Zettle vs SumUp vs Square: Best Card Payment Software for UK Cafés

Quick Verdict: Square POS vs Zettle Go vs SumUp POS for UK Cafés

If you run a café or coffee shop in the UK, choosing the right card payment and point-of-sale software can make a real difference to your daily operations. Square POS, Zettle Go, and SumUp POS are the three most popular free-tier options for small hospitality businesses — but they suit different types of operators.

Square POS is our top pick for cafés that want the most feature-rich free plan. Zettle Go is ideal if you already bank with Barclays or want a dead-simple setup. SumUp POS works best for mobile or market-stall-style coffee sellers who prioritise portability above all else.

Square POS vs Zettle Go vs SumUp POS: Pricing Compared

All three products offer a free tier, which is genuinely useful for cafés just starting out or testing a new system. There are no monthly software fees to worry about on the base plans — you pay per transaction instead.

Square POS: Free software. Card processing fees are typically around 1.75% per in-person transaction in the UK. No monthly contract required.
Zettle Go: Free app. Card reader transaction fees start at around 1.75% for in-person payments, with no monthly fee on the standard plan.
SumUp POS: Free software tier. Transaction fees are similarly competitive, typically around 1.69% for card present payments, making it marginally the cheapest of the three.

For a busy café taking £500 a day in card payments, even a fraction of a percentage point matters. Verify current rates directly with each provider before committing, as fees do change. None of these providers charge a setup fee for the basic software.

Square POS vs Zettle Go vs SumUp POS: Features Compared

Square POS offers the most comprehensive free feature set. You get a full product library, table and order management, sales reporting, team permissions, and integration with Square's own ecosystem including loyalty and email marketing. For a café wanting to grow, this headroom is genuinely valuable.

Zettle Go keeps things refreshingly simple. The app is fast to set up, easy for staff to learn on a busy Saturday morning, and handles varied card payment types including contactless and Apple Pay. It integrates directly with Xero and PayPal, which is handy for café owners already using those tools for bookkeeping or Making Tax Digital compliance.

SumUp POS sits in the middle. The interface is clean and intuitive, and the system integrates seamlessly with SumUp's own card readers. It lacks some of the deeper reporting and team management features of Square, but for a sole trader running a small coffee kiosk, that's rarely a problem.

Best reporting: Square POS
Easiest setup: Zettle Go
Best for sole traders: SumUp POS
Xero integration: Zettle Go and Square POS
GDPR-friendly data handling: All three comply, but review each provider's data processing agreement if you collect customer data
UK bank integrations: Zettle Go has a notably smooth link with Barclays; Square and SumUp work with most major UK banks

Which Should You Choose? Square POS, Zettle Go, or SumUp POS?

Choose Square POS if you're running an established café with staff, a full menu, and ambitions to add online ordering or loyalty schemes. The free plan punches well above its weight, and the depth of features means you won't quickly outgrow it.

Choose Zettle Go if you want the simplest possible setup and already use PayPal or Xero for your accounts. It's particularly well-suited to café owners who are less tech-savvy or who need a system their team can pick up with minimal training.

Choose SumUp POS if you're a mobile coffee vendor, market trader, or running a small kiosk where portability and low transaction fees are the priority. Its straightforward freemium model keeps overheads lean without sacrificing ease of use.

Other Options to Consider

If your café is growing rapidly or you need more advanced stock and staff management, it's worth looking beyond these three. Lightspeed Retail (from £89/month) offers deep hospitality-focused features including integrated inventory and cloud-based reporting — powerful, but a significant step up in cost. Shopify POS (also from £89/month) is worth considering if you sell coffee beans or merchandise online as well as in-store, thanks to its unified in-store and online inventory management. Neither is necessary for most independent cafés starting out, but both are worth revisiting as you scale.