Best card machine for small business UK 2026
Compare the UK shortlist below, then get matched quotes from the acquirers most likely to approve you and beat your current pricing.
The best card machine for a small business in the UK in 2026 is SumUp Solo (£79 + VAT hardware, 1.69% flat, no contract, free 4G SIM) for sole traders and sub-£10k monthly card volume, Square Terminal (all-in-one with built-in printer, 1.75%, no contract) for an independent shop or café, and Tap to Pay on iPhone (zero hardware, choose any supported acquirer) for mobile trades. Dojo Go Max (same-next-day settlement, 12-month contract) is the contract alternative: Dojo publishes 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings, which pays back its £25 monthly machine fee against SumUp's flat 1.69% from about £5,100 a month; above £100,000 a year the rate is quoted per merchant. Picks scored on rate, contract terms, hardware cost and settlement speed for a small UK business.
Based on MerchantHQ terminal reviews and our ranking methodology.
The ranking
Ranked on fit for this use case. The score beside each pick is that terminal's overall review score across all uses, so a lower-scored terminal can rank higher here when it suits this job better. The rate, hardware and contract lines come from the same terminal data as the comparison table below.
1. SumUp Solo
Review score 4.2 / 5Best overall for small business and sole traders
Portable standalone touchscreen terminal (no built-in printer; Solo Lite is the cheaper phone-paired version) · 1.69% per transaction · No contract
SumUp Solo is the strongest all-round small-business pick in 2026: £79 + VAT hardware, a single transparent 1.69% rate, no contract, no monthly fee, and a free 4G SIM so it works without WiFi. Best fit for sole traders, market stalls and any business under roughly £10k monthly card volume. The flat rate stops winning above £15k monthly, which is the point to compare contract products.
2. Square Terminal
Review score 4.1 / 5Best all-in-one for an independent shop or café
All-in-one countertop terminal with receipt printer · 1.75% per transaction (UK) · No contract
Square Terminal is the strongest plug-and-play all-in-one for a small retail or hospitality business: built-in receipt printer, no contract, 1.75% per transaction, and tight integration with the free Square POS, online store and invoicing. The right answer for an independent shop that wants till, receipts and reporting in one device below £20k monthly volume.
3. Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)
Review score 4.2 / 5Best zero-hardware option for mobile trades
Software on an iPhone Xs or later, no separate terminal · Set by the provider you use it with; see that provider's own pricing page · No fixed term for the feature itself; any contract is with your provider
Tap to Pay on iPhone turns an iPhone XS or newer (iOS 16.4+) into the card machine, with zero hardware to buy and no contract. Choose the acquirer (SumUp, Square, Zettle, Stripe, Tide or Revolut). Best fit for plumbers, electricians, mobile beauticians, dog groomers and any small business that takes payment at the customer rather than a fixed till.
4. Dojo Go Max
Review score 4.4 / 5Best once you pass roughly £15k monthly volume
Portable countertop terminal · 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above) · 12 months minimum
Dojo Go Max is for the small business that has outgrown flat-rate pricing: 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above), same-next-day settlement including weekends, and robust hardware built for hospitality and busy retail. The 12-month minimum contract is the trade-off, justified once monthly card volume is high enough that the lower blended rate wins back the commitment.
5. Zettle Reader 2
Review score 4.0 / 5Cheapest entry point on hardware
Compact card reader (pairs with phone or tablet) · 1.75% per transaction · No contract
Zettle Reader 2 is the lowest hardware cost to start taking cards at £29 to £69, 1.75% per transaction, no contract. It pairs with a phone or tablet over Bluetooth rather than running standalone, so it suits a small business that only takes occasional card payments or already uses PayPal.
Quick comparison
Headline rate, hardware cost, contract and form factor at a glance.
| Rank | Terminal | Rate | Hardware | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | SumUp Solo | 1.69% per transaction | £79 + VAT list price (SumUp often discounts it) | No contract |
| #2 | Square Terminal | 1.75% per transaction (UK) | £149 + VAT | No contract |
| #3 | Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) | Set by the provider you use it with; see that provider's own pricing page | £0 hardware (you already have the iPhone) | No fixed term for the feature itself; any contract is with your provider |
| #4 | Dojo Go Max | 1.2% blended below £100,000 a year in card takings (custom rate above) | £149 upfront on a launch offer (£229 full price) or £25 a month | 12 months minimum |
| #5 | Zettle Reader 2 | 1.75% per transaction | £29 first reader, £69 each extra (ex VAT) | No contract |
FAQs
What is the best card machine for a small business in the UK?
SumUp Solo is the strongest all-round pick for a small UK business in 2026: £79 + VAT hardware, 1.69% flat rate, no contract, free 4G SIM, best for sole traders and sub-£10k monthly card volume. For an independent shop or café that wants an all-in-one with a receipt printer, Square Terminal is the better fit. For mobile trades, Tap to Pay on iPhone removes the hardware cost entirely.
How much does a card machine cost for a small business?
Hardware ranges from £0 (Tap to Pay on iPhone) to £229 (Stripe Reader S700), with most small-business readers between £49 and £149. Per-transaction rates run from 0.8% (Revolut Reader on UK consumer cards, for Revolut Business customers) to about 1.9% (the top of some blended contract pricing; published no-contract rates are 1.69% at SumUp and 1.75% at Square and Zettle).
Monthly fees are £0 on no-contract products and £25+ on some Dojo and Worldpay plans. A typical small business pays a blended £40 to £150 a month all-in.
Does a small business need a contract for a card machine?
No. SumUp Solo, Square Terminal, Zettle Reader 2 and Tap to Pay on iPhone are all no-contract, which is the right starting point for most small businesses and seasonal traders. Contract products (Dojo, Tyl, Worldpay) make sense once monthly card volume passes roughly £15k, where the lower blended rate wins back the 12-month commitment.
What is the cheapest card machine for a small business?
On hardware, Tap to Pay on iPhone is free if you already have a compatible iPhone, and Tide and Revolut card readers are £49 for their respective banking customers. On rate, the lowest published small-business figures are Revolut (from 0.8% on higher Business plans) and Tide (1.5% for Tide Business customers). The cheapest answer for you depends on your monthly volume and which business account you already hold.
How we rank
Rankings are built by desk research from each provider's published rates, upfront costs, contract lengths and settlement terms, held in a dated record per terminal (last-reviewed date shown on this page) and re-checked when published pricing changes. We do not hands-on test every device; specs are taken from provider documentation and cited. No provider pays for inclusion or position. MerchantHQ is an introducer. Quote enquiries go to one card-payments broker, Merchant Advice Service, which pays us a fee for each introduction; acquirers do not pay us commission on quote enquiries. That fee never affects a ranking. See our methodology and how we are funded.
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