Home / UK / Best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Square vs PayPal POS (Zettle)
Plan prices, card rates and contracts in the UK, side by side, from each vendor's own website.
Square
Free till app and card readers from Square.
#1 of 10 in best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Read more about SquareVisit SquarePayPal POS (Zettle)
PayPal's card reader and point of sale app.
#2 of 10 in best EPOS systems for UK restaurants
Read more about PayPal POS (Zettle)Visit PayPal POS (Zettle)Which one?
Choose Square if
Its published prices and terms do not beat PayPal POS (Zettle) on any line we score. Choose it for something only it offers.
Choose PayPal POS (Zettle) if
Its published prices and terms do not beat Square on any line we score. Choose it for something only it offers.
Side by side
| Line | Square | PayPal POS (Zettle) |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 9.5 / 10 | 9.5 / 10 |
| Starts at | No monthly fee | No monthly fee |
| Plans | Free: Free | Pay per transaction: Free |
| In-person card rate | 1.75% | 1.75% |
| Online card rate | 1.4% + 25p | Not stated |
| Commission on orders | Not published | Not published |
| Contract | Cancel anytime | No long-term commitment |
| Early exit fee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Hardware from | From £19 | From £29 |
| Last checked | 9 Oct 2026 | 9 Oct 2026 |
“Not published” and “Not stated” mean the vendor's own pricing and terms pages did not give the figure when we read them; the sources below name each page and date. Hover a figure to see the vendor's words.
How the scores add up
Square: 9.5
PayPal POS (Zettle): 9.5
Same formula for every system. How we score
Square vs PayPal POS (Zettle): questions owners ask
Which is cheaper to start, Square or PayPal POS (Zettle)?
Square: no monthly fee. PayPal POS (Zettle): no monthly fee.
Which has the lower card rate?
Square: 1.75% in person. PayPal POS (Zettle): 1.75% in person.
What do they charge on online payments?
Square: 1.4% + 25p. PayPal POS (Zettle): we did not find an online card rate on PayPal POS (Zettle)'s own pages.
Do Square or PayPal POS (Zettle) take commission on orders?
Square: we did not find a commission figure on Square's own pages. PayPal POS (Zettle): we did not find a commission figure on PayPal POS (Zettle)'s own pages.
Which has the more flexible contract?
Square: cancel anytime. PayPal POS (Zettle): no long-term commitment.
How much notice do they need to cancel?
Square: none stated: the merchant may terminate at any time from Square Account Settings. PayPal POS (Zettle): merchant may terminate at any time; no notice period stated for the merchant.
Do their contracts renew automatically?
Square: we did not find a renewal term on Square's own pages. PayPal POS (Zettle): we did not find a renewal term on PayPal POS (Zettle)'s own pages.
What does it cost to leave early?
Square: no fixed term, so no exit fee. PayPal POS (Zettle): no fixed term, so no exit fee.
Who owns my customer data?
Square: we did not find a data ownership term on Square's own pages. PayPal POS (Zettle): we did not find a data ownership term on PayPal POS (Zettle)'s own pages.
Do I need to buy hardware?
Square: hardware from £19. PayPal POS (Zettle): hardware from £29.
Which publishes more of its prices?
Square: all plan prices published. PayPal POS (Zettle): all plan prices published.
Which scores higher, Square or PayPal POS (Zettle)?
Square 9.5/10 and PayPal POS (Zettle) 9.5/10 on the same formula: prices published, entry price, fees and contract. The breakdown on this page shows where each point comes from.
Should I choose Square or PayPal POS (Zettle)?
Then check the features you need on each vendor's own site: the score covers price and terms only.
Where every figure on this page comes from
Square
- Free plan. “Sell in person, online, over the phone or out in the field. No setup fees or monthly fees - only pay when you take a payment. £0 /mo \+ processing fees” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- In-person card rate. “Take any contactless, mobile or chip and PIN payment at the counter or on the go. 1.75% for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Online card rate. “When a customer makes a purchase through your Online Store, Online Checkout, eCommerce API. 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Fixed fee per online payment. “When a customer makes a purchase through your Online Store, Online Checkout, eCommerce API. 1.4% + 25p for transactions with UK cards” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Contract, as the pricing page states it. “Upgrade when you want to, cancel anytime.” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Cheapest hardware. “£19 + VAT” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Notice period, from the terms. “You may terminate these General Terms or any Additional Terms at any time from your Square Account Settings.” squareup.com/gb/en/legal/general/ua, read 9 Oct 2026
- Free plan. “No setup fees or monthly fees - only pay when you take a payment.” squareup.com/gb/en/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Commission on orders: not published. Not stated on squareup.com/gb/en/pricing when read on 9 Oct 2026.
PayPal POS (Zettle)
- Pay per transaction plan. “We charge per transaction, by payment type. No contracts or recurring fees.” zettle.com/gb/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- In-person card rate. “Same rate per transaction for major cards and mobile wallets, even American Express. 1.75%” zettle.com/gb/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Contract, as the pricing page states it. “no long-term commitments or rentals” zettle.com/gb/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Cheapest hardware. “Pricing. The offer is one (1) PayPal Reader per new eligible business user (the “Offer”) for £29 excluding VAT.” zettle.com/gb/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- Notice period, from the terms. “You may terminate use of the Point of Sale Services at any time.” zettle.com/gb/legal/paypal-pos, read 9 Oct 2026
- Leaving early, from the terms. “These Terms are effective upon the date you agree to them and will remain in force until terminated. You may terminate use of the Point of Sale Services at any time.” zettle.com/gb/legal/paypal-pos, read 9 Oct 2026
- Hardware terms. “You may also purchase Card Readers from our **[Accessories Store](https://shop.zettle.com/gb)** or from other authorised retailers.” zettle.com/gb/legal/paypal-pos, read 9 Oct 2026
- Free plan. “our no-additional-cost app can help simplify your day to day.” zettle.com/gb/pricing, read 9 Oct 2026
- POS systems it connects to. “AccentPOS POS Integration Adobe Commerce E-commerce AirPOS POS Integration ANNA Accounting & Bookkeeping Baemingo POS Integration BigCommerce E-commerce CubeCart E-commerce Ebizmarts POS Integration ePages E-commerce EPOS Now POS Integration ExtendaGO POS Integration Goodtill POS Integration Hike POS Integration Lightspeed POS Integration Loyverse POS Integration MobiPOS POS Integration nopCommerce E-commerce plentyPOS POS Integration PrestaShop E-commerce QuickBooks Online Accounting & Bookkeeping SalesVu POS Integration Shopify E-commerce Shopware E-commerce Shopwave POS Integration Sitoo POS Integration Starling Other Tabology POS Integration” zettle.com/gb/integrations, read 9 Oct 2026
- Commission on orders: not published. Not stated on zettle.com/gb/pricing when read on 9 Oct 2026.