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SumUp is a POS system that offers all the basics a small and growing retail or restaurant business needs to process orders, track inventory, and manage employees. However, it’s not a standout compared to POS systems for small businesses like Square and Lightspeed, so it may not be for everyone.
SumUp’s strengths are sales analytics, since it can generate reports that break down sales by all the key factors you’re likely to need, including items, categories, employees, and discounts. It also has good inventory management functions, since it supports bulk and manual uploads and has automatic low stock alerts.
Read on to find out more about what SumUp will and won’t handle for your business, as well as how much you can expect it to cost you per month.
- SumUp starts at $0.month with the Free plan, while paid software tiers range from the POS Plus plan at $49/month to Connect Pro at $349/month.
- Transaction fees are fixed across plans at 2.6% + 10¢ for in-person payments and 3.5% + 15¢ for online and manually entered sales.
- Hardware options range from the portable SumUp Plus card reader at $54 up to the full countertop POS Lite and Solo Bundle at $349.
- While SumUp offers strong sales reporting and automated low-stock alerts, customer engagement tools like SMS are restricted to the high-cost Connect tiers.
- Competitors like Square provide free software with built-in physical gift card support, while Lightspeed Restaurant offers specialized tableside ordering starting at $69 per month.
SumUp At a Glance
- SumUp supports all major payment systems, including cards, PayPal, and cash..
- SumUp has great sales analytics tools, tracking sales by item, employee, discounts, and more.
- SumUp has great inventory tools, including bulk uploads and automatic stock alerts.
- SumUp starts at $99 per month.
SumUp
In Short
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Pros
- Great range of hardware accessories for in-person selling
- Low monthly costs for small businesses on a budget
- Excellent stock management to track your inventory
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Cons
- No free plan
- No physical gift cards
- Customer engagement tools like customizable promotions only available on POS Pro plan
Pricing
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Hardware and software packages from $99 per month
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Connect Pro plan ($289 per month)
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2.9% + 15¢ for transaction fees
The SumUp POS solution works well for small and medium retail operations since it offers sturdy core basics – inventory management and employee management tools – along with some functions that can help a growing business, like multi-store support.
I found the software easy to use for some features, but more difficult for others. The process of applying modifiers and discounts in particular proved a little finicky.
When it comes to adding categories and products, the back end is easier to use than the front end, which runs the risk of confusing staff when they attempt tasks like bill splitting for the first time. We also found SumUp’s synchronization to be somewhat slow – making some adjustments (such as adding items) took about 30 minutes to register on the front end.
On the whole, though, most tasks were easy to accomplish, and SumUp offers extensive support options that include quick live chat responses as well as online guides, so help is never too far away.
How much does SumUp cost?
SumUp starts at $0 per month for its Free plan, which comes with features like business management, payment links, reporting, and invoicing. It also offers a card reader and the POS Lite system, though you will have to pay a one-time cost for the hardware.
You can also upgrade to the POS Plus plan for $49 per month, which adds multi-device sync, front-of-house tools (like floor plan setup), cash flow management, and profit tracking.
Lastly, the SumUp POS plan is $99 per month and gives you full access to a full suite of POS features, SMS messaging capabilities, AutoPilot customer messaging, and multi-store management from a single back office login.
SumUp also offers the Connect Plus and Connect Pro software packages. Here are the prices and most important features included for each one.
Connect Plus
The Connect Plus plan costs $269 per month and is best for a growing business that can benefit from boosting its customer engagement.
With Plus, your ability to further engage and connect with your customers increases in a variety of ways. You’ll be able to build a customer loyalty program that includes rewards, and you’ll be able to automate marketing. You’ll also get the ability to send SMS and email promotion blasts to your customer base, although these are limited to just two per month.
Connect Pro
The Connect Pro plan costs $349 per month, and includes further growth marketing tools. You’ll get everything in Plus, but with the cap on SMS and email promotions increased to allow for daily messages. You’ll also get a Google review boost.
You’ll likely get the most value from the first two plans, however. I didn’t find that Pro added enough extra marketing power to justify the increase in monthly costs.
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Plan
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Price
Monthly cost of the software.
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Transaction fees
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Free |
SumUp Connect Plus |
SumUp Connect Pro |
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$0/month |
$269/month |
$369/month |
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2.6% + 10¢ (in-person card) |
2.6% + 10¢ (in-person card) |
2.6% + 10¢ (in-person card) |
Transaction fees are the same across all three plans. In-person transactions come with a 2.6% + 10¢ fee, while online or manually entered transactions will have a 3.5% + 15¢ fee. Finally, there’s a separate invoicing fee: if you let customers pay through an online SumUp payment link, the transaction fee comes out to 2.9% + 15¢.
Does SumUp offer a good value?
SumUp doesn’t offer a great value when compared to other systems, although it isn’t terrible.
Typical POS system costs can be anywhere between $15 and $100 per month, so SumUp’s plan prices aren’t out of the ordinary. This is particularly true for the restaurant POS industry, which often costs more than retail POS, since it includes more specialized features. For comparison, Lightspeed is one of our top picks for a restaurant POS, and its plans start at $69 per month.
However, many top POS systems offer better features for a lower cost. Not only is Lightspeed a better and slightly cheaper system than SumUp, but Square POS is also our top pick for both restaurant and retail businesses. Square is free to use with transaction fees, and has better features and support than SumUp.
What are SumUp’s key features?
Compared to other POS systems, SumUp has very limited built-in customer engagement tools, so if this isn’t a concern for your business, SumUp may still be a great pick. Here’s a more in-depth look at SumUp’s core functions and what our testers thought of them.
Sales
SumUp accepts all major credit cards, PayPal, and cash, among other payment methods. The software has a mobile app on iOS and Android that can smoothly handle mobile orders and even process QR codes to boot. I found during testing that internal notes can be added to the items within an individual order, though they can’t be added to the entire order itself.
Gift cards and customer engagement
SumUp offers built-in digital gift card support and allows users to customize the dollar amount that each gift card covers. SumUp’s gift cards can be customized for special events or occasions, and it allows businesses to track or redeem both physical and digital gift cards. However, it does not supply physical gift cards itself.
Customer engagement tools, including email and SMS blasts and Google review boosts, are only available on higher-paid plans, although a loyalty system can be set up on any plan.
Inventory
SumUp’s stock management allows users to manually update stock levels, upload inventory in bulk, and includes a cost-profit measurement tool. Users will also be notified automatically when stock is low or has run out entirely.
One tool I enjoyed in the backend allows the same product to be labeled as multiple different variants. This is particularly useful for restaurants selling several flavors of one dish.
Employee management
SumUp lets the manager set up different staff profiles in the software, so one employee might be restricted from seeing a certain function that another employee can access. This is helpful for privacy and security, as well as keeping employees from accidentally deleting entire inventory categories.
Reporting and analytics
SumUp’s sales analytics tools are one big area in which it stands out. I was able to generate sales reports and summaries as well as break down sales by items, categories, team members, shifts, and discounts applied. Reports can also be generated for returns, refunds, and gift cards used.
Help and support
SumUp offers a good range of support options. Users can receive help through phone, email, or live chat, although no social media support is offered.
An online knowledge center can guide users through common problems with video tutorials, and some limited in-platform FAQs can help staffers while they’re on the job, too. However, there’s no community forum for talking to other users.
What is SumUp’s hardware like?
SumUp’s range of hardware delivers the goods, particularly when it comes to its seamless mobile experience. It also sells stand-alone barcode scanners, along with the full suite of typical POS devices: cash registers, scales and stands. Here are the hardware options available:
- SumUp Plus ($54): A compact, portable, 3-in-1 card reader that supports NFC contactless (Apple Pay, Google Pay and contactless cards), pairs to a phone or tablet via Bluetooth and features a built-in rechargeable battery that can process around 500 transactions on a single USB charge.
- SumUp Plus Cradle Bundle ($44): A package that pairs the standard SumUp Plus card reader with a dedicated desktop charging station (cradle).
- SumUp Solo ($99): A compact, standalone card terminal featuring an intuitive full-color touchscreen designed to process payments entirely on its own—without requiring a smartphone, tablet, or separate POS app.
- SumUp Solo Printer Bundle ($164): Pairs the standalone touchscreen SumUp Solo card reader with an integrated desktop thermal receipt printer dock.
- Terminal ($249): An all-in-one, handheld POS device, complete with a built-in thermal receipt printer, a large touchscreen interface, contactless acceptance, and all-day battery life.
- POS Lite and Solo Bundle ($349): A complete countertop POS system that pairs a dedicated 13-inch full-HD merchant register with a SumUp Solo card reader.
Happy with a simpler setup? Check out our small business cash registers guide.
What are the best alternatives to SumUp?
While SumUp is a popular choice for small businesses looking for straightforward and affordable payment processing, it may not offer the level of functionality, customization or business management tools that some growing businesses require.
Shopify, Toast, Clover, Lightspeed, SpotOn and Square are among the leading alternatives to SumUp. Here’s a full table of key information about each one, followed by short reviews of three alternative POS systems that we think are worth comparing against SumUp.
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Price
The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs
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Free plan
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Free trial
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Best for
Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your small business
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Additional costs
Any additional costs you'll need to pay to get started
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Lowest transaction fee
The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction
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Highest transaction fee
The highest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction
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User limit
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24/7 support
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Get started
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BEST OVERALL
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Square |
Shopify POS |
Toast |
Clover |
SpotOn |
Lightspeed |
SumUp |
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From $0/month |
From $0/month (requires base subscription) |
From $0/month |
From $16/month for 36 months (depending on plan) |
From $0/month |
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From $0/month |
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30 days |
3 days |
14 days |
90 days |
No |
14 days |
Demo only |
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Scaling and growing your business |
Managing in-store and online sales |
Restaurants with complex operations |
Professional hardware |
Simplifying staff scheduling and communication |
Driving repeat business and loyalty |
Speed, efficiency and data-driven sales insights |
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Marketing, customer loyalty, and employee management features cost extra |
Shopify POS Pro is available for $89/location/month |
Digital ordering, third party delivery, email marketing, and catering/events cost extra |
Accounting integrations cost extra |
Loyalty programs cost extra |
$40 per additional register per month |
Customer loyalty programs cost extra |
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2.5% + 15¢ |
2.4% + 10¢ |
2.49% + 15¢ |
2.3% +10¢ |
2.45% + $0.15 |
2.6% + 10¢ |
2.6% + 10¢ (flat) |
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3.5% + 15¢ |
2.6% + 10¢ |
3.50% + 15¢ |
3.5% +10¢ |
3.79% + $0.20 |
2.9% + 30¢ |
3.25% + $0.15 |
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Unlimited (each till requires a new license) |
Single user/license across all plans |
Unlimited |
Unlimited (each till requires a new license) |
Unlimited |
User limit depends on plan |
Unlimited |
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| Visit Square | Try Shopify | Visit Toast | Compare Prices | Compare Quotes | Compare Quotes | Try SumUp |
Square: Best if you want to create physical gift cards
Square emerges as the best POS system for both retailers and restaurants. It has more growth and engagement tools than SumUp, and it’s cheaper, since the software is free and you’re charged only for transactions. It’s more feature-rich too, with support for physical gift cards in a comparative upgrade from SumUp’s digital-only version.
Read our full Square review for more information.
Lightspeed Restaurant: Best if you need a food service POS
Lightspeed’s POS is another top-tier option, easy to use and heavy in features. It’s available for Retail and Restaurant, and if you opt for the food service industry version, you’ll find even more features than SumUp has to offer: It blends online ordering with tableside ordering, and supports menu optimization, ingredient tracking, and loyalty programs.
Read our full Lightspeed review for more information.
Shopify: If you need a handheld POS system
If your business needs to stay light on its feet with portable payments, Shopify might be the right system. Its POS includes handheld hardware, since it runs on an iPad. Plus, Shopify matches SumUp’s impressive mobile app with its own simple, intuitive app, so payments will be just as easy through a smartphone as well.
Read our full Shopify review for more information.
Our methodology: How we reviewed SumUp
We put 16 POS systems to the test with a rigorous research and testing methodology. We carried out 40 user testing sessions, which amounted to 720 hours of testing in total.
These categories were broken down into a further 41 subcategories, so we were able to drill down further into certain topics to make our insights as granular and useful as possible. Here’s an overview of our main testing categories for POS systems:
- Software capabilities (35% Retail/35% Hospitality): Measures depth in multi-location inventory synchronization, SKU catalog capacity, automated purchase order creation, stock intake, and ecommerce database integration.
- Hardware (25% Retail/20% Hospitality): Assesses commercial terminal durability, screen responsiveness, integrated customer-facing payment displays, mobile handheld stability, barcode scanner speeds, and thermal printer performance.
- Usability/UX (15% Retail/20% Hospitality): Evaluates frontline till interface speed, screen layout clarity, search efficiency, and the time required to onboard new cashiers.
- Pricing & Value (15% Retail/10% Hospitality): Looks at Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), including monthly subscriptions, per-terminal software add-ons, proprietary hardware lock-in, and transaction rates.
- Help & Support (5% Retail/10% Hospitality): Evaluates 24/7 assistance availability, live phone and chat response times, and onboard remote deployment support.
- Reputation (5% Retail/5% Hospitality): Tracks market sentiment, competitor review benchmarks, brand stability, and historical system reliability scores across the industry.
SumUp’s biggest strength lies in its data-driven sales analysis tools, which make it easy to surface trends in which items or discounts are selling the best, as well as how each employee is performing. Any growing small business in the retail or restaurant industry can act on these insights to boost its bottom line.
However, SumUp has several downsides worth considering before you part ways with your hard-earned cash. It doesn’t provide physical gift cards, and customer engagement tools require upgrading to an expensive plan before they can be put to full use.
SumUp might be for you, but there are plenty of POS fish in the sea. Top picks worth considering include the cost-effective Square and the feature-rich Lightspeed.
FAQs
SumUp typically deposits funds into a linked bank account within 1-2 business days. If you open and use a free SumUp Business Account and Card, SumUp deposits payouts the next day (including weekends and holidays).
No. SumUp operates on a month-to-month rolling subscription for its paid software tiers (such as POS Plus and Connect Plus plans) and a pay-as-you-go model for hardware-only users. You can cancel or downgrade your plan at any time through your dashboard without paying early termination fees.
No. SumUp is a closed, end-to-end payment service provider. All credit and debit card transactions processed through SumUp software and hardware must go through SumUp’s proprietary payment processing system, meaning you cannot connect a third-party processor (such as First Data, TSYS, or Worldpay).
SumUp offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all card readers and hardware bundles, allowing you to return equipment for a full refund if it does not fit your setup. The devices are also backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty covering manufacturer defects.
