Best Card Machines for Small Businesses UK
The best card machine depends on how your business actually trades. A sole trader taking £1,500 a month needs something very different from a busy café processing £20,000. We compare the leading options by cost, ease of use and the type of business they suit.
See what your business could pay
Compare card-machine options using your expected turnover, number of terminals and the way your customers pay.
Which card machine is best for a small business?
For most new or low-volume businesses, we would start with SumUp Solo Lite or Square Reader. Both have inexpensive hardware, straightforward PAYG pricing and no traditional terminal-rental commitment.
Once card turnover increases, the answer changes. Lopay can be very competitive for businesses taking mostly standard UK consumer cards. Dojo and Worldpay become much more relevant once reliability, several staff, fixed premises or lower processing rates matter more than buying the cheapest reader.
Our simple rule
Under a few thousand pounds a month: keep fixed costs low. Regular higher turnover: compare subscription and quote-based pricing as well. The cheapest machine at £1,000 monthly card sales may be poor value at £20,000.
If you work alone, also see our card machines for sole traders. If you mainly trade away from a fixed premises, compare our mobile card readers.
Best card machines for small businesses in 2026
These providers cover the main needs of UK sole traders, mobile businesses, shops, salons, cafés, restaurants and growing SMEs.
SumUp Solo Lite
Best low-cost PAYG starter.
- £25 + VAT
- 1.69% PAYG in person
- £0/month on PAYG
- Works with your phone
- Payments Plus available as turnover grows
Square Reader
Best for payments plus useful POS tools.
- £19 + VAT
- 1.75% in person
- £0/month core POS software
- Useful for products, customers and appointments
- Good upgrade path
Lopay
Best if lowering standard-card fees is the priority.
- 0.79% Essentials
- 0.99% Standard
- 1.79% Instant to Bank
- Premium-card supplements apply
- Reader £35 + £6.95 P&P
Dojo
Best for busier venues and payment-critical businesses.
- 1.2% blended below £100k annual card turnover
- Custom pricing above £100k
- Dedicated hardware
- Strong hospitality features
- Next-day takings promoted
Tide
Best if you already use Tide for business banking.
- Nano from £15 + VAT
- Standalone Reader £159 + VAT
- PAYG debit-card fee 1.5% + 5p
- Sell In-Person £17.99 + VAT/month
- Payments and banking together
Worldpay
Best traditional provider to quote against.
- 1.50% Simplicity Visa/Mastercard rate
- 18-month terminal-hire agreement
- Next-business-day settlement
- Countertop and portable hardware
- Online and Virtual Terminal options
1. SumUp Solo Lite: best low-cost starter
SumUp Solo Lite costs £25 + VAT and pairs with a smartphone. Its standard PAYG plan charges 1.69% for in-person payments and has no monthly payment-processing subscription.
That is an easy model for tradespeople, mobile beauticians, market sellers and seasonal businesses because you are not paying terminal rental during quiet periods.
Payments Plus costs £19 a month and reduces eligible domestic debit and credit card payments to 0.99%. Premium, international and American Express cards remain at 1.69%. SumUp positions the plan at businesses taking roughly £3,000 or more a month.
Read our SumUp review and SumUp fees guide.
2. Square Reader: best for payments plus free POS tools
Square Reader costs £19 + VAT and charges 1.75% for standard in-person payments.
The main advantage is Square’s wider software. Its core POS system costs £0 a month and can help with products, customers, receipts and reporting.
Square also supports contactless payments, Tap to Pay, online sales and larger terminals as your business grows.
Read our Square Card Reader review.
3. Lopay: best when the standard-card percentage matters most
Lopay lets you trade payout speed for a lower transaction percentage. Essentials is 0.79%, Standard is 0.99% and Instant to Bank is 1.79% on standard UK consumer Visa/Mastercard.
American Express, international and corporate cards each add 1%, and those supplements can stack. The reader currently costs £35 plus £6.95 P&P, while Tap to Pay adds 8p per transaction.
4. Dojo: best once reliability and card volume matter more
Dojo currently publishes a 1.2% blended rate below £100,000 annual card turnover, with custom pricing above that level.
It is particularly relevant for cafés, pubs and restaurants because it combines dedicated hardware with tipping, bill splitting, pre-authorisation and EPOS integration.
Read our Dojo review or hospitality card machine guide.
5. Tide: best when banking and card payments sit together
The entry-level Tide Nano starts from £15 + VAT and uses your phone screen. Tide also sells a standalone Card Reader at £159 + VAT and Card Reader Plus at £199 + VAT.
On PAYG, domestic consumer debit-card payments through a card reader are 1.5% + 5p. Sell In-Person costs £17.99 + VAT a month, with reader hardware from £99 + VAT and an eligible domestic consumer debit-card rate of 0.89% + 3p.
Tide says businesses processing more than roughly £2,900 a month on card readers may save with Sell In-Person, although actual savings depend on card mix.
Read our Tide Card Reader review and business bank accounts guide.
View Tide’s card reader options
6. Worldpay: best traditional provider to quote against
Worldpay’s current Simplicity tariff publishes 1.50% on applicable Visa and Mastercard transactions, with different pricing possible for other card schemes.
Its card-machine plans use a minimum 18-month terminal-hire agreement. Worldpay is currently offering eligible new UK customers £0 terminal rental for the first 12 months on qualifying plans, but the minimum agreement remains 18 months.
Next-business-day settlement and next-day terminal replacement are included on current small-business plans.
See our card machine providers guide and PDQ terminal guide.
7. PayPal Point of Sale: useful if PayPal is already important to you
PayPal’s first Card Reader costs £29 excluding VAT. Additional Readers are £69 excluding VAT and the standalone Terminal costs £149 excluding VAT.
Standard card and contactless payments cost 1.75%, and the standard POS service has no monthly or setup fee.
Read our PayPal Card Reader review.
Also compare takepayments
takepayments is worth adding once you want a dedicated terminal and a more traditional service model. It currently promotes a 12-month card-machine contract and next-working-day settlement, subject to approval, terms and settlement cut-off times.
Read our takepayments review.
How much does a card machine really cost?
The reader price gets attention because it is easy to compare, but transaction fees usually become much more important over time.
| Monthly card sales | 1.75% | 1.69% | 1.20% | 0.99% | 0.79% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £2,000 | £35 | £33.80 | £24 | £19.80 | £15.80 |
| £5,000 | £87.50 | £84.50 | £60 | £49.50 | £39.50 |
| £10,000 | £175 | £169 | £120 | £99 | £79 |
| £20,000 | £350 | £338 | £240 | £198 | £158 |
These examples exclude subscriptions, fixed pence charges, hardware, premium-card supplements and other provider fees. They are there to show why your turnover matters.
Best card machine for a sole trader
For most sole traders and self-employed businesses, start with SumUp Solo Lite or Square Reader. SumUp is especially easy if you mainly want PAYG payments. Square is stronger if products, appointments or customer tools matter.
Best card machine for a shop
A small shop can start with Square, but once the checkout is busy all day a dedicated countertop terminal can be more convenient. Compare Worldpay, Dojo, takepayments and providers in our card machine provider guide.
If you also need stock, staff and till management, compare our EPOS systems guide.
Best card machine for cafés, pubs and restaurants
Hospitality businesses should care less about saving £10 on hardware and more about fast table payments, tipping, reliable connectivity and what happens when a terminal fails.
See our dedicated hospitality card machine guide.
Best card machine for mobile businesses and tradespeople
A plumber, electrician, mobile hairdresser, personal trainer or market trader normally does not need a rented countertop terminal.
A phone-paired reader is cheaper and easier to carry. Tap to Pay can also turn a compatible phone into a contactless payment device.
Compare our mobile card reader guide.
What should a small business compare?
- Monthly card turnover: fixed costs matter more at low turnover; percentage rates matter more as sales grow.
- Average transaction: fixed pence fees hit low-value transactions harder.
- Card mix: commercial, international and premium cards may cost more.
- Hardware: decide whether you need a phone-paired reader, standalone portable terminal or fixed countertop machine.
- Settlement: check when takings reach the bank account you actually use.
- Contract: compare the full minimum-term cost, not just introductory rental.
- Support: if most sales are by card, terminal failure can stop the business taking money.
Use the same numbers with every provider
Give each provider the same monthly turnover, average transaction value and card mix. That makes quote comparisons much more meaningful.
When should you move beyond PAYG?
PAYG is excellent for keeping fixed costs low. Once you consistently process several thousand pounds a month, calculate whether subscription plans or tailored merchant pricing lower the total cost.
At higher turnover, compare payment processing companies as well as PAYG readers.
Do you need a merchant account?
Not always. Square and SumUp package the payment-processing relationship closely with their hardware. Traditional providers often use a more conventional merchant account setup.
PCI DSS and card security
Use recognised payment hardware and avoid manually storing customer card details. Read our PCI DSS guide and guide to accepting card payments.
Already taking enough by card that the fees matter?
Compare PAYG providers with full card-machine quotes using your real monthly turnover. This is the easiest way to see whether a subscription or negotiated merchant rate would save money.
Questions to ask before choosing
- How much will I take by card each month?
- What is my average transaction value?
- What cards do my customers use?
- Do I need the machine to work without a phone?
- Will several staff share it?
- Do I need printed receipts?
- How quickly do takings reach my bank?
- What are the monthly, hardware and transaction charges?
- What is the minimum contract?
- What happens if the terminal fails?
- Would a negotiated quote beat PAYG?
Frequently asked questions
What is the best card machine for a new small business?
SumUp Solo Lite and Square Reader are the easiest starting points for most new small businesses because the hardware is inexpensive and standard PAYG pricing has no traditional terminal-rental commitment.
What is the cheapest card reader?
Tide Nano currently starts from £15 + VAT, Square Reader from £19 + VAT and SumUp Solo Lite from £25 + VAT. Hardware cost alone does not tell you which provider is cheapest overall.
Which card machine has the lowest transaction fee?
Lopay Essentials publishes 0.79% for standard UK consumer Visa/Mastercard, while subscriptions and tailored merchant plans can also reduce fees. Always check which cards qualify.
Is SumUp or Square better?
SumUp has the lower standard PAYG in-person rate at 1.69%, while Square charges 1.75% but offers a strong free POS ecosystem. At low turnover the percentage difference is small.
When should I get a full card-machine quote?
Once card turnover is regular and processing fees are becoming a meaningful monthly cost, compare PAYG with subscription and tailored merchant-service pricing.
Our verdict
For most new UK small businesses, SumUp Solo Lite and Square Reader are the two card machines we would benchmark first.
SumUp is particularly good if you want uncomplicated PAYG pricing. Square is the stronger all-rounder when the free POS software will help you run the business as well as take payments.
Lopay deserves a calculation when keeping standard-card fees down is the priority. Tide is especially relevant if you already use Tide banking. PayPal is useful when PayPal already handles a meaningful part of your payments.
Once you run a busy shop, café, restaurant or other established business, Dojo, Worldpay and takepayments become much more important comparisons. At that point, reliability, settlement and a lower negotiated rate can matter far more than whether the reader cost £19 or £29.
Compare card-machine quotes for your business
Use your expected card turnover and payment setup to compare providers. Looking at the complete cost gives you a better answer than choosing on the reader price or headline percentage alone.
Compare Card Machine QuotesCompare transaction fees, hardware, settlement, support and contract terms before committing.
