Short answer
The reader is a one-time cost. The processing rate is charged on every sale. So the best card reader for a small business is usually the one attached to a rate you can live with. Based on published prices (fees checked Oct 2026, hardware rechecked Nov 2026):
- Cheapest way to start: PayPal's Card Reader at $29 for your first one as a new business user, or the $59 Square Reader and $59 Stripe Reader M2.
- Lowest running cost from about $10K a month: Helcim. Its reader costs more at $199, but our engine puts it at $1,020 a month at $50K of in-person sales, against $1,450 for Square.
- Lowest flat in-person rate: PayPal Point of Sale at 2.29% + 9¢.
- Countertop POS for a restaurant or shop: Clover, if you accept that its hardware subscriptions run 36 months and cannot be canceled.
- A custom app or checkout built by developers: Stripe Terminal at 2.7% + 5¢.
SumUp is a simple pick for very low volume: 2.6% + 10¢ in person and $0 a month on its Standard plan.
How we compared
We did not test any hardware or open accounts. We read each provider's own pricing and hardware pages. Square, Helcim, Clover, Stripe and PayPal processing fees come from our Oct 29, 2026 data set, the same one behind our main processor ranking. Hardware prices for Square, Helcim, Stripe, PayPal and SumUp were checked again in Nov 2026 on the official pages listed in the sources. Clover's site did not load for our checker in Nov, so Clover hardware prices are from Oct 2026.
Monthly costs come from our ranking engine. It assumes a $50 average sale and a card mix of 60% credit and 40% debit. For interchange-plus providers such as Helcim it adds an estimate of the card networks' own cost, and says so. Your numbers will move with your average ticket and the cards your customers carry.
Readers and rates side by side
| Provider | Entry reader | All-in-one or countertop | In-person rate | Fee on a $50 tap | Monthly fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square | Reader for contactless and chip, $59 | Terminal $299; Handheld $399; Register $899 | 2.6% + 15¢ (Free plan) | $1.45 | $0 Free; $49 Plus; $149 Premium, per location |
| Helcim | Card Reader, $199 | Smart Terminal $349, or $32 a month for a year | Interchange + 0.40% + 8¢ under $50K a month | Depends on the card | $0 |
| Clover | Clover Go, $199 | Compact $349 or $16 a month for 36 months; Station Solo bundles from $1,799 | 2.6% + 10¢ (Starter) | $1.40 | $0 Starter; $29.95 Essentials |
| Stripe | Reader M2, $59 | S700 or S710 $299; T600 $329 | 2.7% + 5¢ | $1.40 | $0 |
| PayPal POS | Card Reader, $29 for your first, then $79 | Terminal $199; $239 with barcode scanner | 2.29% + 9¢ | $1.24 | $0 |
| SumUp | Plus, $37 on sale ($54 list) | Solo $99 (sold out when checked); Terminal $174 on sale ($249 list) | 2.6% + 10¢ | $1.40 | $0 Standard; $49 POS Plus |
"Fee on a $50 tap" is the published percentage times $50, plus the fixed fee, rounded to the cent. Helcim has no single number here because its price is the card network's cost plus its margin, and that cost differs by card.
What a reader costs to run each month
These are in-person monthly costs from our engine (prices checked Oct 2026), using the cheapest plan for each volume.
| Provider | $10K a month | $50K a month | $250K a month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helcim | $211 (2.11%) | $1,020 (2.04%) | $4,850 (1.94%) |
| PayPal | $247 (2.47%) | $1,235 (2.47%) | $6,175 (2.47%) |
| Stax | $270 (2.70%) | $1,055 (2.11%) | $4,475 (1.79%) |
| Clover | $280 (2.80%, Starter) | $1,335 (2.67%, Retail Growth) | $6,325 (2.53%, Retail Growth) |
| Stripe | $280 (2.80%) | $1,400 (2.80%) | $7,000 (2.80%) |
| Square | $290 (2.90%, Free) | $1,450 (2.90%, Plus) | $6,900 (2.76%, Premium) |
The reader price is small next to these numbers. A $199 Helcim reader against a $59 Square reader is a $140 difference, paid once. At $10K a month the engine has Helcim at $211 and Square at $290, so the $79 monthly gap covers the reader in about two months.
Stax is included because it sells a SwipeSimple reader for $125 and becomes one of the cheapest options at higher volume. Its $99 to $199+ monthly subscription is why it costs more than Helcim at $10K. SumUp is not in our engine yet. At its flat 2.6% + 10¢ on a $50 sale it works out to 2.80%, the same as Stripe Terminal.
Square
Square is the easiest place to start. Its hardware page lists the Reader for contactless and chip at $59, Square Stand at $149, Square Terminal at $299, Square Handheld at $399 and Square Register at $899 (checked Nov 2026). Terminal, Handheld, Stand and Register can also be paid monthly. The free point-of-sale app and next-business-day deposits at no cost make it a real option for a business that wants to sell this week.
In person you pay 2.6% + 15¢ on the Free plan, 2.5% + 15¢ on Plus ($49 a month) and 2.4% + 15¢ on Premium ($149 a month), each per location. Instant or same-day transfers cost 1.95%.
What to watch: the 15¢ fixed fee is the highest of the readers here, which is why Square Free costs $1.45 on a $50 sale while Stripe, Clover and SumUp cost $1.40. Keyed-in cards cost 3.5% + 15¢. See how it stacks up in Square vs Helcim.
Helcim
Helcim sells a Card Reader for $199 and a Smart Terminal for $349, or $32 a month for a year, plus shipping. Optional 4G data for the terminal is $7 a month. Tap to Pay on iPhone adds 10¢ per transaction.
The rate is what makes it the low-cost choice. In person you pay interchange plus 0.40% + 8¢ under $50K a month, and the margin steps down on its own: 0.35% + 7¢, then 0.25% + 7¢, 0.20% + 6¢ and 0.15% + 6¢ as volume grows. There is no monthly, setup, PCI or cancellation fee, no contract, and deposits arrive the next business morning for free.
What to watch: the reader costs more up front than Square's or Stripe's. Interchange-plus means your rate moves with your card mix, so a month of premium rewards cards costs more than a month of debit. There is no instant payout option.
Clover
Clover is a full point-of-sale system first and a card reader second. Clover Go, its reader that works with a phone or tablet, costs $199. The Compact is $349 or $16 a month for 36 months, and Station Solo bundles start at $1,799 (prices checked Oct 2026).
In person you pay 2.6% + 10¢ on Starter with no software fee, 2.5% + 10¢ on Essentials ($29.95 a month) and 2.3% + 10¢ on the Growth bundles ($84.95 a month and up for Retail Growth). Standard deposits take 1 to 3 days. Rapid Deposit costs 1.75%.
What to watch: hardware subscriptions run 36 months and cannot be canceled. Keyed or online cards cost 3.5% + 10¢ on every bundle. Clover is also sold through banks, whose rates and terms can differ from Clover.com, so get the quote in writing. See Square vs Clover for a head-to-head.
Stripe Terminal
Stripe's Terminal page lists the Reader M2 at $59 and the S700 and S710 at $299 each (checked Nov 2026). Our Oct data also lists the T600 at $329. Two more readers, the Verifone UX700 and BBPOS WisePOS E, appear on the page without a price.
The in-person rate is 2.7% + 5¢, with no setup or monthly fee. Tap to Pay adds 10¢ per authorization and international cards add 1.5%. Payouts take 2 business days. Instant Payouts cost 1.5%.
What to watch: Stripe Terminal is built for businesses with developers who connect the reader to their own app or checkout. If you want a reader you can take out of the box and sell with today, Square, PayPal or SumUp are simpler. Stripe's rate also never drops with volume without a custom deal.
PayPal Point of Sale (formerly Zettle)
PayPal says PayPal Zettle is now called PayPal Point of Sale and works the same way. Its US pricing page lists the Card Reader at $29 for your first one, a one-reader offer for new business users, with additional readers at $79. The all-in-one Terminal is $199, or $239 with a built-in barcode scanner (checked Nov 2026).
Card-present and QR code sales cost 2.29% + 9¢, the lowest flat in-person rate in this guide. There are no monthly fees, startup fees or long-term commitments. Money lands in your PayPal balance, and standard withdrawals to your bank are free. Instant transfers cost 1.5%.
What to watch: manual card entry costs 3.49% + 9¢, and chargebacks cost $20. PayPal also states that its POS system only works with PayPal's payment setup, so the hardware will not move with you if you change processors. Read PayPal vs Square for the trade-offs.
SumUp
SumUp's US reader page listed the Plus reader at $37 on sale ($54 list), the Solo at $99 but sold out, and the Terminal at $174 on sale ($249 list) when we checked in Nov 2026. Tap to Pay on your phone is $0. The Plus needs a phone or tablet. The Solo works on its own.
In person you pay 2.6% + 10¢. Online and manually entered cards cost 3.5% + 15¢. The Standard plan is $0 a month, and SumUp says next-day payouts come with all of its products.
What to watch: those reader prices were sale prices and can change. The 3.5% + 15¢ rate for keyed and online payments is high if you also invoice or sell online. SumUp is not yet in our cost engine, so we cannot show its monthly cost at volume beside the others.
Mobile reader, Tap to Pay or countertop terminal
A mobile credit card reader is a small device that pairs with your phone or tablet and the provider's app. PayPal's Card Reader syncs with its POS app on a mobile device. SumUp's Plus needs a phone or tablet. Square's $59 reader, Stripe's M2 and Clover Go sit in the same group. These suit markets, home services, deliveries and anyone who sells away from a counter.
Tap to Pay skips the reader entirely. Your phone takes contactless cards and wallets. PayPal says its version needs no extra hardware, SumUp lists it at $0, and Stripe and Helcim add 10¢ per transaction. It is a good start, but it cannot read a chip card that is not contactless.
All-in-one and countertop terminals, such as Square Terminal ($299), PayPal Terminal ($199), Helcim Smart Terminal ($349) and Clover's Compact and Station range, print or show receipts and run the POS app on the device. They fit a fixed checkout. For more on selling on the move, see our guide to mobile and on-the-go processors.
What to check before you buy
- Keyed and online rates. If you ever take a card number over the phone, it costs more: 3.5% + 15¢ at Square, 3.5% + 10¢ at Clover, 3.49% + 9¢ at PayPal POS, 3.5% + 15¢ at SumUp, and 2.9% + 30¢ plus 0.5% at Stripe.
- Hardware that only works with one processor. PayPal says so directly. Clover's 36-month subscriptions cannot be canceled. Our note on hardware lock-in covers what that means when you switch.
- Payout speed. Square and Helcim pay out the next business day for free. Stripe takes 2 business days. Clover takes 1 to 3.
- Plan fees per location. Square's $49 and $149 plans are charged per location, so a second shop doubles them.
- Contactless costs. Tap to Pay add-ons of 10¢ add up on small tickets. Our guide to contactless and wallet fees has more.
If you also want inventory, staff and menu tools, our POS systems comparison looks at the software side.