettle is worth choosing mainly if you already use PayPal for balances and invoicing; otherwise neither has a decisive feature edge.

Which alternative is best for selling online too?

Stripe and Shopify Payments are the strongest for online-first businesses. PayPal is a good middle ground if you want both a recognizable online checkout and occasional in-person sales.

Do these alternatives require a contract?

Square, Stripe, and PayPal Zettle are pay-as-you-go with no long contract, like SumUp. Clover and Toast more often involve monthly software fees and processor agreements.

SumUp Alternatives (2026): 8 Additional Options for Taking Payments

SumUp is a low-cost, no-monthly-fee way for micro and small businesses to take card payments with a simple mobile reader. It is ideal for sole traders, market stalls, and mobile service providers who just need to charge a card and move on. But as a business grows, SumUp's thin feature set, limited inventory and reporting, and basic online tools start to show.

If you need a real point-of-sale system, deeper inventory, an app ecosystem, or better online and invoicing tools, there are stronger options. Below are eight alternatives, from full POS platforms to a near-identical low-fee reader.

TL;DR

SumUp wins on simplicity and no monthly fee, but is thin on POS, inventory, and reporting.
Square offers a free, full-featured POS ecosystem that grows with a retail or food business.
PayPal Zettle is the closest like-for-like: a low-fee reader with no monthly commitment.
Stripe is the pick when you need online payments and an API, not just an in-person reader.

Why look for a SumUp alternative?

SumUp lacks a full point-of-sale system with deep inventory and staff management.
Reporting and analytics are basic compared with Square or Clover.
Its online store and invoicing tools are limited for businesses selling beyond in-person.
There is no meaningful app or add-on ecosystem to extend the product.
Growing retail and food businesses quickly outgrow a simple tap-and-go reader.

SumUp alternatives at a glance

Tool	Starting price	Rating	Best for
Square	Free	★ 4.6	Retail, cafes, and service businesses that need a real POS.
Clover	$15/mo	★ 3.9	In-person merchants who want integrated POS hardware.
PayPal	Free	★ 4.4	Small sellers who split time between in-person and online sales.
Shopify Payments	$39/mo	★ 4.4	Merchants whose business is centered on a Shopify store.
Stripe	Free	★ 4.2	Online-first businesses that also want in-person acceptance.
Toast	$69/mo	★ 4.2	Restaurants, bars, and cafes wanting a dedicated POS.
Authorize.net	$25/mo	★ 4.5	Businesses that already run a traditional merchant account.
PayPal Zettle	No monthly fee; 2.29% + 9 cents per in-person transaction in the US, reader from $29	—	Micro businesses wanting a low-fee reader tied to PayPal.

1. Square

Best all-in-one POS for retail and food

★ 4.6· G2Free

What it does better than SumUp

Square is free to start like SumUp but adds a genuine point-of-sale system with inventory, staff roles, loyalty, and a large app marketplace. It scales from a single reader to full retail or restaurant setups, and its online store and invoicing tools are far deeper.

Where SumUp still wins

Square's hardware and ecosystem can be more than a bare-bones market trader needs, and SumUp's readers are cheaper for pure tap-and-go.

Best for: Retail, cafes, and service businesses that need a real POS.

Visit Square Full review

2. Clover

Best for polished all-in-one POS hardware

★ 3.9· Capterra$15/mo

What it does better than SumUp

Clover offers sleek, purpose-built POS hardware with apps for inventory, appointments, and loyalty, going well beyond SumUp's simple reader. It is a stronger fit for a counter-service business that wants an integrated till.

Where SumUp still wins

Clover typically involves monthly software fees and processor contracts, unlike SumUp's pure pay-as-you-go model.

Best for: In-person merchants who want integrated POS hardware.

Visit Clover Full review

3. PayPal

Best for sellers who also invoice and sell online

★ 4.4· G2Free

What it does better than SumUp

PayPal pairs in-person acceptance with a trusted online checkout and invoicing that reach far beyond SumUp's basic tools. Buyers recognize the brand, which can lift conversion on remote and online sales.

Where SumUp still wins

PayPal's in-person reader ecosystem is thinner than SumUp's, and its fees and holds can be less predictable.

Best for: Small sellers who split time between in-person and online sales.

Visit PayPal Full review

4. Shopify Payments

Best if you already run a Shopify store

★ 4.4· G2$39/mo

What it does better than SumUp

Shopify Payments unifies your online store and in-person sales under one system with shared inventory and reporting, which SumUp cannot match. There is no third-party gateway to bolt on if you are already on Shopify.

Where SumUp still wins

It only makes sense inside the Shopify ecosystem, which carries its own monthly subscription unlike free-to-start SumUp.

Best for: Merchants whose business is centered on a Shopify store.

Visit Shopify Payments Full review

5. Stripe

Best for online-first businesses and developers

★ 4.2· G2Free

What it does better than SumUp

Stripe gives you a full online payments platform and API that SumUp does not, with Stripe Terminal available for in-person acceptance. It is the better foundation if online payments are your core.

Where SumUp still wins

Stripe is developer-oriented and lacks SumUp's plug-and-play simplicity for a non-technical market trader.

Best for: Online-first businesses that also want in-person acceptance.

Visit Stripe Full review

6. Toast

Best for restaurants and food service

★ 4.2· Capterra$69/mo

What it does better than SumUp

Toast is built specifically for restaurants, with menus, kitchen displays, table management, and online ordering that a general reader like SumUp cannot provide. For food service it is a purpose-built upgrade.

Where SumUp still wins

Toast carries monthly fees and hardware commitments and is overkill for anyone outside food service.

Best for: Restaurants, bars, and cafes wanting a dedicated POS.

Visit Toast Full review

7. Authorize.net

Best for businesses with a merchant account

★ 4.5· Capterra$25/mo

What it does better than SumUp

Authorize.net is a mature gateway that plugs into an existing merchant account and supports recurring billing, giving more back-office control than SumUp's simple reader.

Where SumUp still wins

It has a dated interface, a monthly fee, and requires a separate merchant account, so it is more setup than SumUp's instant onboarding.

Best for: Businesses that already run a traditional merchant account.

Visit Authorize.net Full review

8. PayPal Zettle

Best like-for-like low-fee reader

No monthly fee; 2.29% + 9 cents per in-person transaction in the US, reader from $29

What it does better than SumUp

Zettle is the closest direct competitor to SumUp: a low-cost reader with no monthly fee and flat per-transaction pricing, backed by PayPal. It ties neatly into PayPal balances and invoicing, which many small sellers already use.

Where SumUp still wins

Its POS and inventory features are as light as SumUp's, so it is a sideways move rather than an upgrade for a growing business.

Best for: Micro businesses wanting a low-fee reader tied to PayPal.

How to choose the right SumUp alternative

Choose Square if you want a free-to-start POS that scales into full retail or food operations.
Choose Clover if you want polished, integrated POS hardware for a counter-service business.
Choose PayPal if you split sales between in-person, invoicing, and online and want a trusted checkout.
Choose Shopify Payments if your business already runs on a Shopify store.
Choose Stripe if online payments are your core and you want an API with optional in-person hardware.
Choose Toast if you run a restaurant, bar, or cafe and need food-service-specific tools.
Choose Authorize.net if you already have a merchant account and want a gateway that plugs into it.
Choose PayPal Zettle if you want a low-fee reader almost identical to SumUp but tied to PayPal.

How we evaluated

Feature mapping — we compare each alternative's capabilities against the tool it's replacing, job for job.
Real pricing — starting prices come from each vendor's public pricing page, labeled by tier.
User sentiment — ratings and review counts are aggregated from third-party platforms (Capterra, G2) and shown with their source.
Right-sizing — we weigh which team size, budget, and technical comfort each option actually fits.
Independence — we don't sell a competing product, and affiliate relationships never change our picks.

Frequently asked questions

Does SumUp charge monthly fees?: No. SumUp's core offering is pay-as-you-go with no monthly fee, charging only a percentage per transaction. That simplicity is its main appeal for low-volume sellers.
What is the best SumUp alternative for a growing retail shop?: Square is usually the best fit. It stays free to start but adds inventory, staff management, loyalty, and an app ecosystem that a growing shop needs, which SumUp lacks.
Is PayPal Zettle better than SumUp?: They are very similar low-fee readers with no monthly fee. Zettle is worth choosing mainly if you already use PayPal for balances and invoicing; otherwise neither has a decisive feature edge.
Which alternative is best for selling online too?: Stripe and Shopify Payments are the strongest for online-first businesses. PayPal is a good middle ground if you want both a recognizable online checkout and occasional in-person sales.
Do these alternatives require a contract?: Square, Stripe, and PayPal Zettle are pay-as-you-go with no long contract, like SumUp. Clover and Toast more often involve monthly software fees and processor agreements.

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