SumUp vs Stripe: Full Comparison

SumUp and Stripe are both popular payment processing providers for UK small businesses. Both are zero-contract providers with no monthly fees who offer mobile card machines and solutions for taking online payments. With so many similarities, it can be hard to tell which is better.

Based on our research and testing, Stripe has a slight edge over SumUp, simply because it offers much better customer support. It also offers slightly cheaper card processing fees for UK cards, especially when it comes to online transactions and invoices, making it a better value option for businesses that mainly deal with remote payments.

That said, SumUp is a great option for hospitality or retail businesses, because it offers a native EPOS system and ecommerce website builder, plus 4G card machines for on-the-go selling.

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Score 4.3	Score 4.4
Monthly Fee £0 or optional £19/month for lower transaction fees	Monthly Fee None
Hardware Cost From £34 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £49 + VAT
Transaction fee 1.69% in-person OR 0.99% if paying monthly fee 2.5% online, invoices, links 2.95% + £0.25 virtual terminal Zero fees for QR codes	Transaction fee 1.5% + £0.20 online (UK card) 1.4% + £0.10 in-person (UK card) 1.5% + £0.20 for payment links (UK card)
Online payment gateway £0/month (excl. processing fees)	Online payment gateway £0/month (excl. processing fees)
Virtual terminal price £0/month (excl. processing fees)	Virtual terminal price Feature not available
Native EPOS system?	Native EPOS system?
Fund transfer time Next working day	Fund transfer time Up to 3 working days
Contract length Zero contract	Contract length Zero contract
Cost of staying compliant None	Cost of staying compliant None
Invoicing tool	Invoicing tool
Invoicing fee £0-£19/month	Invoicing fee 0.4% to 0.5% per invoice (no monthly fee)

Pricing: SumUp Wins

SumUp charges higher transaction fees than Stripe overall, but it provides better value for money, since it offers cheaper card machines, and doesn’t upcharge for non-UK cards, unlike Stripe.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison:

Cost of	SumUp	Stripe
Card machines	£34-£139	£49-£279
In-person transactions	1.69% as standard for all cards (including non-UK and commercial) 0.99% if you pay £19/month for SumUp One	1.4% + £0.10 for UK and EEA cards 2.9% + £0.10 all other international cards
Online transactions	2.5% (including non-UK and commercial) 0.99% if you pay £19/month for SumUp One	1.5% + £0.20 UK cards 1.9% + £0.20 premium cards 2.5% + £0.20 EEA cards 3.25% + £0.20 all other international cards
Invoices	2.5% (including non-UK and commercial) 0.99% if you pay £19/month for SumUp One	0.4%-0.5% per invoice
Payment links	2.5% (including non-UK and commercial) 0.99% if you pay £19/month for SumUp One	1.5% + £0.20 UK cards 1.9% + £0.20 premium cards
Over the phone (keyed-in)	2.95% + 25p	Feature not available
Refunds	Free, transaction fee not refunded if the amount has already been paid out	Free, transaction fee not refunded
Chargebacks	£10	£20

SumUp’s cheapest physical card readers cost £34, compared to Stripe’s £49. Additionally, SumUp’s mid-tier card reader costs a modest £79 + VAT compared to Stripe’s hefty £179 + VAT. There’s a minimal difference in functionality between each provider’s cheapest card reader, making SumUp better value.

When it comes to transaction fees, Stripe offers cheaper fees overall. However, Stripe’s fees increase for premium cards (such as commercial cards and Amex), and international cards, while SumUp’s don’t. This makes SumUp cheaper for businesses that sell abroad, or to foreign visitors.

For a more detailed review, see our SumUp pricing guide.

Card Machines and Hardware: SumUp Wins

SumUp has a slight edge over Stripe since it offers card machines with 4G connectivity, while Stripe’s card machines require a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection. SumUp also offers EPOS hardware and accessories, none of which are available with Stripe.

Card machines

SumUp and Stripe both offer three card machines. However, they’re quite different when it comes to prices and specs.

SumUp card machines:

SumUp Air (£34): A compact, portable card reader with a flat pin pad that connects to the SumUp app via Bluetooth.
SumUp Solo (£79): A compact standalone mobile card reader with a touchscreen that has a built-in 4G SIM card and connects to Wi-Fi.
SumUp Solo + Printer (£139): The SumUp Solo with the addition of a built-in receipt printer

Stripe card machines:

BBPOS WisePad 3 (£49): A compact portable card reader with a button pin pad that connects to the Stripe app via Bluetooth.
BBPOS WisePOS E (£179): A large touchscreen card machine with a built-in receipt printer that connects to third-party EPOS systems via ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth for accessories.
Stripe Reader S700 (£279): A slim, Android-based card reader with a touchscreen that can perform basic EPOS functions and connects to ethernet, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth for accessories.

Stripe’s card readers are more expensive overall than SumUp’s despite none of them offering 4G connectivity. This makes SumUp a better option for businesses that need to take payments on the go.

Stripe does offer card machines that can double as handheld EPOS devices, something SumUp doesn’t offer. However, Stripe doesn’t offer any native EPOS software and hardware solutions, while SumUp does.

The SumUp Air is compact and lightweight, but it still has room for a small PIN pad. Source: Expert Market

I tested the SumUp Air: Here are my thoughts

Since the SumUp air is a simple card reader with a PIN pad, everything had to be done on the app.

I found the app overall easy to use since it was quite barebones and there weren’t too many tabs. I think it looks a little dreary because everything is in cold black-and-white tones, but that’s a personal preference and won’t bother everyone.

I liked that the total appeared on the card reader’s small screen, so the customer knows they’re being charged the right amount. However, since this card reader has a flat PIN pad, you get zero response from the buttons, so, as a customer, you’re never really sure if you’ve actually clicked on them.

Tatiana Lebreton Staff Writer

Other hardware options

Stripe doesn’t offer any hardware options besides its card machines, while SumUp offers EPOS hardware kits. SumUp’s EPOS hardware includes a countertop terminal, cash drawers, receipt printers, and even a self-service kiosk.

You can find out more about SumUp’s hardware offering in our SumUp review.

Software Features: SumUp Wins

SumUp has a slight edge over Stripe simply because it offers more tools for taking remote payments, has native EPOS software, and comes with better reporting tools.

Remote payments

SumUp and Stripe offer similar solutions for taking payments remotely. However, SumUp has a slight edge since it offers a virtual terminal, while Stripe doesn’t.

Virtual terminals are used for keyed-in-transactions, where the businesses enter the buyer’s card details for them. They’re most commonly used for over-the-phone payments.

SumUp also offers an ecommerce website builder, on top of an online payment gateway that can integrate into a preexisting website. Stripe, on the other hand, only offers the latter.

Other than that, both providers offer:

An invoicing tool
An online payment gateway
Payment links generation

EPOS integration

SumUp offers a native EPOS system, while Stripe doesn’t.

That said, Stripe card machines can integrate with a variety of third-party EPOS systems, including popular ones, such as Lightspeed and Shopify. Businesses can also integrate via API.

SumUp’s card machines can also work with third-party EPOS systems, but businesses will find it easier to use SumUp’s native system.

Payout times

SumUp has a faster payout time than Stripe. Businesses receive funds the next working day with SumUp, while with Stripe it can take up to three working days.

This makes SumUp a better option for businesses that rely on quick money turnover.

Reporting

Once again, SumUp has an edge over Stripe since it offers a wider array of reporting tools.

Both providers allow users to view transaction history, filter reports by card type and date, and view most-sold items. However, SumUp also allows businesses to access data on employee performance, and discounts success.

For a more in-depth look at Stripe’s features, see our full Stripe review.

Security and Compliance: Stripe Wins

Both SumUp and Stripe are fully PCI DSS-compliant, and both platforms encrypt sensitive data to guard against cyberattacks, but Stripe has better fraud prevention measures.

Stripe offers a fraud-prevention software called “Radar” that’s built directly into the payment flow and combines a customisable rules engine with powerful machine learning algorithms. It can detect irregular patterns across payments, and flag them to businesses.

SumUp, on the other hand, offers more basic protections, including encryption, and not storing sensitive data on mobile devices.

Customer Support: Stripe Wins

Customer support is the only area where Stripe comes out as the winner. The platform offers 24/7 customer support, complete with live chat, email, and phone availability.

In comparison, SumUp only offers customer support during working hours on weekdays.

Given that most retail and hospitality businesses experience their busiest times on weekends and in the evenings, the fact that SumUp doesn’t offer live support outside of the regular nine-to-five is a major downside.

Alternatives to SumUp and Stripe

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Square	Tyl by NatWest	Stripe	SumUp	Zettle by PayPal	Tide Card Reader
Score 4.6	Score 4.5	Score 4.4	Score 4.3	Score 4.2	Score 4.2
Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app AND mobile card reader	Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app	Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app AND mobile card reader	Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app AND mobile card reader	Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app AND mobile card reader	Type of mobile payment solution Tap to Pay app
Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None	Monthly Fee None
Hardware Cost From £19 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £9.99/month	Hardware Cost From £49 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £34 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £29 + VAT	Hardware Cost From £59 + VAT
Transaction fee Online: 1.4% + £0.25 to 2.5% + £0.25 In-person: 1.75%	Transaction fee 1.39% +£0.05 -1.99% +£0.05 or custom rates	Transaction fee 1.5% + £0.20 online (UK card) 1.4% + £0.10 in-person (UK card) 1.5% + £0.20 for payment links (UK card)	Transaction fee Online: 2.5% or 0.99% with £19/month subscription In-person: 1.69% or 0.99% with £19/month subscription	Transaction fee 1.75% in-person 2.5% payment links and invoicing	Transaction fee 0.79% + £0.03 for the first 3 months, then 1.5% for in person transactions
Fund transfer time By the next working day	Fund transfer time Up to 3 working days	Fund transfer time Up to 3 working days	Fund transfer time Next working days	Fund transfer time 1-2 working days	Fund transfer time 1-3 business days
Contract length Zero contract	Contract length Zero contract and 12-month options	Contract length Zero contract	Contract length Zero contract	Contract length Zero contract	Contract length Zero contract
Visit Square	Compare Quotes	Compare Quotes	Compare Quotes	Compare Quotes	See Pricing

Square is another one of the most popular card reading solutions on the market today, and based on our research, it beats both SumUp and Stripe with an overall score of 4.8/5. Square’s card reader costs a modest £19 + VAT, and it features a native EPOS system and more integrations than its two rivals.

Zettle is another top scorer, also earning a 4.8/5. Convenience is Zettle’s strong suit, with guaranteed two-day payouts – the fastest we’ve found so far in a mobile card reader and POS system. Card readers start at £29 + VAT.

How We Compared Stripe and SumUp

To bring you our reviews, we tested and researched 18 payment services providers, assessing them across five main areas of investigation, and 23 subcategories. These included ease of use, the quality and feel of hardware, and the price of products and services.

Here’s what we looked at:

Hardware: We looked at the size, weight, and portability of the card machines they offer, and assessed their connectivity, interface, receipt printing, and battery life.
Software: We tallied up how many payment types and methods each provider accepts, looked at payout times, reporting and security features, EPOS functionality, and what systems it integrates with.
Pricing: We compared monthly fees, card machine costs, transaction fees and contract lengths against the features of each payment services provider, to determine the value for money of each.
Ease of use: We had several different average users test each card machine and payment processing system to see how intuitive each one was to use, and how quickly everyday tasks could be completed.
Help and support: We assessed providers based on how many different channels of support they offered, and how available and responsive the support team was.

We then gave each provider an overall score based on how well they fared in the above assessment categories.

Winner: Stripe

While SumUp beats Stripe in most categories, Stripe wins since SumUp is dragged down by its poor customer support.

Additionally, SumUp only has a slight edge over Stripe in the categories it wins in. SumUp’s edge comes mostly from its cost-effective hardware, and its range of payment tools, which on top of card machines include a virtual terminal, native EPOS system, and ecommerce website builder. This makes it a great choice for businesses looking for an all-in-one solution.

That said, Stripe offers lower transaction fees, especially when it comes to online and invoicing fees. This makes it a better option for businesses that sell remotely at a high volume, such as ecommerce stores, or invoice-based businesses such as clinics or tradespeople.

SumUp vs Stripe: Which Is Best for Your Business?