Alternatives to Zettle Reader 2: 5 Better-Fit UK Card Machines in 2026
If you are looking at alternatives to Zettle Reader 2, the usual reason in our 2026 UK reviews is one of two things: 1.75% rate uncompetitive above £8k monthly, or the fact that Zettle Reader 2 is the wrong fit for standalone use. The five UK card machines below solve one or both of those problems. Dojo Go is our highest-rated alternative at 4.4 of 5, running 1.4% to 1.9% blended on a 12 months minimum contract. Revolut Card Reader is the cheapest by headline rate at 0.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier). SumUp Solo runs with no contract if lock-in is the blocker. The rest of this page is the 5-card shortlist, then a short "when to stick with Zettle Reader 2" block for balance, then how we picked, then FAQs. Every claim is pulled from our terminals dataset; nothing is invented.
Top 5 alternatives to Zettle Reader 2
1. Dojo Go
4.4 / 51.4% to 1.9% blended · £0 with rolling monthly fee · 12 months minimum
Dojo Go is the strongest UK card terminal for hospitality and retail at £10k+ monthly card volume in 2026. Blended pricing 1.4% to 1.9%, 12-month minimum contract, hardware free with a monthly fee. Same-next-day settleme...
- Same-next-day settlement (unusual in UK).
- Robust hardware tested across hospitality.
- 12-month minimum contract.
2. SumUp Solo
4.2 / 51.69% per transaction · £99 to £149 hardware · No contract
SumUp Solo is the strongest no-contract UK card terminal for sole traders, mobile businesses and sub-£15k monthly card volume in 2026. £99 to £149 hardware, 1.69% flat per transaction, no contract, no monthly fee, free 4...
- No contract, no monthly fee.
- Single transparent rate (1.69%).
- 1.69% is uncompetitive at higher volumes.
3. Tap to Pay on iPhone (no terminal)
4.2 / 5Same as the underlying acquirer · £0 hardware (you already have the iPhone) · Same as the underlying acquirer
Not a hardware terminal but covered here because it is the most disruptive UK card-acceptance product of 2025-2026. Take contactless card and Apple Pay payments directly on a compatible iPhone with no separate reader. Be...
- Zero hardware cost.
- Faster setup than any physical terminal.
- iPhone XS or newer required (Android equivalent uses Tap to Pay on Android, separate product).
4. Square Terminal
4.1 / 51.75% per transaction (UK) · £149 to £199 · No contract
Square Terminal is the strongest all-in-one no-contract UK card terminal for independent retail and small hospitality in 2026. £149 to £199 hardware with built-in receipt printer, 1.75% per transaction, no contract, no m...
- Strong POS app and reporting.
- No contract, no monthly fee for hardware.
- 1.75% UK rate is high vs Dojo blended.
5. Revolut Card Reader
3.7 / 50.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier) · £49 hardware · Subscription-tier dependent (Revolut Business plan)
Revolut Card Reader is part of the Revolut Business stack. Headline rate is among the cheapest in the UK SMB market, but conditional on holding a Revolut Business subscription. Best fit for Revolut Business users with in...
- Cheapest UK headline rate (0.8% on higher Revolut Business plans).
- Strong international payments and FX integration.
- Rate conditional on Revolut Business subscription (£25 to £100+ per month).
When to stick with Zettle Reader 2
Zettle Reader 2 is still the right choice for existing paypal merchants and pop-up retailers, market traders. The two strongest reasons buyers stay: cheapest entry point for hardware (£59), and paypal ecosystem integration. If your business sits inside existing paypal merchants, switching is friction without upside. The alternatives above are for buyers who hit a real blocker on Zettle Reader 2, not for buyers who are just shopping rate.
Read the full Zettle Reader 2 review for the year-one cost model, hardware detail and full verdict.
How we picked these alternatives
Each shortlist starts from a hand-curated seed of the 4 most-considered alternatives for the source terminal in UK 2026 buyer journeys, then tops up to 5 with the next-highest-rated terminal in our database that shares at least one best-fit cluster with the source. The intent is to keep the shortlist semantically meaningful: an alternative to a sole-trader reader is another sole-trader reader, not an enterprise platform.
Ratings, rates, contracts and hardware costs are pulled from the MerchantHQ terminals dataset, last reviewed 2026-04-26. Headline rates are verified against each acquirer's public pricing; bespoke rates apply above roughly £20k monthly card volume so always verify the live commercials before signing.
Reviewed by Oliver Mackman, Director for Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937). Editorial methodology: how we score UK card terminals.
FAQ
What is better than Zettle Reader 2 in 2026?
In our 2026 UK review, Dojo Go scores the highest of the five alternatives at 4.4 of 5 (vs 4.0 for Zettle Reader 2). It runs 1.4% to 1.9% blended on a 12 months minimum contract, hardware £0 with rolling monthly fee. The honest caveat: "better" depends on your card volume and trade. For existing paypal merchants, Zettle Reader 2 still holds up.
Is there a free alternative to Zettle Reader 2?
SumUp Solo runs with no contract and £99 to £149 hardware for hardware. No UK card terminal is truly free once you account for the transaction rate, but SumUp Solo at 1.69% per transaction has the lowest commitment of the five alternatives on this page. Best fit: sole traders, mobile traders, market stalls.
What is the cheapest alternative to Zettle Reader 2?
Revolut Card Reader has the lowest headline rate of the five alternatives at 0.8% to 1.0% per transaction (depending on subscription tier), hardware £49 hardware, contract subscription-tier dependent (revolut business plan). Cheapest on rate is not always cheapest on year-one cost once you factor in hardware, monthly fees and ecosystem lock-in (rate conditional on revolut business subscription (£25 to £100+ per month)). Use the MerchantHQ quote tool for a modelled comparison against your actual volume.
Which alternative is best for existing paypal merchants?
Dojo Go is the strongest pick on the shortlist for existing paypal merchants, scoring 4.4 of 5 in our 2026 review. Dojo Go is the strongest UK card terminal for hospitality and retail at £10k+ monthly card volume in 2026. Blended pricing 1.4% to 1.9%, 12-month minimum contract, hardware free with a monthly fee. Sa...
Should I switch from Zettle Reader 2?
Switch if you are hitting 1.75% rate uncompetitive above £8k monthly or if standalone use. Stay if your business is in existing paypal merchants and the current contract is reasonable. MerchantHQ runs switching support across 80+ UK acquirers; we are not tied to any acquirer on the shortlist above.
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Get matched →Last reviewed: 2026-04-26. Editorial by Oliver Mackman, Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937).