7 Best Credit Card Payment Apps 2023
This article is part of a larger series on Payments.
Not every business needs a complex point-of-sale (POS) system—credit card payment apps download to your smartphone and tablet and let you take credit card payments on the go and in-store. Most include checkout with taxes and receipts, basic inventory tracking, and a card reader. However, the best credit card payment apps can grow with you with add-ons and POS hardware.
We evaluated nearly two dozen options to find the seven best credit card payment apps for 2023.
- Square: Best overall
- PayPal: Best for occasional sellers and PayPal users
- Shopify: Best for online stores needing in-person payments
- QuickBooks GoPayment: Best for invoicing and QuickBooks users
- Clover Go: Best for merchants with a preferred payment processor
- Payanywhere: Best for restaurants, bars, and food trucks
- SumUp: Best for solopreneurs with low-volume and low-ticket sales
Best Credit Card Payment Apps Compared
Square: Best Overall Credit Card Payment Application
Square
What We Like
- Free card reader and POS
- Lots of integrations
- Waives up to $250/mo chargeback fees
What's Missing
- Locked into Square payments
- Higher transaction fees
- Limited support hours
Square Pricing
- Free basic POS system
- Card-present fee: 2.6% + 10 cents
- Keyed-in fee: 3.5% + 15 cents
- Card readers: From $49 (free first magstripe reader worth $10)
App Scores
- Google Play: 4.8 out of 5, around 168,000 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.8 out of 5, about 338,000 reviews
Square offers a free POS that comes with a built-in credit card payment app which works seamlessly on a mobile device so it consistently makes our list of top mobile credit card processors. Its POS software includes industry-specific inventory, ecommerce, and checkout features, not to mention add-ons and integrations that allows the system to grow, making it a great choice for small businesses and startups.
We gave Square a total score of 4.22 out of 5 for offering some of the best account features any merchant would need to start and run any type of small business. You’ll find Square in our list of top software for POS, retail, restaurants, salons, payment processing, It also aced our expert score and earned 4 stars or higher for pricing and account features. However, its higher transaction fees cost it points, as did its limited customer support hours.
Square Pricing
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.
Square Features
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.
What’s New: Square now lets your customers pay in installments using Afterpay. Afterpay is free to enable, and Square has free marketing kits to promote the feature.
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.
What Square Is Missing
- 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.
Discover more in our full Square POS review and Square Payments review
PayPal: Best for Occasional Sellers & PayPal Users
PayPal Zettle
Pros
- Low transaction rates
- International payment processing
- Trusted by consumers
Cons
- No offline mode
- Reputation for account freezes
- No free card reader
PayPal Pricing
- Monthly fee: $0–$40
- Card-present fee: 2.29% + 9 cents
- Keyed-in fee: 3.49% + 9 cents
- Chargeback fee: $20
- Card reader: $79, first discounted $29
App Scores
- Google Play: 4.3 out of 5, about 81,000 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.3 out of 5, about 22,000 reviews
With simple card reader-assisted payments, payment links you can add almost anywhere alongside other payment types, and a checkout exclusive to PayPal users, PayPal is recognized as one of the most trusted credit card payment apps in the industry. If you need a system for casual in-person sales, PayPal Zettle, the replacement for PayPal Here, also works well for small businesses. The POS is simpler than Square, but like Square, easy to use and free. Plus, the processing rates are cheaper.
We gave PayPal a score of 4.02 out of 5. Its cheap in-person transaction fees and discounted 3-in-1 card readers make it an ideal choice for casual sellers and merchants with PayPal accounts. However, the lack of offline processing hurt PayPal’s score, as did the cost of card readers and limited customer support. Some users have said they prefer Here, even though Zettle has a more modern UX but we see these reviews improving as PayPal works out the kinks in its new acquisition.
PayPal Pricing
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.
PayPal Features
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.
What PayPal Is Missing
- 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.
Learn more about PayPal through our PayPal for Business and PayPal Zettle review.
Shopify POS: Best Ecommerce Payment App
Shopify POS
Pros
- Extensive inventory tools
- Ecommerce-focused
- Can rent POS hardware
Cons
- Works better on iOS than Android
- Charges extra for third-party processors
- No free POS or card reader
Shopify POS Pricing
- POS system: $29–$299/month; ($5/month for social selling only)
- Card-present fees: 2.4%–2.7% cents
- Keyed-in fee: 2.4% + 30 cents–2.9% + 30 cents
- Card readers: $49
- 14-day free trial
App Scores
- Google Play: 3.4 out of 5, around 1,700 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.5 out of 5, about 7,300 reviews
If you do more selling online than in person and need a fully featured online store to go with your credit card processing, check out Shopify. It is one of the best ecommerce solutions today and made our list of the best POS systems, great for multichannel retailers. The app is great if you need occasional in-person sales, but even better, it can rent full POS systems for special occasions, something none of the others on our list do.
Shopify earned 3.89 out of 5 on our evaluation. We love its checkout features and multichannel sales tools. However, it took hits for charging to use a third-party merchant account (something Payanywhere does not do), lacking a free card reader (like Square and Payanywhere), and charging for chargebacks. It also has a low user rating for Android, which affected its score here.
Shopify POS Pricing
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:
Shopify Plan | Monthly Fee for Shopify Plan | Online Transactions | In-person Transactions | Waived Shopify Commission Fee |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lite | $9 | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.7% | 2.0% |
Basic | $29 | 2.9% + 30 cents | 2.7% | 2.0% |
Shopify | $79 | 2.6% + 30 cents | 2.5% | 1.0% |
Advanced | $299 | 2.4% + 30 cents | 2.4% | 0.5% |
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
Shopify POS Features
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.
What Shopify POS Is Missing
- 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.
Read our Shopify POS review for more details.
QuickBooks GoPayment: Best for Invoicing & QuickBooks Users
QuickBooks GoPayment
Pros
- QuickBooks-integrated
- Accepts PayPal and Venmo payments
- Instant payouts with free checking account
Cos
- Must have QuickBooks
- Problematic help and support
- No online store
QuickBooks GoPayment Pricing
- Monthly fee: $30–$200 (for QuickBooks Accounting)
- In-person fee: 2.4% + 25 cents
- Keyed-in fee: 3.4% + 25 cents
- Card readers: $49
- 30-day free trial, subscription discounts available
App Scores
- Google Play: 4.2 out of 5, around 7,600 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.8 out of 5, over 6,100 reviews
Not only is QuickBooks a popular accounting software, but it also has a payment processor, GoPayment, that you can download to your smartphone and use on your desktop—note that you need a QuickBooks account to use GoPayment. This is a great choice for small professional businesses that already use QuickBooks accounting to manage their finances.
QuickBooks GoPayment earned 3.78 out of 5 on our list. It’s a good system overall. Through QuickBooks, you have a lot of functions, especially invoicing and accounting. However, like Square or Zettle, the GoPayment app does not work with any other payment processors, even though QuickBooks is eminently integratable. It also takes a hit on customer support because its help section is complex and contacting support is difficult.
QuickBooks GoPayment Pricing
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.
QuickBooks GoPayment Features
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.
What QuickBooks GoPayment Is Missing
- 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.
Read our QuickBooks GoPayment review for more details.
Clover Go: Best for Merchants With a Preferred Payment Processor
Clover Go
Pros
- Can be programmed to your preferred merchant account
- Affordable all-in-one plans
- Offline card payment processing
Cons
- Hardware tied to merchant account
- Unpredictable reseller pricing
- Does not offer free/discounted hardware
Clover Pricing
- Monthly fee: $0–$14.95
- Card-present fee: 2.3% + 10 cents to 2.6% + 10 cents*
- Keyed-in fee: 3.5% + 10 cents*
- Card readers: $49
App Scores
- Google Play: 4.9 out of 5 from about 2,700 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.8 out of 5, about 7,200 reviews
*based on Fiserv rates
Clover also recently topped the list in my latest evaluation of Square competitors so it’s no surprise that I find Clover Go as the closest rival to Square in terms of credit card payment apps. It has a free subscription option and a very competitive paid plan, with a suite of POS tools to run startups or a growing small business. What makes Clover unique, though, is the ability to program its proprietary hardware to your preferred payment processor.
For this update, Clover earned a score of 3.69 out of 5, taking a spot in our list mainly for its features set and unique value proposition for merchants who want to keep their current payment processor. However, note that Clover does not offer free or discounted hardware. And once the hardware is set to a specific payment processor, it can no longer be reprogrammed. Transaction rates will also vary depending on the reseller you purchase your Clover hardware.
Clover Go Pricing
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.
Clover Go Features
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.
What Clover Go Is Missing
- 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.
Learn more Clover features in our Clover POS review.
Payanywhere: Best Credit Card Payments App for Restaurants, Bars & Food Trucks
Payanywhere
Pros
- Low fees on small transactions
- Free restaurant-specific tools
- Quick payout
Cons
- Complaints about hidden fees
- Charges an inactivity fee
- No longer offers free hardware
Payanywhere Pricing
- Monthly fee: $0
- Card-present fee: 2.69%
- Keyed-in fee: 3.49% + 19 cents
- Card readers: $59.95 (first is free)
- Inactivity fee: $3.99/mo after 12 months of inactivity
App Scores
- Google Play: 3.7 out of 5, about 4,400 reviews
- Apple App Store: 4.3 out of 5, about 1,100 reviews
Payanywhere is a mobile-first solution with free built-in payments processing and POS app designed for restaurants, bars, and food trucks that rivals Square in features. It also offers a range of card readers and smart terminals (also built for mobility), with competitive processing fee, especially for small-ticket items. Like Square, Payanywhere works offline and can manage different payment options like open tickets, tipping, split payments, and even signature capture.
Overall, Payanywhere has a robust and easy-to-use credit card payment app with a mobile POS system. It offers a free same-day payout, something other processors on our list don’t do. However, for this update, we gave Payanywhere 3.64 out of 5, lower from its previous evaluation mainly because it no longer offers its free 2-in-1 credit card reader, affecting its pricing score. It also takes hits in user reviews partly because of surprise fees.
Payanywhere Pricing
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.
Payanywhere Features
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.
What Payanywhere Is Missing
- 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.
Learn more about Payanywhere’s great features in our Payanywhere review.
SumUp: Best Credit Card App for Solopreneurs & Low-volume/Low-ticket Merchants
SumUp
Pros
- Easy-to-use mobile card reader
- Zero monthly fees
- Offline payment processing
Cons
- Apps have low user scores
- Separate paid subscription for POS
- Limited support
SumUp Pricing
- Monthly costs: $0
- Card-present fee: 2.75%
- Keyed-in fee: 3.25% + 15 cents
- Card readers: $35–$99
- 30-day money-back guarantee
App Scores
- Google Play: 2.9 out of 5, almost 55,000 reviews
- Apple App Store: 2.9 out of 5, about 600 reviews
SumUp is a reliable, straightforward credit card processor that takes swipe, chip, and contactless payments. It comes with a basic inventory management function that’s easy to set up, or you can simply process charges manually with notes. The price is competitive, especially for low-volume and low-ticket sales. If you need a simple payment processor with just the basics, then SumUp may be perfect for your business.
We gave SumUp 3.61 out of 5. Unlike most of the credit card apps on our list, SumUp is focused on individuals so it’s good for solopreneurs like hobbyists that sell on the side at farmers markets or convention sales or those who sell in small, low-volume kiosks. However, user scores are on the lower end of those on our list, which hurt its ranking, as did the fact that users have to purchase their first card reader.
SumUp Pricing
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.
SumUp Features
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.
What SumUp Is Missing
- 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.
To learn more about whether this app is right for you, read our full SumUp review.
How We Evaluated Credit Card Payment Apps
Testing each credit card payment app is at the core of providing the best recommendations for small businesses. We took that expertise and combined it with reviews from real-world businesses to find the easiest to use, then looked at other important factors for small businesses: price, versatility, and primary functions.
Square topped our list because of its ease of use and free POS. It’s also on our lists of best mobile POS apps and best payment processors in general. It’s a highly flexible program that works for the hobbyist or the full-time retailer with a store and ecommerce website.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
20% of Overall Score
The best credit card payment applications have low transaction fees with no monthly subscriptions, either for use or for a POS system. They also supply a free reader, even if only a dongle for your smartphone. PayPal had the highest score here, followed by Square.
25% of Overall Score
This criterion considered platform, transparency, flexibility, and simplicity of fees, as well as accepted payment types. Shopify and Clover earned the highest scores with 4.06 out of 5.
25% of Overall Score
We considered how fast you get paid, the chargeback policy and fees, integrations, and business functions related to payment and sales. Square and Payanywhere earned the highest marks with 4.63.
15% of Overall Score
We evaluated user reviews for the impressions of those who have worked with the system over time. Many providers, like Square, are easy to use but took a hit for limited customer service hours. Several took hits because they worked well in one operating system but not nearly as well in the other. Shopify and Clover Go had the best scores with 4.13 out of 5.
15% of Overall Score
This is a value score that considers features, pricing, popularity, and criteria like stability, options, and UX. Square took the lead with 5 out of 5, and Payanywhere had the lowest score with 3.75 out of 5.
Best Credit Card Payment App Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which app is best for credit card use?
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.
How can I accept credit card payments on mobile?
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.
Is there a free credit card payment app?
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.
Bottom Line
Whether you are a brick-and-mortar business with an online store or an artist who sells their creations at the local flea market, credit card apps can make taking payments easy while helping you keep track of your sales. Some, like SumUp, offer simple POS systems for the smartphone, while others are more complex, like Square, which has extra programs for employee management, reservations, and even payroll.
Square is our choice for the best credit card payment app because while it can handle a multitude of business functions beyond credit card processing, it is also simple enough for the hobbyist or solopreneur. The system is free, and you’re only charged for processing transactions, so sign up for Square today.
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