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.
As with any POS system, there are some drawbacks. For example, SumUp offers card readers, but its handheld terminals won’t let you perform other POS functions, and it won’t process physical gift cards. 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.
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
Cons
- No free plan
- No physical gift cards
- Customer engagement tools like customizable promotions only available on POS Pro plan
- Hardware and software packages from $99 per month
- Connect Pro plan ($289 per month)
- 2.9% + 15¢ for transaction fees
SumUp At a Glance
- SumUp supports all major payment systems, including cards, PayPal, and cash.
- SumUp supports digital gift cards, but not physical ones.
- 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 can provide lightweight payment terminals, but they don’t have POS features.
- SumUp starts at $99 per month.
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.
Test Summary: SumUp
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.
SumUp Pricing and Plans
SumUp has three plans: Connect Lite, Connect Plus, and Connect Pro. Here are the prices and most important features included for each one.
Connect Lite
The starting hardware and software package is Connect Lite, which costs $99 per month, a price that includes dedicated installation and training. You’ll get the basic cloud-based POS software, which includes support for a customer database, along with a product catalog and modifiers, online ordering, employee management, and other basic POS functions.
Connect Plus
The Connect Plus plan costs $199 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 $289 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.
| Plan | Price | Transaction fees | Loyalty program | Marketing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | | |||
| Connect Lite | Connect Plus | Connect Pro | |||
| $99/month | $199/month | $289/month | |||
| 2.60% + 10¢ (in-person card) | 2.60% + 10¢ (in-person card) | 2.60% + 10¢ (in-person card) | |||
| No | Yes | Yes | |||
| No | 2 monthly promotions | Daily promotions |
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 $89 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, Square POS is 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.
SumUp Features
SumUp earned a 3.7/5 score in our ratings for software functions, putting it seven out of ten in our list of the top POS systems for retail. This is in large part due to the system’s 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, Zettle, PayPal, and cash, among other payment processes. The software has a mobile app on iOS and Android that can smoothly handle mobile orders and even process QR codes to boot. We 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.
Handheld POS systems aren’t offered, although terminals are available.
What's New with SumUp in September 2024
SumUp now supports offline functionality. This is a change from the software’s previous functionality in the US, and brings it in alignment with nearly all our top providers – platforms like Square, Lightspeed Retail, EPOS Now, Clover, and Shopify all offer automatic offline modes.
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. Unlike most top POS solutions, though, SumUp’s gift cards can’t be customized for special events or occasions, and can’t be branded with your business logo. Physical gift cards are not offered.
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 inventory management tools earned it a high 5/5 score from our testers. The system’s stock management allows users to manually update stock levels, upload inventory in bulk, and has a cost-profit measurement tool. Users will also be notified automatically when stock is low or has run out entirely.
One tool we 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. There’s no community forum for talking to other users.
SumUp Hardware
Card-readers, scanners, and printers all need to be easy to use when you’re buying products at a store. SumUp’s range of hardware delivers the goods, particularly when it comes to its seamless mobile experience, although we did have a few quibbles.
Hardware solutions that SumUp excels at? The service sells stand-alone barcode scanners, along with the full suite of typical POS devices: cash registers, scales and stands.
Unlike some providers including Lightspeed and Shopify, SumUp offers physical terminals. They’re also lighter than the competition, weighing just 3 pounds each, with 13.2-inch screens and 1920 x 1080 resolution. However, its terminals don’t have built-in customer-facing displays, and none are hand-held.
SumUp doesn’t sell its own printers, but its system is built to work with third-party options that include Bluetooth, USB, and ethernet printers.
Happy with a simpler setup? Check out our small business cash registers guide.
SumUp Alternatives
Sure, SumUp handles the basics of sales, inventory, and employee management, but it’s not a perfect system. We’ve tested a ton of options. 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.
| Best for Tech.co's verdict to help you identify the most suitable choice for your small business | Price from The typical lowest starting price. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | Additional costs Any additional costs you'll need to pay to get started | Transaction fees from The lowest possible fee that will be incurred with each transaction. | User limit | Get started | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SPONSORED  | BEST OVERALL  |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Best for onboarding new staff quickly | Small businesses aiming to expand | Best for high quality hardware | Businesses that need no upfront expenses | Fast growing restaurants | Online sales | Businesses with complex inventories | |
| $99/month (as per most recently available figures) | Free (with transaction fees) | $0 + $14.95 (virtual terminal) | Free (with transaction fees) | $89/user/month for Retail, $69 for Restaurant (as per most recently available figures) | $299 upfront (currently discounted to $249 for Black Friday) (+$39/month) | ||
| Unable to verify online | Marketing, customer loyalty, and employee management features cost extra | Accounting integrations cost $19.95 per month | Online ordering, delivery, digital tableside, employee and kitchen management cost extra | $29 per additional register per month | Shopify POS Pro is available for $89 per location, per month | Single training costs $175 or $35 per month for unlimited sessions (as per most recently available figures) | |
| 2.6% + 10 cents for each card-based sale (as per most recently available figures) |
| 2.3% +10 cents | Dependent on third-party payment processor |
| 2.6% + 10 ¢ | N/A | |
| Unlimited user limit | Unlimited — but each till requires a new license | Unlimited — but each till requires a new license | Unlimited user limit | User limit depends on plan | Single user per license across all plans | Single user per license across all plans | |
| Visit Lavu | Visit Square | Compare Prices | Visit SpotOn | Visit Lightspeed | Compare Prices | Compare prices |
Square: If you want to create physical gift cards
Square dominated in our tests, emerging 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: 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
SumUp has terminals, but no handheld POS devices. If your business needs to stay light on its feet with portable payments, Shopify might be the right system. Its POS has handheld hardware, since the system works 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.
About Our Research
Tech.co’s research team has assessed over 20 of the best POS systems across six different categories, each weighted to reflect the needs of our audience, from retailers to restaurateurs. Those categories are:
- Software – This includes stock, sales, and employee management, as well as tools including offline mode and gift card support.
- Hardware – This covers devices including terminals, cash registers, printers, scanners, and more.
- Price – We compare the features offered by each plan against its cost, factoring in transaction fees, annual discounts, or free trials.
- Customer satisfaction – Competitor reviews, brand recognition, and aggregate scores from customers themselves help us determine what the user base really thinks of each brand.
- Usability – Does the POS system make all its functions simple and intuitive, from the backend to the frontend? We test-run each system to determine its compatibility.
- Help and support – Is support offered by phone, email, and live chat? We also check for online knowledge centers and a training mode within the software itself.
Our team rates every feature in order to determine a single 5-point score for each category, which allows us to compare each brand against the others on a granular scale.
In the end, we’re able to put together detailed reviews that cover everything a business needs to know about the true value of the POS system they’re considering – and if it’s a fit for them.
Conclusion: SumUp Offers Good Sales Insights
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. There are no physical gift cards, and customer engagement tools that 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. Overall, our researchers ranked SumUp the seventh best POS.