UK card terminal comparisons

Side-by-side comparisons of the UK card terminals UK businesses actually consider. Each matchup covers rate, contract, hardware, settlement, and best-fit. We group by buyer segment so the comparisons stay semantically meaningful. Already know you want a ranked shortlist rather than a single matchup? See the best card machine picks by use case.

Matchup Segment Why these two
SumUp Solo vs Zettle Reader 2 Mobile and sole-trader readers Two leading no-contract UK card readers for sole traders and mobile businesses.
SumUp Solo vs Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) Mobile and sole-trader readers Dedicated reader vs phone-only acceptance for sub-£8k monthly turnover.
Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) vs Zettle Reader 2 Mobile and sole-trader readers PayPal Zettle hardware vs Tap to Pay on iPhone for small UK businesses.
Revolut Card Reader vs SumUp Solo Mobile and sole-trader readers Two leading UK fintech card readers for mobile and pop-up traders, SumUp Solo against the Revolut Card Reader.
BBPOS WisePad 3 vs Stripe Reader M2 Mobile and sole-trader readers Two BBPOS-based card readers used by Stripe Terminal merchants in the UK.
Dojo Go vs Square Terminal All-in-one countertop terminals Contract-based hospitality favourite vs no-contract all-in-one for UK retail.
Square Terminal vs SumUp Solo All-in-one countertop terminals All-in-one terminal vs entry-level mobile reader for sub-£15k merchants.
Dojo Go vs Tyl by NatWest All-in-one countertop terminals Hospitality-favourite fintech acquirer Dojo Go vs bank-owned NatWest terminal supplier Tyl, compared for UK SMBs.
BBPOS WisePOS E vs PAX A920 Pro All-in-one countertop terminals Two PAX-class Android smart terminals used by UK acquirers.
PAX A77 vs PAX A920 Pro All-in-one countertop terminals PAX A920 Pro full Android smart terminal vs the more compact PAX A77 handheld, hardware compared for UK acquirer deployments.
Stripe Reader S700 vs Worldpay terminals (legacy estate) Enterprise and interchange-plus Developer-platform Stripe Reader S700 vs the legacy Worldpay terminal estate used across large UK enterprise merchants.
Dojo Go vs Worldpay terminals (legacy estate) Enterprise and interchange-plus Modern UK hospitality-favourite Dojo Go terminal vs the legacy Worldpay estate common in older enterprise setups.
Tide Card Reader vs Tyl by NatWest Bank-acquirer products Two UK bank-linked card readers compared: challenger bank Tide against NatWest-owned Tyl, for SMBs already banking with either.
Revolut Card Reader vs Tide Card Reader Bank-acquirer products Two UK challenger-banking card readers with bank-account-linked settlement.
Square Terminal vs Stripe Reader S700 Cross-class search matchups No-contract Square Terminal vs developer-platform Stripe Reader S700.
Dojo Go vs SumUp Solo Cross-class search matchups No-contract sole-trader reader vs contract-based hospitality terminal.
Square Terminal vs Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) Cross-class search matchups Phone-only acceptance vs all-in-one Square Terminal for UK retailers.
Dojo Go vs PAX A77 Cross-class search matchups Hospitality-favourite Dojo Go acquirer terminal vs the more compact PAX A77 handheld, for UK acquirer deployments.
PAX A77 vs SumUp Solo Cross-class search matchups Acquirer-bundled PAX A77 terminal vs the no-contract, pay-as-you-go SumUp Solo reader for UK SMBs.
PAX A77 vs Square Terminal Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 acquirer-issued terminal vs the no-contract, all-in-one Square Terminal for UK retail businesses.
PAX A77 vs Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 dedicated hardware terminal vs software-only Tap to Pay on iPhone, for merchants weighing up a device against an app.
BBPOS WisePOS E vs PAX A77 All-in-one countertop terminals Two compact Android smart terminals deployed by UK acquirers compared, BBPOS WisePOS E against the PAX A77.
BBPOS WisePad 3 vs PAX A77 Mobile and sole-trader readers BBPOS WisePad 3 Bluetooth card reader vs the PAX A77 smart handheld terminal, for UK acquirer-issued hardware.
PAX A77 vs Stripe Reader M2 Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 acquirer terminal vs Stripe Reader M2 for UK developer-merchants building on the Stripe Terminal SDK.
PAX A77 vs Stripe Reader S700 Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 acquirer-bundled terminal vs the developer-platform Stripe Reader S700, for interchange-plus UK merchants.
PAX A77 vs Zettle Reader 2 Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 acquirer-bundled terminal vs the no-contract PayPal Zettle Reader 2, for smaller UK traders.
PAX A77 vs Tide Card Reader Cross-class search matchups PAX A77 ISO-distributed acquirer terminal vs the Tide bank-integrated card reader, for merchants already banking with Tide.
Dojo Go vs Teya Pro All-in-one countertop terminals Two weekend-settlement UK terminals: rolling monthly Teya vs 12-month Dojo.
SumUp Solo vs Teya Pro Cross-class search matchups Plan-based Teya Pro vs no-contract pay-per-transaction SumUp Solo.
Square Terminal vs Teya Pro All-in-one countertop terminals Teya plan with banking built in vs no-contract all-in-one Square Terminal.

Mobile and sole-trader readers

All-in-one countertop terminals

Enterprise and interchange-plus

Bank-acquirer products

Cross-class search matchups

Every head-to-head: top rated terminals

The full cross-cluster matrix of our top-rated UK card terminals. Use this when your shortlist crosses buyer segments, for example mobile reader vs enterprise terminal, or bank acquirer vs fintech reader.

FAQ

How do you compare two card terminals side by side?

Each head-to-head covers rate, contract, hardware, settlement and best-fit. We group matchups by buyer segment (mobile readers, all-in-one countertop, enterprise, bank-acquirer, developer platforms) so the comparison stays semantically meaningful rather than comparing a sole-trader reader against an enterprise terminal.

Why are matchups grouped by buyer segment?

Comparing terminals within the same segment keeps the verdict useful. The cross-cluster matrix below the curated pairs covers shortlists that cross segments, for example a mobile reader versus an enterprise terminal, or a bank acquirer versus a fintech reader.

Is MerchantHQ tied to any provider?

MerchantHQ runs whole-of-market comparison across 40+ UK card-payment providers. We work with acquirers directly, including some compared here, and they pay us commission on completed introductions. Commission never affects a ranking. Written by Adam Parker and reviewed by Oliver Mackman for Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).

Last reviewed: 2026-05-16. Editorial by Oliver Mackman.

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Independent comparison · Quotes from acquirers and brokers · Whole-of-market UK card terminals