7 Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone in 2023
Meaghan has provided content and guidance for indie retailers as the editor for a number of retail publications and a speaker at trade shows. She is Fit Small Business’s authority on retail and ecommerce.
Anna is a retail expert writer for Fit Small Business with over six years of evaluating dozens of software for small business. She holds a double degree in Accountancy and Financial Management and is currently pursuing further education in financial and payment technology.
This article is part of a larger series on Payments.
To accept payments on your iPhone, you will need an internet or cellular connection, a compatible mobile card reader, and a corresponding payment app downloaded to your phone.
The best credit card readers can process swipe, chip, and contactless payments for a small transaction fee with no monthly minimums or restrictions. The best iPhone payment apps are easy to use, deposit funds into your account quickly, and have good user reviews.
Based on our evaluation of over a dozen options, the best credit card readers for iPhones are:
- Best overall (and best free): Square
- Best for solopreneurs: PayPal Zettle
- Best for online businesses: Shopify
- Cheapest for low-ticket sales: SumUp
- Best if you have a preferred payment processor: Clover
- Best for small mobile restaurants: Payanywhere
- Cheapest for high-volume sales: Payment Depot
Best Credit Card Readers for iPhone Compared
Mobile Card Reader Cost | Payment Method | Monthly Fee | Swipe, Chip, and Contactless Rate | Chargeback Fee | Payment App User Review | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $49; first magstripe reader free | 2-in-1 (tap and dip) | $0 | 2.6% plus 10 cents | Waived up to $250 per month | |
 | $79; first reader discounted to $29 | 2-in-1 (tap and dip) | $0 | 2.29% plus 9 cents | $0 to $20 | |
 | $49 | 2-in-1 (tap and dip) | $0 to $89 | 2.4% to 2.7% | $15; refundable | |
 | $39 to $129 | 3-in-1 (tap, dip, and swipe) | $0 | 2.75% | $0 | |
 | $49 | 3-in-1 (tap, dip, and swipe) | $0 to $14.95 | 2.6% plus 10 cents* | From $25 | |
 | $59.95 | 3-in-1 (tap, dip, and swipe) | $0 | 2.69% | $25 | |
 | $49 | 3-in-1 (tap, dip, and swipe) | $79 | Interchange plus 8 cents | $25 | |
*Based on Fiserv rates. Fees will depend on your chosen payment processor.
Did you know?
Apple Pay is a popular payment method among iPhone users. iPhones are also now equipped with tap-to-pay that can send and accept payments even without a mobile credit card reader. Both payment methods apply contactless rates so merchants should also consider payment processors with cheap contactless fees.
To learn more about the technology behind contactless payments, see our guide to near-field communication (NFC) payments.
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Are you still not sure which iPhone credit card reader is best for you? Take this quiz for our recommendation. It is only three questions and will provide a result without redirecting you to another page.
Are you looking for something different?
We have several guides on mobile and in-store payment solutions, including:
- Best Credit Card Payment Apps
- Best Mobile Credit Card Processing
- Best Card Readers for Android
- Best Card Readers
Many of the best iPhone card readers also appear in the above articles.
Square: Best Overall Credit Card Reader for iPhone
Overall Score:
4.48 / 5
Pros
- Easy to use
- Powerful POS system
- Best payment hardware
- Additional plans and tools as your business scales
- Square Payments review
Cons
- Limited customer support hours
- Must use Square payment processing
- Many complaints in the App Store about held funds
What we like:
Square offers competitive rates with no monthly fees or upfront costs. It provides reliability, security, and a suite of business management tools and scalable hardware, making it the overall best iPhone credit card reader.
Small businesses like food trucks and cafes choose Square for its easy setup and simple payment processing rates. In addition, if you expand and find yourself needing payroll, scheduling, or other software, Square also has these.
Square’s transaction fees are average—not the cheapest, but the powerful free point-of-sale (POS) system and inexpensive card readers make Square a favorite among small merchants.
- Monthly fee: $0
- In-person (including contactless): 2.6% plus 10 cents tap, dip, or swipe
- Keyed-in: 3.5% plus 15 cents
- Online, recurring, and invoicing: 2.9% plus 30 cents
- Chargeback fee: Waived up to $250 per month
- Free POS software
- Next-day funding, same-day with fee
- Card reader: $0 to $49 for chip and tap (one free swipe reader)
- Accepts tap, dip, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other NFC payments
- Offline payment processing
 |  |
$10 (first one is free) Available with lightning or audio jack input. Accepts payments via magstripe (swiped). | $49 Connects via Bluetooth. Accepts payments via EMV (chip) or NFC (Apple Pay, Google Pay). |
- POS app: Square’s POS app can record both cash and card payments, add tips to each transaction, split sales between different payment methods, and send customer receipts via text or email. Square also works even without an internet connection.
- Business management: Square has additional features, such as invoicing, appointment booking, employee management, and customer email marketing. It also integrates with many other business programs, including those for accounting and delivery management.
- Chargeback policy: Unlike most credit card processing services, Square waives chargeback fees for up to $250 per month. The system also notifies you of a chargeback via email and disputes it automatically should you forget or miss the deadline.
- Mobile app: As of this writing, Square ties with SwipeSimple (Payment Depot) for best ratings on the Apple App Store. It has 4.8 out of 5 stars with some 350,000 ratings.
- Ease of use: Real-world users give Square high marks for customer satisfaction: 4.5 out of 5 on third-party software review sites and 4.8 for mobile iOS. Ease of use, flexibility, and price are the most praised features.
- Tap-to-pay: As of September 2022, iPhone users now can use the Square mobile app to accept digital payments, such as Apple Pay, even without a card reader.
PayPal Zettle: Best for Solopreneurs & PayPal Users
Overall Score:
4.33 / 5
Pros
- Free POS with no minimums
- Low swipe fees
- Very easy to use
- Pays immediately into PayPal
- Accept Venmo payments
Cons
- No offline mode
- Basic POS functionality
- PayPal has a reputation for freezing accounts
- Increasingly negative user reviews: 3.1 out of 5 on App Store
What we like:
The PayPal Zettle card reader is simple but powerful and, combined with PayPal’s ability to accept all kinds of payments (from credit cards to bitcoin, Venmo, and cross-border payments), a top contender for one of the best mobile credit card processors in the market.
PayPal’s reader includes a PIN pad that can process chip and tap transactions. Your first PayPal Zettle card reader is discounted to $29.
We like PayPal best for individual users because while it is very easy to use, its POS functionality for larger operations is limited. It also doesn’t charge monthly fees for inactivity.
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present (including contactless): 2.29% plus 9 cents
- Keyed-in: 3.49% plus 9 cents
- Chargeback fee: $20
- Free POS Software
- Next-day funding, same day with fee
- Card reader: $79 (first one, $29)
- One-year limited warranty
- Accepts debit and credit EMV cards, NFC payments, gift cards, and Venmo payments
 |  |
$79 (first one $29) Connects via Bluetooth and accepts payments via EMV (chip) and NFC contactless payments (Apple Pay, Android Pay). | $49 Locks the Zettle 2 reader into place for countertop use and charges in-dock. |
- Great for small-scale or infrequent sales: Zettle is simple enough to learn and set up in a couple of minutes if your inventory is small. It does not charge monthly fees or require monthly use or impose contracts. You can put it away for months and use it again as if it had been a day. The charges are cheaper than most flat-rate processors and not dependent on your sales volume.
- Same-day deposits to PayPal: If you use PayPal, then Zettle gets you your money quickly as it deposits directly into PayPal each day. The other credit card readers on our list may get you your money as early as the next day, although some, like Square, charge extra for expedited deposits.
- Mobile app: As of this writing, Zettle has 3.1 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store with more than 500 reviews. One of the most recent complaints is that data from PayPal Here does not carry over. Users also had problems with setup, including being unable to change the app from Spanish to English. Customer support also received complaints. For more responsive help, consider Payment Depot.
Shopify: Best for Online Businesses With Occasional In-person Sales
Overall Score:
4.24 / 5
Pros
- User-friendly mobile app interface
- Customizable mobile checkout
- Strong omnichannel features
- 4.5 out of 5 rating on App Store
Cons
- Limited offline features
- Locked into Shopify Payments to use the mobile card reader
- Requires a Shopify Ecommerce subscription
- Payouts take two business days
What we like:
Shopify is a powerhouse name for ecommerce businesses, providing its users with outstanding omnichannel tools so you can reach customers anywhere. It offers a 2-in-1 credit card processor for iPhones and Androids at $49 (similar to Square).
In addition, Shopify lets you sync online and in-person sales, such as curbside and pick-up orders, pop-up shops, and selling at trade fairs. These features make Shopify among our best retail POS systems and bring it to the top of our list of multichannel POS systems.
- Monthly fee: $0 to $89 (plus $39 to $399 for a Shopify ecommerce account)
- In-person transaction (including contactless): 2.4% to 2.7%
- Online transaction: 2.4% plus 30 cents to 2.9% plus 30 cents
- Chargeback fee: Varies
- Funding: 2 business days
- Card reader: $49
- Tap, dip, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other NFC payments
- One-year limited warranty plus two-year extended warranty with a POS Pro plan
 |
Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader $49 Bluetooth-enabled, EMV-certified mobile card reader that accepts chip and contactless payments for Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. |
- Omnichannel selling: Shopify provides a seamless shopping experience for your in-store and online customers. You can design quick response (QR) codes that open product pages from their mobile device, accept returns or exchanges of online purchases at retail outlets, sell from wherever stock is available, and then send it out to the customer when in-store inventory is low.
- Order and product management: Shopify’s Smart Inventory lets you use a barcode scanner to receive inventory and conduct physical counts, and request and track stock transfers. You can also create and manage purchase orders (POs) from your Shopify POS platform.
- Mobile app: The Shopify POS app earned an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store from more than 7,300 reviews as a solid, dependable app with flexible features. However, the most recent feedback, even from those who have given the platform high ratings, is that the latest design and user interface updates are less favorable.
SumUp: Best for In-person Businesses With Low-ticket Sales
Overall Score:
3.99 / 5
Pros
- Pay-as-you-go transaction fees
- Free payment app and virtual terminal
- Easy two-step sign-up process
- PIN pad mobile card readers
Cons
- Account stability issues with holds, freezes, and closures
- Does not support high-risk merchants
- Limited multichannel/sales ecommerce integration
- Customer support only available during business hours
What we like:
SumUp is a mobile-first payment processor built for small businesses. It does not charge any monthly fees or tie you up in a long-term contract, making it one of the industry’s most affordable merchant services providers. It doesn’t charge a fixed fee per transaction making it great for businesses with low-ticket sales.
Recently, SumUp launched upgraded card readers with improved payment processing tools, earning it a significant improvement from our previous evaluation. It also comes with a virtual terminal, basic inventory management features, and reliable app functionality.
- Monthly fee: $0
- In-person transaction (including contactless): 2.75%
- Online transaction (payment gateway): 3.25% plus 15 cents
- Virtual terminal processing: 3.25% plus 15 cents
- Chargeback fee: $0
- Funding: 1 to 2 business days
- Card reader: $39 to $129
- Accepts EMV chip, contactless (NFC), Apple, and Android Pay
- 1-year warranty
 |  |
$39 ($49 with dock) Features an LED screen, tip function, Bluetooth connectivity, comes with charging dock, connects with SumUp app. | $129 Standalone card reader and payment processor, touchscreen panel, refund and dynamic tipping tools, invoice processing |
- Two-step signup: Getting a merchant account only takes minutes with SumUp’s two-step sign-up. Request your card reader during sign-up and receive it within three to four business days.
- SumUp dashboard: SumUp allows you to process payments, create and manage invoices, and access reports from the dashboard.
- Application programming interface (API) and software development kit (SDK) integrations: SumUp is supported by a host of API and SDKs that allow for custom features, such as accepting international payments and adding user interface screens for customers of different business models.
- Payout features: Process daily payouts and track the transfer progress from your dashboard at no extra cost. SumUp also provides you with daily and monthly payout reports. Customer support can be requested to update the payout frequency.
- Inventory management: SumUp’s mobile app includes a product catalog that provides you with basic inventory management tools such as adding products, categories, and variants, and assigning sales tax rates. A step-by-step guide helps you build your catalog.
- Mobile POS app: The SumUp App supports a POS function that includes a product catalog, smart tipping, tax setting, refund issuing, and employee management tools. Unfortunately, iPhone users find it difficult to use, earning a low score of 2.6 out of 5 from a mere 147 reviews.
Clover: Best for Merchants With a Preferred Payment Processor
Overall Score:
3.97 / 5
Pros
- Highly rated mobile app
- Can be programmed to work with most merchant services and payment processors
- Accepts payments offline
Cons
- Requires paid plan to access inventory tools
- Limited POS features available to the mobile card reader
- Lacks same-day funding option
What we like:
Clover hardware is compatible with most popular payment processors, so you’ll find it offered on multiple payment provider websites. Available POS features depend on the hardware you use so small merchants only pay for what they need according to their business size.
Merchants who prefer to keep their current payment processor or merchant services provider but want to upgrade hardware and POS software will find Clover the best iPhone card reader for this unique feature.
- Monthly fee: $0 to $14.95
- In-person transaction fee (including contactless): 2.6% plus 10 cents
- Keyed-in transaction fee: 3.5% plus 10 cents
- Contract length: Month-to-month
- Chargeback fees: $25
- Card reader: $49
- Accepts traditional magstripe credit cards, EMV chip cards, and NFC contactless payments
 |
($49) 3-in-1 Bluetooth-enabled mobile card reader |
- Payment types: Like the other providers in our list, the Clover card reader can process all major credit cards through swipe, chip (EMV) and tap (contactless payment method). It can also process through a virtual terminal and accept other cashless transactions such as invoicing and stored credit card payments.
- Clover Go Credit card reader: What’s unique about Clover is that available POS functions are determined by the hardware. Merchants using Clover Go can choose between a free account for simple payment processing and payment tracking while those who require basic inventory management tools will need to subscribe to the paid plan at $14.95 per month.
- Customer management: Customer management features are available in both free and paid plans with Clover Go. This includes the ability to set up customer profiles from the point of sale. Advanced features allows merchants to send promotions via email, text, or on social media, and request for customer feedback.
- Mobile app: Clover’s credit card reader comes with its proprietary POS software which merchants can use with their preferred payment processing provider. It is both popular and highly rated, earning a score of 4.8 out of 5 from nearly 29,000 user reviews on the Apple App Store.
Payanywhere: Best for Low-volume Restaurants & Food Trucks
Overall Score:
3.96 / 5
Pros
- Low fees on small transactions
- No chargeback fees
- Free same- and next-day funding
- Autopay for subscriptions and recurring payments
Cons
- Possible long-term contracts with hefty early termination fees on custom plans
- Lacks echeck and automated clearing house (ACH) processing
- Charges an inactivity fee
- Limited customer support hours
What we like:
Payanywhere is an all-in-one payment processing solution with a mobile app and 3-in-1 mobile card reader when you sign up for a merchant account.
It supports restaurant-specific tools such as splitting checks, opening tabs, and tipping. This is the only provider on this list besides Square that supports these features, making it a great choice for low-volume restaurants and food trucks.
- Monthly fee: $0
- In-person transaction fee (including contactless): 2.69%
- Keyed-in transaction fee: 3.49% plus 19 cents
- Contract length: Month-to-month for pay-as-you-go; minimum three years, with one year auto-renewal, for custom plans
- Inactivity fee (for pay-as-you-go plan): $3.99 per month after 12 months of inactivity
- Chargeback Fees (for pay-as-you-go plan): $25
- Offline payment processing
- Free next-day and same-day funding
- Card reader: $59.95
- Accepts traditional magstripe credit cards, EMV chip cards, and NFC contactless payments
 |
$59.95 Bluetooth-enabled card reader. Accepts traditional magstripe credit cards, EMV chip cards, and NFC contactless payments like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. |
- Payment types: Process all major credit cards with Payanywhere. You can also manage payment methods with tab splitting, invoicing, and recurring payment transactions.
- Virtual terminal: You can connect your card reader to a desktop and accept payments through Payanywhere’s virtual terminal. The cloud-based dashboard syncs your sales records in real time with your mobile transactions.
- Mobile payments: While limited in functionality, Payanywhere’s credit card reader for iPhone offers mobile payment processing that’s easy to learn and simple to use. It provides swipe, tap, and dip payments, along with NFC contactless payments, including digital wallets like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.
- POS app: Payanywhere account includes a free mobile POS app, which allows you to process payments from a compatible smartphone or tablet. It comes with inventory and employee management tools and offline payment processing function.
- Free same-day funding: Payanywhere offers free same-day funding for late-night food businesses, such as bars and restaurants. The cutoff time is 10 p.m., but you can select the same-day funding option with a 10:30 a.m. cutoff.
- Mobile app: Payanywhere’s mobile app is among the most well-rated software in our list, although the ratings did fall from 4.3 to 4 out of 5 with more than 700 reviews. User feedback from the beginning of the year have been mixed but customer support has been consistently responsive.
While Payanywhere has restaurant-specific features, it is not a full-fledged POS system for restaurants. If you’re operating anything other than occasional sales or a temporary setup, we recommend considering a restaurant POS system.
Payment Depot: Best for High-volume Sales
Overall Score:
3.87 / 5
Pros
- Interchange-plus pricing
- Highly rated mobile app
- Excellent customer support
- 4.8 out of 5 rating on App Store
Cons
- Charges monthly fees
- Chargeback process is more complex
- US-based merchants only
What we like:
As a traditional merchant account provider, Payment Depot has some of the lowest credit card processing fees available—great for high-volume sales. Although it requires an application and a monthly subscription fee, each account comes with a free SwipeSimple mobile account and account stability.
Having a dedicated merchant account means you’re much less likely to deal with frozen or delayed funds.
- Monthly plans: $79
- Card-present (including contactless): Interchange plus 8 cents
- Card-not-present: Interchange plus 18 cents
- Chargeback fee: $0
- Card reader: Starts at $49
- Accepts tap, dip, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other NFC payments
- May offer free hardware, depending on custom contract
 |
Starts at $49 (Contact Payment Depot) Connects via Bluetooth and accepts payments via magstripe (swipe), EMV (chip), and NFC contactless payments (Apple Pay, Android Pay). |
- Mobile app: As of this writing, SwipeSimple ties with Square as one of the highest-rated apps, with 4.8 out of 5 stars with 4,400-plus ratings. SwipeSimple is used by many merchant services, and there are complaints about some of them. However, most people said it worked well and was easy to use.
- Invoicing: While not part of SwipeSimple, Payment Depot allows you to email invoices to customers and receive payments. This is typical of most payment processors but makes Payment Depot even more suited for business-to-business (B2B) sales.
- Level 2 and Level 3 processing: If you do B2B or government sales, you can benefit from Level 2 and Level 3 payment processing, which lowers the interchange rates. Payment Depot works with PayTrace, which can get Level 2 and Level 3 rates on business cards.
- Additional business services: Your Payment Depot subscription gives you access to business funding, free POS equipment and chargeback risk monitoring (with certain plans), and a free payment gateway for online transactions. Other services on our list offer some of these, but not all.
- Customer support and user reviews: Phone and email support are available 24/7, which puts it ahead of Square. Payment Depot’s support team is highly rated by customers as is SwipeSimple. Other apps like PayPal have numerous complaints about customer service.
Compare Your Fees
Find out how much you would pay in monthly credit card processing fees with each of our recommended credit card readers for iPhone.
Mobile Payment Alternatives
If you’re looking for more mobile payment solutions, check out our recommendations below:
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
Best for: Accepting peer-to-peer payments | Best for: Processing QR code payments | Best for: Using payment links for selling anywhere | Best for: iOS users that need a digital wallet app |
Monthly Cost: $0 | Monthly Cost: $0 | Monthly Cost: $0 | Monthly Cost: $0 |
Transaction Fee: $0 | Transaction Fee: from 1.9% + 10 cents | Transaction Fee: 2.9% + 30 cents | Transaction Fee: $0 |
How We Chose the Best iPhone Credit Card Readers
The best mobile credit card processing services work with both iOS and Android, so we chose those that had the best ratings in the Apple store or were more popular in iOS. Then, we weighed them according to pricing, types of payments provided, additional features, how quickly you can access your earnings, and how well they compared to the others on the list in our evaluation and the opinion of users.
Square ranks as the best credit card reader for iPhone. With clear-cut pricing and no contracts, a feature-rich POS system and invoice capabilities, and easy access to your funds, it’s a strong choice for individuals and businesses of all sizes.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
20%
Pricing
25%
Mobile payment features
20%
Ease of use
20%
Account features
15%
Expert score
20% of Overall Score
We gave the most points to payment processors that did not require contracts or monthly fees and did not have cancellation fees or minimum requirements. We also took transaction fees heavily into consideration, particularly in-person payments, including contactless/tap, which is most popular among iPhone users for Apple Pay.
25% of Overall Score
The best iPhone payment credit card readers support all types of in-person transactions. We also gave premium points for iPhone credit card readers that support offline transactions and provide PIN pad for additional security.
20% of Overall Score
We also evaluated mobile credit card readers for their ease of use. Taking into consideration the user interface, setup, and configuration as well as the device’s overall reliability. Additionally, we awarded premium points for real-life reviews of each provider’s mobile app.
20% of Overall Score
We gave the most credit to those with 24/7 support, quick deposit times, and built-in customer management features. We also made sure that the free mobile POS app is useful and comes with ample tools and integrations.
15% of Overall Score
This combined our overall evaluation of price and ease of use with scores from real-world users on trusted third-party review sites.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Credit card readers can be connected wirelessly (via Bluetooth) compatible with iPhones. Software applications can also be downloaded for free on your iPhone which will give you access to payment processing tools.
Processing payments with iPhones use in-person or card-present rates for swiped, dipped, and tapped transactions. Providers for small businesses or startups usually charge a flat rate, which can range anywhere from 2.29% + 9 cents (PayPal Zettle) to 2.75% (SumUp), and no monthly fees. For more active businesses, there are providers that charge low interchange rates (like Payment Depot at interchange plus 8 cents) and a monthly subscription fee.
Aside from affordable hardware, zero monthly subscription, and low monthly fees, the best credit card readers for iPhones also offer the most payment methods (tap, dip, and swipe), the widest range of payment types (virtual terminal, invoicing, digital wallets, etc.), easy-to-use payment apps, and reliable connection between the card reader and your iPhone.
Most popular payment processors have a free mobile payment app you can download to your iPhone. You can use this to process credit card payments without a credit card reader by keying in your customer’s credit card information. However, you will need a mobile credit card reader attached to your iPhone if you want to swipe, tap, or dip your customer’s credit card to process payments.
Update: Square recently introduced tap-to-pay for iPhones, which allows you to accept contactless payments without a mobile credit card reader.
If you want to use a magstripe reader to accept payments, you need a credit card swiper compatible with your mobile device. Square offers the first magstripe reader for free to every Square merchant account, additional readers cost $10 each. Other payment processors such as Shopify and SumUp sell 3-in-1 card readers (swipe, dip, and tap) starting at $39.
Bottom Line
COVID-19 changed how we do business, emphasizing the importance of being able to accept payments on your mobile phone or iPad for maximum flexibility. The credit card readers we considered not only provide multiple ways to accept on-the-go payments but many have virtual terminals and online options to help.
Overall, for versatility and price, Square is our top choice. It can be a little more expensive if you have small transactions, but it’s good for the occasional user or the regular business and can grow with you. Download the Square app and sign up for an account today.
