Alternatives to UK card terminals
Pick the terminal you are considering or already using. Each page ranks 5 UK alternatives on rate, contract, hardware and best-fit, then explains when to stick with the original. Real data from our terminals dataset, last reviewed 2026-05-19.
| Terminal | Rating | Rate | Contract | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alternatives to Dojo Go | 4.4 / 5 | 1.4% to 1.9% blended | 12 months minimum | Hospitality (restaurants, pubs, cafés) |
| Alternatives to SumUp Solo | 4.2 / 5 | 1.69% per transaction | No contract | Sole traders, mobile traders, market stalls |
| Alternatives to Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) | 4.2 / 5 | Same as the underlying acquirer | Same as the underlying acquirer | Mobile traders, dog groomers, mobile beauticians |
| Alternatives to Square Terminal | 4.1 / 5 | 1.75% per transaction (UK) | No contract | Independent retail |
| Alternatives to Adyen for Platforms | 4.0 / 5 | Interchange-plus pricing; bespoke | Bespoke, often year-long | £100k+ monthly card volume |
| Alternatives to Stripe Reader S700 | 4.0 / 5 | Custom (Stripe pricing) | Stripe terms | Existing Stripe online merchants |
| Alternatives to Zettle Reader 2 | 4.0 / 5 | 1.75% per transaction | No contract | Existing PayPal merchants |
| Alternatives to BBPOS WisePOS E | 3.9 / 5 | Custom (acquirer pricing) | Acquirer-dependent | Tech-led businesses with developer resource |
| Alternatives to Stripe Reader M2 | 3.9 / 5 | Custom (Stripe pricing) | Stripe terms | Existing Stripe online merchants |
| Alternatives to BBPOS WisePad 3 | 3.8 / 5 | Custom (acquirer pricing) | Acquirer-dependent | Existing Stripe online merchants adding in-person |
| Alternatives to PAX A920 Pro | 3.8 / 5 | Acquirer-dependent | Typically 12 to 36 months via the acquirer / ISO | Hospitality, retail, salons via broker / ISO |
| Alternatives to Tide Card Reader | 3.8 / 5 | 1.5% per transaction (UK) | No contract | Existing Tide Business banking customers |
| Alternatives to PAX A77 | 3.7 / 5 | Acquirer-dependent | Typically 12 to 36 months via the acquirer / ISO | Mobile traders via ISO / broker |
| Alternatives to Revolut Card Reader | 3.7 / 5 | 0.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier) | Subscription-tier dependent (Revolut Business plan) | Existing Revolut Business customers |
| Alternatives to Tyl by NatWest | 3.7 / 5 | Bespoke per merchant; published headline rates from 0.74% | 12 to 18 months typical | NatWest Business banking customers |
| Alternatives to Ingenico iWL250 / Move 5000 | 3.5 / 5 | Acquirer-dependent; blended or interchange-plus negotiated per merchant | Typically 12 to 48 months via the acquirer | Existing acquirer-bundled deployments |
| Alternatives to Verifone V200c / V400m | 3.5 / 5 | Acquirer-dependent; blended or interchange-plus negotiated per merchant | Typically 12 to 48 months via the acquirer | Existing Worldpay, Barclaycard or Elavon merchants |
| Alternatives to Worldpay terminals (legacy estate) | 3.5 / 5 | Negotiated per merchant; blended or interchange-plus | 12 to 60 months | Existing Worldpay merchants on a fair-priced contract |
FAQ
How do you choose the alternatives on each page?
Each page starts from a hand-curated seed of the most-considered alternatives for that terminal, then tops up to five with the next-highest-rated terminal in our database that shares at least one best-fit cluster. Ratings, rates, contracts and hardware costs are pulled from the MerchantHQ terminals dataset, last reviewed 2026-05-19.
Are these alternatives ranked on price alone?
No. Cheapest on headline rate is not always cheapest on year-one cost once you factor in hardware, monthly fees and ecosystem lock-in. Each page ranks on rate, contract, hardware and best-fit, and flags when to stick with the original terminal.
Is MerchantHQ tied to any of these providers?
No. MerchantHQ runs whole-of-market switching support across 80+ UK card-payment providers and is not tied to any acquirer on these shortlists. Editorial by Oliver Mackman for Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).
Last reviewed: 2026-05-19. Editorial by Oliver Mackman, Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).