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.

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.
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 acquirer vs bank-owned UK terminal supplier.
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 vs PAX A77 hardware compared for UK acquirers.
Adyen for Platforms vs Stripe Reader S700	Enterprise and interchange-plus	Two enterprise-tier UK card terminals with native interchange-plus pricing.
Stripe Reader S700 vs Worldpay terminals (legacy estate)	Enterprise and interchange-plus	Developer-platform terminal vs legacy UK enterprise estate.
Adyen for Platforms vs Worldpay terminals (legacy estate)	Enterprise and interchange-plus	Adyen for Platforms vs Worldpay terminals for UK enterprise acceptance.
Dojo Go vs Worldpay terminals (legacy estate)	Enterprise and interchange-plus	Modern UK hospitality terminal vs the legacy Worldpay estate.
Tide Card Reader vs Tyl by NatWest	Bank-acquirer products	Two UK challenger-banking card readers compared.
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.

Mobile and sole-trader readers

SumUp Solo vs Zettle Reader 2

Two leading no-contract UK card readers for sole traders and mobile businesses.
SumUp Solo vs Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)

Dedicated reader vs phone-only acceptance for sub-£8k monthly turnover.
Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal) vs Zettle Reader 2

PayPal Zettle hardware vs Tap to Pay on iPhone for small UK businesses.
Revolut Card Reader vs SumUp Solo

Two leading UK fintech card readers for mobile and pop-up traders.
BBPOS WisePad 3 vs Stripe Reader M2

Two BBPOS-based card readers used by Stripe Terminal merchants in the UK.

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?

No. MerchantHQ runs whole-of-market comparison across 80+ UK card-payment providers and is not tied to any acquirer. Editorial by Oliver Mackman for Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).

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