SumUp vs Square

Why Switch from Square to SumUp?

Square is a dominant force in US point-of-sale payments, but its European presence has always been an afterthought. Square entered the UK in 2017 and expanded to a handful of European markets, but its coverage remains limited compared to its comprehensive US offering. European merchants using Square often encounter missing local payment methods, US-centric support hours, and data processing that routes through American infrastructure.

SumUp, headquartered in Berlin with offices across Europe, was built specifically for the European market. Founded in 2012, SumUp has grown to serve over 4 million merchants across 36 countries, making it one of the largest mobile payment platforms in Europe. SumUp understands European payment preferences — from contactless-first cultures in the UK and Netherlands to the popularity of Maestro cards in Germany and local debit networks across the continent.

For European small businesses, market stall operators, freelancers, and service professionals, SumUp offers a straightforward proposition: affordable card readers, transparent pricing with no monthly fees, and GDPR-compliant payment processing that keeps your data in Europe.

Feature Comparison

Feature	SumUp	Square
European market coverage	✅ 36 countries	⚠️ Limited (UK, France, Spain, Ireland)
Card readers	✅ Air (€39), Solo (€79), Solo+Printer	✅ Reader, Terminal
Contactless/NFC	✅ All readers	✅ All readers
Tap to Pay on phone	✅ Yes (Android & iOS)	✅ Yes (limited markets)
Online payments	✅ Payment links, invoices	✅ Square Online, invoices
POS system	✅ SumUp POS, POS Lite	✅ Square POS (more advanced)
Invoicing	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Monthly fees	❌ None	❌ None (basic)
E-commerce platform	⚠️ Basic online store	✅ Square Online
Data location	EU 🇪🇺	United States 🇺🇸
GDPR compliant	✅ EU entity	⚠️ US entity

Pricing

SumUp’s pricing is designed for simplicity — a single flat rate with no hidden fees:

• SumUp Air Reader: €39 one-time purchase, 1.69% per card transaction
• SumUp Solo Reader: €79 one-time purchase (built-in SIM and Wi-Fi), 1.69% per transaction
• SumUp Solo + Printer: €139 one-time purchase, 1.69% per transaction
• SumUp Tap to Pay: Free (use your phone as a terminal), 1.69% per transaction
• SumUp Payment Links: 2.5% per transaction (online/remote payments)
• SumUp Invoices: 2.5% per transaction for card payments
• Square Reader: £16 + VAT in UK, 1.75% per transaction
• Square Terminal: £149 + VAT, 1.75% per transaction
• Square Online: Free basic plan, from £25/month for advanced features

SumUp’s 1.69% flat rate is competitive across European markets. There are no monthly fees, no minimum transaction volumes, no lock-in contracts, and no penalty for low usage — making it ideal for businesses with seasonal or variable transaction volumes.

Privacy & Data Sovereignty

SumUp’s European foundation ensures robust data protection for merchants and their customers:

• Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with a registered entity in the UK (SumUp Limited)
• Payment data processed and stored within EU infrastructure
• Subject to GDPR, PSD2, and European financial regulations
• Not subject to the US CLOUD Act or FISA Section 702
• Licensed as an Electronic Money Institution by the Central Bank of Ireland and the UK Financial Conduct Authority
• PCI DSS Level 1 certified for payment card data security
• Data Processing Agreements available for all merchants
• No selling of merchant or customer data to third-party advertisers

For European merchants handling customer payment data, using SumUp means operating within a fully European legal and regulatory framework — no ambiguity about data jurisdiction, no complex cross-border data transfer mechanisms needed.

Migration Guide

Switching from Square to SumUp is straightforward for most small business setups:

1. Create your SumUp account at sumup.com. The registration process takes about 10 minutes and requires your business details, tax identification number, and bank account for payouts. Account verification typically completes within 1-2 business days. (10 minutes)
2. Order your card reader — the SumUp Air (€39) is ideal for mobile and market use, while the Solo (€79) is better for fixed locations with its built-in screen and connectivity. Shipping usually takes 3-5 business days across Europe. (5 minutes to order)
3. Download the SumUp app on iOS or Android and pair your card reader via Bluetooth. Set up your product catalog with items, prices, and categories. If you are migrating from Square, you can recreate your product catalog manually or use CSV import for larger inventories. (30-60 minutes depending on catalog size)
4. Configure your payment methods — SumUp automatically enables the payment methods relevant to your country, including Visa, Mastercard, contactless, and local debit cards. Enable payment links and invoicing if you need remote payment capabilities. (10 minutes)
5. Run SumUp and Square in parallel for 1-2 weeks. Process transactions through SumUp to verify that payouts arrive correctly in your bank account (SumUp typically pays out within 1-3 business days) and that the workflow matches your needs. (1-2 weeks observation period)
6. Deactivate your Square account once you are confident in SumUp. Download your Square transaction history for your records before closing the account. Update any online payment links or invoicing templates to use SumUp instead. (15 minutes)

Estimated total time: 1-2 hours for setup, 1-2 weeks for parallel running. Difficulty level: Easy — no technical expertise required.

Real-World Use Cases

• A Berlin street food vendor switched from Square to SumUp after Square’s limited German market support caused repeated issues with payment processing. The SumUp Air reader’s compact size and Bluetooth connectivity fit perfectly in a small food truck, and the 1.69% flat rate was predictable for budgeting. The vendor processes about 200 transactions per market day with no connectivity issues thanks to the SumUp app’s offline queuing feature.

• A Portuguese artisan market collective equipped 35 vendors with SumUp Air readers for a weekend craft market in Lisbon. At €39 per reader with no monthly commitment, the cost was minimal compared to Square’s limited availability in Portugal. Vendors appreciated the instant setup — download the app, pair the reader, and start accepting cards within minutes. The collective processed over €12,000 in sales during one weekend event, with payouts arriving in vendor bank accounts within two business days.

• A French mobile hairdresser operating across rural Normandy replaced Square with SumUp for her home-visit business. SumUp’s Tap to Pay feature allowed her to accept contactless payments directly on her phone without carrying a separate card reader. The invoicing feature handles appointment deposits and gift vouchers, and the GDPR-compliant data handling gives her clients confidence that their payment information is protected under French and EU law.

Company Background

SumUp was founded in 2012 by Daniel Klein, Marc-Alexander Christ, and Jan Deepen in Berlin, Germany. The company was created to solve a simple problem: millions of small European businesses had no affordable way to accept card payments. At the time, traditional card terminal contracts required monthly fees, long-term commitments, and complicated fee structures that made them impractical for small merchants, market traders, and mobile service providers.

SumUp’s first product was a compact card reader that plugged into a smartphone’s audio jack (later replaced by Bluetooth models), enabling anyone to accept card payments with just a phone and a small device. The concept was similar to Square in the US, but SumUp was designed specifically for the European market with its diverse payment landscapes, regulatory requirements, and consumer preferences.

The company grew rapidly across Europe and beyond. By 2024, SumUp served over 4 million merchants in 36 countries, employed over 3,000 people, and had processed billions of euros in transactions. SumUp has raised over $1.5 billion in funding, with investors including Bain Capital, Goldman Sachs, and Sixth Street. Despite this growth, SumUp has maintained its focus on simplicity and affordability for small businesses rather than pivoting to complex enterprise solutions.

SumUp’s product range has expanded significantly beyond card readers. The company now offers a full POS system (SumUp POS), online payment links, invoicing, a business account with a prepaid Mastercard for merchants (SumUp Card), and the SumUp One subscription plan for high-volume merchants. In 2022, SumUp acquired Fivestars, a US loyalty platform, and Goodtill, a UK-based POS provider, further expanding its capabilities. The company maintains its European headquarters in Berlin with additional offices in London, Sofia, Cologne, and other European cities.

Security & Compliance

SumUp maintains the rigorous security and compliance standards required for European financial services:

• PCI DSS Level 1 certified — the highest level of payment card industry compliance, covering all card data handling, storage, and transmission
• Licensed Electronic Money Institution authorized by the Central Bank of Ireland and the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
• PSD2 compliant with Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) implemented across all payment methods, including 3D Secure 2.0 for online transactions
• GDPR compliant as a European entity, with formal Data Processing Agreements and a dedicated Data Protection Officer
• End-to-end encryption for all card data from the moment of tap or chip insertion through to processing, with tokenization preventing raw card numbers from being stored
• Secure reader hardware — SumUp card readers use tamper-proof hardware with encrypted communication channels; if physical tampering is detected, the reader permanently disables itself
• Regular independent security audits performed by qualified security assessors, with results reported to payment card networks and financial regulators
• Fraud monitoring using machine learning to detect unusual transaction patterns and protect merchants from fraudulent activity

Integration Ecosystem

SumUp offers a focused integration ecosystem designed for small and medium business workflows:

• SumUp App (iOS and Android) — the primary interface for card reader management, product catalogs, transaction history, and analytics
• SumUp POS — a full point-of-sale system with tablet-based checkout, product management, employee accounts, and reporting
• Payment Links API — generate shareable payment links for online and remote transactions, embeddable on websites and sendable via email or messaging apps
• Invoicing — create and send professional invoices with integrated card payment capability, with automatic payment reminders and tracking
• SumUp API and SDKs — RESTful API for custom integrations, with SDKs available for iOS and Android for building SumUp payments into your own mobile app
• E-commerce plugins — integration with WooCommerce, Shopify, and other platforms for accepting SumUp payments in online stores
• Accounting software integrations — connect with Debitoor, SevDesk, Lexoffice, and other European accounting tools for automatic transaction reconciliation
• SumUp Card — a prepaid Mastercard for merchants that receives instant payouts from SumUp transactions, functioning as a lightweight business banking solution

Who Should Switch?

SumUp is ideal for:

• European small businesses that need affordable, no-commitment card payment acceptance
• Market traders and pop-up shops who want portable card readers with Bluetooth connectivity
• Freelancers and mobile service providers who need to accept payments on the go
• Restaurants and cafes looking for a simple POS system without expensive terminal contracts
• European merchants who want GDPR-compliant payment processing with EU data residency
• Businesses in countries where Square is not available — SumUp covers 36 countries vs Square’s limited European footprint

The Bottom Line

SumUp is the most practical card payment solution for European small businesses. Its combination of affordable hardware, flat-rate pricing with no monthly fees, and coverage across 36 countries makes it the go-to choice for merchants who want to accept cards without complex contracts or expensive terminal leases.

Square offers a more feature-rich ecosystem with its integrated online store, advanced analytics, and extensive app marketplace — but its limited European presence makes it impractical for most continental merchants. For businesses that operate primarily in Europe and need straightforward, reliable card acceptance, SumUp is the smarter European choice with pricing, support, and compliance built for this market.

Frequently Asked Questions

How quickly can I start accepting payments with SumUp?

Very quickly. You can create a SumUp account online in under 10 minutes, and the basic Air card reader ships within a few business days. Once your reader arrives, pair it with the SumUp app via Bluetooth and you are ready to accept chip, contactless, and mobile wallet payments. For immediate online payments, you can generate payment links and invoices directly from the app without any hardware.

Does SumUp support contactless and mobile wallet payments?

Yes. All SumUp card readers accept contactless payments via NFC, including Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. The SumUp Air and Solo readers support all major contactless standards. The Tap to Pay feature also allows merchants to accept contactless payments directly on their smartphone without any additional hardware.

Can SumUp handle recurring payments and subscriptions?

SumUp offers basic recurring payment functionality through its payment links and invoicing features. For businesses with more complex subscription billing needs, SumUp integrates with third-party tools. However, Square's subscription billing is more feature-rich for businesses that rely heavily on recurring revenue models.

Is SumUp available in my European country?

SumUp operates in 36 countries worldwide, with strong coverage across Europe including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, the UK, Poland, Portugal, and many more. Check sumup.com for the full list of supported countries and local pricing details.

How does SumUp handle chargebacks and payment disputes?

SumUp manages chargebacks through its internal dispute resolution team. If a chargeback is filed, SumUp notifies you via email and guides you through the evidence submission process. SumUp's chargeback rates are typically low because the majority of transactions are in-person chip and contactless payments, which carry inherently lower fraud risk than card-not-present transactions.