7 Best Credit Card Payment Apps 2023

Payment Processing

At 2.6% + 10 cents for card-present transactions and 3.5% + 15 cents for keyed-in transactions, Square’s fees are somewhat higher than many on our list. For example, SumUp, at 2.75% for in-person transactions, seems higher. However, Square adds 10 cents per transaction. Those dimes can add up, especially if you have low-dollar-value transactions.

Square does offer discounts for businesses doing over $250,000 a year in credit card processing. If you purchase a Plus plan, you receive lower rates on payment processing.

POS

Square has no monthly fees, but if you want to add advanced POS functions, team management, loyalty plans, or payroll, there are monthly plans—each with 30-day free trials—available.

• Square Plus (Appointments): $29+ per month
• Square Plus (Advanced Retail and Restaurant): $60 per month
• Team Plus: $35 per month
• Invoices Plus: $20 per month
• Payroll: $35 per month plus $5 per employee
• Marketing: Starts at $15 per month
• Loyalty Program: Starts at $45 per month

PayPal Zettle and SumUp are similarly free but without the “expansion packs.” Meanwhile, Payanywhere also has a free plan, plus custom pricing plans with monthly fees and lower transaction rates.

Hardware

Start with a free card reader to accept swiped payments. (Only Payanywhere also offers a free reader that does chip and swipe.) If you want more versatility and payment security, Square charges $49 for a chip reader. Full POS systems run from $299 to $799. (Payanywhere rents its systems for $10 to $40 per month.) However, you can run your Square POS system on your tablet.

Fully Functioning Register App for Ringing Payments

While Square didn’t earn perfect scores for its features, it did better overall than most others on our list. It has a fully functioning register that works on smartphones, tablets, and POS devices and includes inventory tracking, taxes, and discounts. It also has an integrated online store. Offline mode lets you keep selling even when the internet is down. Whether you only need a few tools or the works, Square provides solutions.

Specialty POS for Retail, Restaurants & Salons

Square has dedicated systems for retailers, restaurants, and appointment-based industries like salons or spas, and it’s on our list as the best option for all of these. (If you want a free system with restaurant features, however, look at Payanywhere on this list.) The other processors on our list can also be used for different industries, but Square went out of its way to customize systems for you.

Highly Rated Mobile App

Square ranks number one on our lists of best free iPhone credit card readers and best mobile credit card readers. In the Apple App store, it has a 4.8 rating out of 5 based on over 338,000 reviews. For Android, it has 4.8 stars and more than 168,000 reviews.

Versatile, Flexible System

While Square’s free POS and reasonable transaction rates make it great for those selling at the occasional farmers market or conference, it can also grow with the ambitious entrepreneur. Build out your POS system, add inventory, and develop customer lists. As you grow, you can add other features, from loyalty to payroll, through Square, or add third-party applications like QuickBooks, Wix, BigCommerce, Zoho, and more.

Chargeback Protection

Square is unique among the credit card processors on our list because it waives up to $250 a month in chargeback fees. This should be sufficient for a small business or solopreneur. Most credit card app providers charge per unsuccessful transaction, although SumUp charges per dispute to pay the bank fees.

User-friendly Software

You don’t have to take our word for it. Square has the highest user satisfaction score of those on our list: 4.67 out of 5 on third-party software review sites. Ease of use, flexibility, and price are the most praised features.

• Payment processing is exclusive to Square: You’re locked into Square for payment processing on its POS system and online store—there’s no option to connect an outside merchant account to Square’s software. Also, if you want other POS hardware than what Square provides, you need a different payment processor. For more choices, check out Payanywhere.
• Limited support: Square is very easy to use, but if you run into trouble, you can reach support only during extended business hours on weekdays. Only Shopify has 24/7 live support.

Payment Processing

PayPal credit card payment rates are 2.29% + 9 cents for card-present transactions (with Zettle), while online card payments cost 2.59% + 49 cents. PayPal exclusive checkouts and guest checkouts through keyed-in payments cost 3.49% + 9 cents. The rates are the cheapest of the flat-rate prices on our list. Its rates vary for online sales, virtual terminal sales, donations, and country. These are on its pricing page.

POS

Zettle’s entire POS system is free with the use of PayPal’s payment processing. There are no premium plans like Square.

Hardware

Zettle card readers are $79, with the first one discounted to $29. Unlike Square or Payanywhere, it does not offer a free reader. Zettle has hardware POS kits that cost $249–$699, which makes them among the least expensive POS systems on our list. The kits include combinations of touch screen, receipt printer, and other peripherals.

Online Sales

PayPal works just about anywhere for accepting payments, and your customer does not need a PayPal account to use it. And of course, PayPal payment processing works for credit cards, ACH transfers, and more. Thus, you can accept payments from your online store to an online chat with a customer. Zettle itself, however, only integrates with a few ecommerce solutions for syncing online sales. For greater connectivity between in-person and online sales, consider Square, Shopify, and Payanywhere.

International Payment Processing

PayPal works in over 200 markets and 100 currencies, and Zettle got its start in Europe. With it, you can easily process sales in-store, across borders, and in different currencies. PayPal allows cross-border payments. On our list, Shopify is the next best choice for international payments.

Versatility & Scalability

Like Square, Zettle serves a wide range of use cases. Hobbyists and large corporations use the PayPal app, although Zettle is more suited for small businesses and solopreneurs.

Social Selling

Like others on our list, PayPal lets you include links for social selling. PayPal, however, has the best reputation and name recognition among consumers. Adding a PayPal option to your sales increases your chance of making a sale.

High Recent User Approval

PayPal’s payment app, in general, is consistently high-rated for both iOS and Android users. Reviews of the past six months on third-party sites like Capterra show people are overall very pleased with the app, giving it four and five stars. The lifetime average is 4.59 out of 5 measured from several third-party review sites.

• Mediocre app ratings: PayPal’s Zettle mobile app works for both Android and iOS. On Android, it has over 41,000 reviews and a score of 4.1 out of 5. In iOS, it has nearly 400 reviews and a score of 3.2 out of 5. The scores are the lowest on our list aside from SumUp. One thing to note is that it requires iOS 10 and Android 5.0 or higher.
• Offline processing: PayPal does not handle sales offline. Check Square and Payanywhere if you want a free POS with offline capabilities.

Payment Processing

Your transaction fees depend on the plan you purchase—the more expensive plans have lower rates. You can use your own payment processor, but Shopify adds a fee to do this, which could negate the advantage. Only Shopify offers discounts on shipping. This chart explains the pricing:

POS

To use Shopify’s credit card processing, you need to purchase its ecommerce software. Plans run from $29 to $299 per month, depending on your desired features. If this is more than you need, look at the other processors on our list. There is also a Starter Plan for $5 a month that enables you to sell only on social sites and messaging.

Hardware

Shopify’s card readers are $49, with the stand an additional $39. Its POS hardware starts at $219 for a retail kit of touch screen and simple card reader. They are the least expensive on the list

Rent POS Hardware

Most of the apps on our list also have the option for full POS systems, which you can purchase or rent by the month. Shopify alone, however, allows you to rent a system by the day. This is a great tool for those times when you may need to up your game, such as for a big convention with high-traffic sales.

Multichannel Sales, Including Social Media & Online Marketplaces

The more places you can sell your wares, the more opportunities for sales and loyal customers. Shopify makes it easy to integrate with channels like eBay, Facebook, and other social or online venues. Several of the apps on our list, like PayPal, let you add a buy button, but Square allows full integration like Shopify.

Dropshipping

Want to add a new source of income or expand your inventory? Shopify integrates with hundreds of dropshipping companies.

Shipping Discounts

If you process mail orders, sell on eBay, or ship a lot of your products, then Shopify is worth considering for the shipping discounts alone. No other credit card processor on our list offers this, and depending on your volume, you may pay for the software in your savings.

Fraud Protection

Small businesses are actually at greater risk for friendly and criminal credit card fraud than large corporations. Shopify’s machine learning tools analyze transactions for suspicious charges and bring them to your attention. It’s one of the best fraud prevention tools for POS. It does charge for chargebacks, however. If that’s a concern, look at Square, which waives up to $250 in chargeback fees.

Highly Rated iOS Mobile App

The Shopify POS app on iOS earned 4.5 out of 5 based on around 7,300 reviews. For Android, it only earned 3.4 stars and about 1,700 reviews, which is a slight decrease since our last time reviewing this app. There is also a mobile app for running your Shopify online store, and it has more consistent and better reviews in both app stores.

• Charges to use other merchant accounts: Unlike Square and PayPal, you can use other merchant accounts with Shopify—but you will pay extra.
• Lacks offline mode: You cannot use Shopify to process card payments without an internet connection. For that, consider Square and Payanywhere.

If you’re not ready to give up your existing online store or just need a simple system, look at Square and Zettle, which offer their own store, or integrate with other ecommerce software and have a free POS for in-person sales.

Payment Processing

At 2.4% + 25 cents per card transaction and 3.4% + 25 cents per keyed-in transaction, the fees are competitive, although an additional quarter per transaction can add up if you do a lot of small tickets. Shopify, SumUp, and Payanywhere, by contrast, have flat percentage rates. If you charge more than $7,500 per month, QuickBooks can offer you a discount. Square also has discounts but at a much higher volume.

Monthly Fees

You must have QuickBooks to use QuickBooks Payments, which means you’ll be paying at least $30 a month no matter how much you use the payment processing. (You get a 50% discount for the first three months.) Square, Zettle, Payanywhere, and SumUp don’t have monthly charges. However, with GoPayment, you also get accounting software, along with POS and inventory.

Hardware

QuickBooks has a mobile card reader that runs $49, but the charging stand is an additional $39 (or bundle them for $79). QuickBooks runs on a tablet, so it only sells peripherals. Stands start at $119, PIN-pad card readers at $389, and full sets at $900. It’s more expensive than other POS systems on our list, and you may be better off finding compatible hardware elsewhere.

Dedicated Checking Account, Instant Payout

If you open a checking account with QuickBooks, then you can get instant payout of funds from GoPayment and invoices and other payments accepted through QuickBooks. QuickBooks checking also pays 1% APY interest, is free to open, and has no monthly fees or minimums.

Top-rated Accounting Software

QuickBooks tops our list of best accounting software, and with the freelancer plan at $30 per month, it’s highly affordable. Plus, it is a good accounting system that integrates into a lot of programs, including most of those on our list.

Invoicing

Artists or writers who work on commissions or contracts and sell their physical creations in person will appreciate the ability to send invoices or set up recurring payments. You’ll get notified when the invoice is viewed and paid. Square and Shopify also have an invoicing capability.

B2B Payment Options

While we like QuickBooks for freelancers, it’s also on our list of best B2B payment solutions. Invoicing that ties directly to QuickBooks, pricing that favors large-ticket items, and excellent rates for ACH transfers make it a strong choice here. (Square, for example, also takes ACH payments—but it charges a minimum of $1 and no maximum; QuickBooks has no minimum and a $10 maximum.)

Connect Multiple Deposit Accounts

If you use multiple accounts to keep your finances straight, you can designate the accounts where specific payments go. No other payment system on our list has this kind of versatility.

Highly Rated Mobile App

The QuickBooks GoPayment app on Android has 4.2 out of 5 stars with about 7,600 votes. In the Apple store, users gave it 4.8 stars and nearly 6,100 ratings. It’s not the top-rated app on our list, but it’s second only to Square for user approval.

• Customer support: While there are a lot of articles and tutorials for QuickBooks, its help section is befuddling. I usually find it easier to Google the question, then follow the link to the appropriate article on QuickBooks’ support page. Customer support is not product-specific, so it may not have a good answer on hand. It’s one thing users consistently complain about.
• Free plan: While $30 per month for accounting software and payment processing is a pretty good deal, occasional sellers might find it cost-prohibitive. Square, PayPal Zettle, and SumUp all offer payment processing with no monthly fees for anything.
• Online store: QuickBooks integrates with many ecommerce solutions, but that does not mean you can use GoPayment as your payment processor on the store. Further, it does not offer an online store like most of the services on our list. Certainly, Shopify is your best bet for an ecommerce platform.

Payment Processing

Payment processing for Clover Go will depend on your preferred payment processor and the third party retailer where you purchase your Clover Go card reader. By default, Clover runs on Fiserv merchant processing which charges 2.3% + 10 cents to 2.6% + 10 cents for card-present transactions, and 3.5% + 10 cents for card-not-present transactions.

Monthly Fees

You can use the Clover Go app with a free account if you only need basic payment processing, invoice management, ecommerce, and accounting integrations. The paid plan, which costs $14.95 a month includes more features such as real-time sales reporting, basic inventory tracking, and advanced employee management on top of the functionalities available in the free plan.

Hardware

The Clover Go payment app is tied to Clover’s 3-in-1 credit card reader. You can purchase this for $49 directly from Clover, or through a reseller although note that pricing may differ.

Flexible Payment Methods

Clover Go allows you to process a wide range of payment methods such as chip, contactless payments, and digital wallets. It also offers expanded payment types like gift cards, scan-to-pay, layaways, and Buy-Now-Pay-Later options.

Hardware-free Transactions

You can use Clover Go without a card reader with the help of Clover’s virtual terminal. This allows you to key-in your customer’s credit card information to process payments over the phone and even in person. Note however, that this imposes a higher transaction fee when compared to card-present sale (with Fiserv, keyed-in rate is 3.5% + 10 cents) and will require you to subscribe to the paid plan ($14.95/month)

Multichannel Sales Management

Clover Go gives you access to ecommerce integrations. It lets you integrate the system with your existing online store and maintain a single dashboard for both in-person and online sales. A website builder is available as an optional add-on.

Advanced Customer Management

With a free plan, Clover Go allows you to keep a record of customer information and their purchase history. The paid plan gives you access to advanced CRM tools such as an extensive customer database, promotions and loyalty program tools, Clover gift card management, and customer feedback.

Advanced Employee Management Tools

The Clover Go app includes tools for managing employee logins and permissions, allowing you to customize individual system access and manage shifts. Payroll integration is available as an add-on.

Highly Rated for Both iOS and Android

The Clover Go app is highly rated by both iOS and Android users. It scored a 4.9 out of 5 from about 2,800 reviews in the Google Play Store, and 4.8 out of 5 from nearly 7,200 reviews on Apple App Store.

• More predictable pricing: It’s important to note that Clover has very minimal control over how resellers set the price and even the terms of use of their system. New merchants unaware of this may find themselves locked into higher fees. Consider Square for more transparent payment terms and fees.
• Businesses with larger inventories: Businesses with larger or a more complex set of inventory may find Clover Go’s inventory management tools very limited. The best alternatives would be Square for brick-and-mortar shops and Shopify for a native ecommerce business.

Payment Processing

On the free plan, transaction fees run 2.69% for card-present sales and 3.49% + 19 cents per transaction for keyed-in sales. These are competitive, especially for low-ticket sales with card-present payment. You can also call for a custom quote. Depending on the volume of sales, it might be cheaper than most of the credit card apps on our list.

Monthly Fees

Payanywhere has a free option and custom pricing plans that you need to contact Sales about. The pay-as-you-go option is free but has a higher swipe rate. It offers custom quotes with lower transaction rates with monthly fees. We’ve seen monthly fees of $12.95. It also has a $3.99 monthly inactivity fee that starts after 12 months of inactivity. If you process more than $10,000 per month, you may be put on a custom plan with a contract.

Hardware

Payanywhere mobile 3-in-1 credit card readers cost $59.95. The handheld and countertop solutions are either rented or purchased outright. Rentals run from $9.95 to $39.95 per month and may include a software fee as well. Purchase prices run from $249 to $1,000, plus software fees, a little steep compared to other systems on our list. Shopify has rentals, and some systems like Square also have payment plans.

Cheaper for Low-ticket Sales

Payanywhere charges 2.69% for card-present transactions, with no extra cents. (Square, for example, adds 10 cents per transaction.) While this percentage is higher than other card processors on our list, when you add the flat cents fees, Payanywhere may be cheaper. If your transactions are generally around or below $110, Payanywhere is cheaper than Square. Compared to Zettle’s current rates, Payanywhere is cheaper for transactions under $22.50.

Restaurant Features

Payanywhere offers open tabs, split payments, and tip functions that make it a good choice for restaurants—and a good alternative to Square for Restaurants. It also integrates with self-ordering kiosks like GRUBBRR. If your tickets are smaller, like in food trucks, you may save money with Payanywhere. Offline mode means that your restaurant doesn’t shut down if the internet does and that you can take your food stand anywhere.

Employee Management

Unlike most of the credit card applications on our list, Payanywhere includes employee management tools through Homebase at no extra charge. This includes hiring tools, time clocks, scheduling, and tracking employee sales. It’s a great asset for a small business or a restaurant that deals with high staff turnover.

Next-day Payout

Payanywhere has next-day funding with a 10 p.m. cutoff time. However, if you have later hours, you can get a “same-day” funding option with a 10:30 a.m. cutoff time, so your transactions from overnight will be deposited later that day. (Saturday and Sunday deposits will appear on Mondays.) This is the fastest turnaround of the systems on our list and, even better, comes with no added fees. Compare this to Square, which charges an additional 1.5% of the transaction for same-day funding.

Average reviews for mobile app

Payanywhere on Android has 3.7 out of 5 stars with almost 4,400 votes. In the App Store, it has a POS app with 4.3 stars and 1,100 ratings. There haven’t been a lot of new reviews since our last review of this product. However, those we say ran hot or cold, and there continue to be complaints about surprise fees.

• Inactivity fee: Payanywhere charges $3.99 monthly for accounts that are not active for 12 months. Thus, occasional sellers will do better with Square, Zettle, or SumUp.
• Potential surprise fees: While Payanywhere says it has no hidden fees, there have been complaints of fees “showing up” on bills or being taken from accounts without notice. Early termination fees from $295 are also possible. Consider Square to avoid these charges.

Payment Processing

Its 2.75% card-present fee is a little more expensive than those on our list, but the flat percentage, as opposed to percentage-plus-cents, makes it a better deal for low-ticket sales. In this way, it’s like Shopify and Payanywhere, though they have lower rates.

POS

SumUp offers its own POS system; however unlike Square, this is a separate add-on service that will cost you $199/month with a one-time $400 installation fee. Payment processing fees are slightly lower than when using the mobile card readers. It’s 2.6% + 10 cents for in-person, and 3.5% + 15 cents for online and keyed-in transactions.

Hardware

SumUp’s credit card readers run $35 to $99, depending on the style and whether you want the cradle or charging station. It also offers POS packages, but you need to call for a quote for these.

Accept Many Payment Types

In addition to card processing with a basic POS system, you can send links, create QR codes, set up an online store for free (Shopify charges for this), and even create digital gift cards.

Basic POS System

Not everyone needs a complex POS system. SumUp lets you input an inventory with categories and variants, program in taxes, and create customized receipts, but it doesn’t include a lot of bells and whistles that take memory on your device and time to learn. It has a few sales reports with the most important information for gauging profits and losses.

Digital Gift Cards

The free SumUp accounts and app allow you to create and sell digital gift cards. When you sell a gift card, there is just a 3.25% + 15 cents transaction fee. You can view all of your sold gift cards right from the app for easy tracking and lookup.

Basic In-app Invoicing

SumUp also offers a free invoicing tool with customizable invoices, embedded payment links, and automatic reconciliation between payments and open invoices. You can create and monitor invoices right from the app, including re-sending overdue invoices. When customers pay their invoice online, it’s just a 2.90% + 15 cent transaction fee. Though not as advanced as what you would find with QuickBooks or Square, SumUp’s invoicing tools would be sufficient for a small operation.

Cheaper for Low-ticket Sales

Like Payanywhere, SumUp offers good rates for low-ticket sales. Compared to Square, your transactions are cheaper with SumUp if the total is less than about $67. And, compared to Zettle’s current rates, SumUp is cheaper for transactions under $20.

• Below-average mobile app ratings: SumUp’s mobile app is on Android and iOS, and it earned 2.9 out of 5 stars (around 54,000 reviews) and 2.9 out of 5 stars (roughly 550 reviews), respectively. These were some of the lowest scores on our list. Connectivity and lag seemed to be the main issues. The app itself looks great and is easy to use—if you can get the payment processed.
• Virtual terminal restricted: The virtual terminal is limited to qualifying merchants. You’ll need to contact sales to see if you qualify. The rate for virtual terminal transactions is 3.25% + 15 cents. If you need this function, consider Square, which makes our list of the best virtual terminals.
• No integrations: If you want to integrate SumUp, you’ll need to use the developer API; it does not offer an app store for integrations with common third-party software. All the other credit card apps on our list do.

We find Square to be the best credit card payment app for small businesses. Not only is it affordable and easy to set up and use, but Square also offers the most reliable payment app and credit card readers in the market. Learn how to accept credit card payments with Square.

Mobile credit card processing is done by downloading a credit card payment app on your mobile device. This often comes with a mobile credit card reader that links with your smartphone and allows you to process credit cards with the usual swipe, tap, or dip method. Learn more about mobile credit card payments.

Credit card payment apps are often free, but what makes one provider stand out from the rest are the additional products that come (sometimes required) with the payment app. Point-of-sale (POS) systems, ecommerce, and accounting tools for instance, either come as free or paid with a monthly subscription.