Square, SumUp and Zettle (now PayPal POS) are the three names almost every UK café owner considers first. All three let you start with no monthly fee and a cheap card reader. They differ in card fees, in what a café pays once it needs a kitchen screen or table service, and in how easy it is to leave.
We make Café QR, a café POS, so we are not neutral. The figures below come from each provider's own UK pages (Square and SumUp checked 12 October 2026, Zettle 10 November 2026). Prices change, so check before you sign.
The short answer
- Lowest card fee on pay-as-you-go: SumUp, at 1.69%, against 1.75% for Square and Zettle. On £5,000 a month of card takings that is about £3 a month.
- Best free till for table service: Square. Its free plan includes open bills and table management.
- Simplest for a counter or a cart: Zettle. One app, one reader, one flat rate.
- Kitchen screen and QR table ordering: none of the three include both in a free plan.
Side by side
| Square for Restaurants | SumUp | PayPal POS (Zettle) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software | Free £0, Plus £69 a month per location | Free app; POS Pro £49 a month + VAT | £0 |
| In-person card fee | 1.75% | 1.69% pay-as-you-go; lower on Payments Plus (£19 a month) | 1.75% |
| Kitchen screen | £15 a month per screen on Free; included on Plus | Kitchen Display Screen module £19 a month on POS Pro | Not listed on its UK pages |
| Tables and tabs | Open bills and table management on every plan | Tables, tabs and floor plan on POS Pro; Hospitality module £19 | Not listed on its UK pages |
| QR table ordering | Scan to Pay on Plus | Goodeats add-on, charged per order | Not listed on its UK pages |
| Contract | No long-term contract | Not stated on the pricing page | No long-term commitments |
| Card machine | Square only | SumUp; POS Pro can connect a reader of your choice | Zettle reader, £29 + VAT for the first |
Where the costs add up for a café
The free plans are genuinely free while you only ring up sales at the counter. A café's bill grows when it adds:
- A kitchen or barista screen. £15 a month per screen on Square Free, or £19 a month on top of SumUp POS Pro.
- Table service. Square includes the basics free; SumUp needs POS Pro (£49) and, for transfers and timers, the £19 Hospitality module.
- Table ordering from guests' phones. Square needs Plus (£69); SumUp charges per order through Goodeats.
- Card fees on every sale. At 1.69% to 1.75%, a café taking £10,000 a month on card pays about £170 to £175 a month in fees, whichever you pick.
When to look beyond the big three
Look further if you want any of these:
- A kitchen screen, tabs and QR table ordering in one monthly price. Café QR's POS plan is £39 a month per venue and includes all three, with QR ordering on its own from £9.99.
- To keep a card machine you already have. Café QR links to Dojo and Stripe Terminal, or records card payments from any other machine on the till.
- No contract and no VAT added on the software. Café QR has no contract, and as it is not VAT registered no VAT is added to its prices.
Square, SumUp and Zettle remain good choices for a small counter with modest takings. For full detail, see our comparisons with Square, SumUp and Zettle, or café tills with no contract.