Written by Zara Chechi Reviewed by Ruairi Shirlow Updated on 11 November 2022 On this page Zettle fees & transactions explained How much does Zettle hardware cost? Does Zettle have a free plan? Does Zettle have any extra fees? How does Zettle pricing compare with other merchant services? Final thoughts - Is Zettle good value? FAQs Expand All providers have been reviewed and tested by our Research team. By requesting a quote, we can match you with a potential supplier, and we may earn a small commission for this referral During our research into the best card readers, we found that Zettle’s pricing starts from £29 for its card reader and 1.75% for each card transaction. The first reader purchased costs £29, and for businesses that are wanting to expand, additional readers will cost £59 each. Crucially, Zettle has no monthly fees, which should help your business’ balance sheet considering the rising inflation in the UK.Our team of researchers compared six different providers to find the best mobile card reader, and Zettle is one of our highest-scoring providers in several research areas. But how much does it cost, and is it worth it?We did a dive deep into Zettle’s pricing so you know exactly how much Zettle will cost your business. Read on to find out more about Zettle’s pricing and fees.If you’re short on time, you can also use our free comparison tool to compare the prices of merchant accounts. It’ll match you up with providers who’ll then contact you with custom quotes. Swipe right to see more 0 out of 0 backward forward Zettle Reader 2 Score 4.8 Best For Features Cost £29 for first reader£59 for any additional readers Monthly Fee £0 Transaction fee 1.75% for card payments2.5% for payment links and invoices Get free quotes from trusted providers Do you currently accept card payments? Yes No It only takes a minute Zettle fees & transactions explainedZettle’s pricing scores a 4.1/5 in our research offering one of the cheapest readers out of the payment processors we compared, which includes Square (£16) and Tyl (£13.99). Zettle’s transaction fees are 1.75% for card transactions and 2.5% for payment links and invoices.While transaction fees were previously calculated on a sliding scale, from 2.75% to 1%, Zettle now offers its users a flat fee.Zettle doesn’t charge a fee for any card transactions that are declined, which means you won’t lose any money if this happens.There are no monthly fees, so you’ll only need to pay upfront for a card reader and then a fee for each transaction.Another option is Square and while its card reader might be cheaper, its transaction fees are the same as Zettle’s – 1.75% for card transactions and 2.5% for payment links and Square Invoices. Tyl offers the lowest-cost hardware and transaction fees (1.5%). However, our research scores Tyl a 4.4/5 overall compared with Zettle’s 4.8/5.Even though Zettle is not the cheapest payment processor, we still think it’s worth it because it scores well in several research areas, such as features (4.9/5), compliance (4.8/5), and customer support 5/5). It’s worth paying a little more for a card reader if the provider is reliable – which Zettle definitely is. When we spoke to business owners who used Zettle, they vouched for its reliability and value for money. A Zettle user's take We spoke to Ahmed, who uses Zettle to take payments at a dry cleaner’s. He told us:“Before [Zettle], we tried Barclaycard, but this one is much better. Barclaycard had really expensive transaction fees, while these are a lot lower with Zettle. Also, we haven’t had any problems with it. It never froze up or anything.” Ahmed, attendant at Snow White Dry Cleaners - We observed this Zettle payment system in action at Snow White Dry Cleaners on Whitecross Street, London How much does Zettle hardware cost?The Zettle Reader 2 costs £29 for the first reader, and any subsequent readers you purchase will cost £59 each. This is a one-off cost so you will not have any monthly fees, which means you aren’t locked into a contract or subject to any hidden fees.Zettle’s fees are fairly low, offering a free EPOS system, which provides you with basic EPOS features, such as inventory tools, sales reporting, and employee management. If you want a comprehensive EPOS setup, Zettle’s Payment Terminal starts from £149, a touchscreen EPOS system, and payment terminal.If you run a large enterprise or are scaling, the Zettle Terminal might be a better fit so you can manage the EPOS system and take card payments at the same time. However, if you have a small and mobile businesses, the Zettle Reader 2 can cater to your needs. In fact, its mobility was praised by the businesses we spoke to. A Zettle user's Take We interviewed Hannah, a shop attendant who uses Zettle to take payments. She said:“If you have someone on the other side of the desk that’s chatting to you, you can quickly take a sale of someone who just wants to be in and out.” Hannah Bailey, attendant at Batch1 - We examined this Zettle Card Reader 2 as it took payments at Batch1 at Boxpark, London Does Zettle have a free plan?Zettle is free. Your only costs with this provider include the purchase of one or more card readers, and the 1.75% transaction fee.. There’s no need for a free plan or trial because there is no monthly fee or contract, plus, its EPOS app is also completely free. Does Zettle have any extra fees?No, Zettle doesn’t have any extra or hidden fees. Zettle charges per transaction – 1.75% for card transactions, and 2.5% for payment links or invoices. It doesn’t charge for any declined transactions.As there is no contract or monthly fee, you aren’t liable for any exit fees, renewal costs, or additional annual charges. How does Zettle pricing compare with other merchant services?Our in-depth research into the best mobile card machines found that Zettle’s transaction fees are the same as Square’s, however, it is more expensive than the other providers we looked at, such as SumUp, Stripe, Revolut, and Tyl.As we discuss in our merchant account comparison, Revolut offers the cheapest transaction fees from 1% + 20p for online transactions, and 0.8% + 2p for in-person transactions. Its hardware fees are more expensive than Zettle’s, costing £49.Revolut’s transaction fees are technically cheaper, but, depending on the size of the transaction, Zettle’s could take less of a cut if you have many small transactions.Tyl is one of the cheapest payment processors with a flat 1.5% transaction fee, and its hardware starts from just £6.99 per month. While Tyl’s monthly fee can certainly add up, you can purchase one of its card readers for a low, one-off fee of £13.99. This is a definite price drop when compared with the one-off fee of £29 for Zettle’s card reader.When compared with Zettle’s overall score of 4.8/5, Tyl doesn’t perform nearly as well in our research because its overall score is 4.4/5. Tyl scores much lower for features (3/5) whereas Zettle scores a high 4.9/5. While Tyl is more affordable, Zettle provides a better merchant account overall. Final thoughts – Is Zettle good value?Our in-depth research into the best card machines votes Zettle as the best for features. While Zettle isn’t the cheapest on the block, being beaten by Tyl, it offers solid features that include invoicing, 21 integrations, and comprehensive reporting.Our research compares six different merchant accounts, with Zettle taking first place alongside Revolut. Scoring well in several research areas, such as customer support (5/5), compliance (4.8/5), and customer score 4.5/10), Zettle’s slightly higher fees make it good value for money as it’s an overall reliable provider.If you want to compare the fees and charges of other merchant accounts, use our free quote tool. With a few brief details about your business, we will match you up with compatible payment processors. These trusted providers will then contact you with obligation-free quotes. FAQs What percentage does Zettle take? Zettle charges 1.75% for each card transaction and 2.5% for payment links and invoice transactions. What are the fees for using Zettle? The only fees for using Zettle are the transaction fees, which are 1.75% for card payments, and 2.5% for payments links and invoices. You’ll also need to purchase the card reader upfront, which costs £26 for the first reader, and £59 for any additional readers. There are no monthly fees. What's better, SumUp or Zettle? Our research says Zettle is better than SumUp, specifically because Zettle’s hardware is a little cheaper and Zettle has better features. SumUp has fewer integrations (11+) compared with Zettle (21). Funds only transfer to your bank account within three to five working days with SumUp, while it only takes one to two working days with Zettle. Does Zettle charge VAT on fees? No, Zettle does not charge VAT on transaction fees. Our site is reader-supported. Some featured providers are our partners, so we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through our site. This is at no extra cost to our readers, and this doesn’t affect the independence of our reviews. Whether or not we have a partnership with a company does not affect our rating and review of the service. Written by: Zara Chechi Business Services Expert Zara is a Payments Expert, specialising in writing about Point of Sale systems. With a Law Degree from City University of London, she has used her legally-honed research and analytical skills to develop expertise in the Business Services world. Featured in FinTech Magazine, she quickly became an expert in payroll, POS systems, and merchant accounts. Reviewed by: Ruairi Shirlow Business Services Researcher Ruairi uses his 3+ years of research experience to uncover insights which can help Expert Market provide the best business solutions for their users. He has done this by meeting with business owners to find out what is important to them and what challenges they face on a daily basis. Ruairi specialises in tools that can be used to grow your business and has done research for a wide range of categories on Expert Market, such as EPOS, Website Builders, and Merchant Accounts.