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Join For FreeBest Mobile Credit Card Processing Apps
These mobile payments apps provide reasonable and transparent pricing and robust features for almost any industry.
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WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
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REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
Our content reflects the editorial opinions of our experts. While our site makes money through referral partnerships, we only partner with companies that meet our standards for quality, as outlined in our independent rating and scoring system.
Credit card processing apps can be powerful tools for merchants. Instead of investing in an expensive POS system, a credit card processing app works on a smartphone or tablet, allowing merchants to use low-cost hardware with an affordable (or even nonexistent) software fee.
The terminology can be a bit inconsistent — sometimes credit card payment apps are called point of sale/POS apps or even mPOS (mobile point of sale) apps. But in the end, we’re talking about applications you can run on your phone to process credit cards, typically with the aid of a small reader.
Learn More About Our Top Picks
| Company | Highlights | Next StepsHighlights |
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Square
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SumUp
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Intuit GoPayment
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PayPal Zettle
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Toast POS
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| Show More Options | ||
Helcim
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| Show Fewer Options |
Read more below to learn why we chose these options.
Table of Contents [hide][show]
- A Closer Look At 6 Best Mobile Payment Apps For Small Businesses
- Square: Best Mobile Processing With No Overhead
- SumUp: Best Square Alternative
- Intuit GoPayment: Best For Easy QuickBooks Integration
- PayPal Zettle: Best For Low Transaction Costs
- Toast POS: Best For Restaurants
- Helcim: Best For High-Volume Mobile Processing
- Why We Don't Recommend These Credit Card Processing Apps
- How To Take Credit Card Payments On Your Phone?
- How Do I Select A Mobile Credit Card Reader?
- Can I Get A Free Mobile Card Reader?
- How To Choose The Best Credit Card Payment App For Your Business
Table of Contents
- A Closer Look At 6 Best Mobile Payment Apps For Small Businesses
- Compare The Best Credit Card Processing Apps
- Square: Best Mobile Processing With No Overhead
- Square
- Square Features
- Square Pricing
- SumUp: Best Square Alternative
- SumUp
- SumUp Features
- SumUp Pricing
- Intuit GoPayment: Best For Easy QuickBooks Integration
- Intuit GoPayment
- QuickBooks GoPayment Features
- QuickBooks GoPayment Pricing
- PayPal Zettle: Best For Low Transaction Costs
- PayPal Zettle Features
- PayPal Zettle Pricing
- Toast POS: Best For Restaurants
- Toast POS
- Toast POS Features
- Toast POS Pricing
- Helcim: Best For High-Volume Mobile Processing
- Helcim
- Helcim Features
- Helcim Pricing
- Payment Processing Rating Methodology
- Why We Don't Recommend These Credit Card Processing Apps
- How To Take Credit Card Payments On Your Phone?
- How Do I Select A Mobile Credit Card Reader?
- Can I Get A Free Mobile Card Reader?
- How To Choose The Best Credit Card Payment App For Your Business
A Closer Look At 6 Best Mobile Payment Apps For Small Businesses
A credit card processing app can be the primary service a credit card processor offers or a secondary feature. Either way, you’ll want one that meets your particular business needs.
- Square: Best Mobile Processing With No Overhead
- SumUp: Best Square Alternative
- Intuit GoPayment: Best For Easy QuickBooks Integration
- PayPal Zettle: Best For Low Transaction Costs
- Toast POS: Best For Restaurants
- Helcim: Best For High-Volume Mobile Processing
Compare The Best Credit Card Processing Apps
| App Cost | In-person Transaction Fee | Hardware Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | $0+/month | 2.6% + $0.10 | $0+ |
| SumUp | Free | 2.6% + $0.10 | $54+ |
| Intuit GoPayment | $0 or $20/month | 1.6% + $0.30 to 2.5% | $49.50 |
| PayPal Zettle | Free | 2.29% + $0.09 | $29+ |
| Toast POS | $0+/month | 2.49% - 3.09% + $0.15 | $0 |
| Helcim | Free | Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08 (volume discounts available) | $99+ |
Square: Best Mobile Processing With No Overhead
Get a free card swiper from Square at no cost when you create a free account. Claim your card reader.
Pros
- No long-term contracts
- Simple processing fees
- Loads of integrations
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Free plan is not as robust as paid options
Why Square Is The Best Choice For Payment Processing With No Overhead
Square is one of the best-known names among credit card processing apps. Just about anyone can sign up for a Square account and start accepting credit card payments.
We've found the Square Point of Sale app to be one of the most advanced mPOS options available, with an extensive array of supported features on both iOS and Android. Square began with a focus on simple, accessible mobile processing, and it remains among the best in its class for that purpose. It's also among the most affordable entry points for merchants who want to accept credit cards, and spells out its fees and terms in clear, transparent language.
The free magstripe reader that comes with every account doesn't hurt either.
When To Use Square
- To process low-volume mobile transactions
- To minimize upfront processing fees
- To get a free mobile magstripe reader
SumUp: Best Square Alternative
Pros
- No long-term contracts
- No monthly fee or monthly minimum
- Next-day payouts with SumUp business checking account
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Limited features
Why SumUp Is The Best Mobile App For Small Transactions
While SumUp is somewhat lean on features, it has the essentials merchants need for in-person sales. If you don't need any fancy features and just want a simple, well-designed mobile processing app similar to Square, SumUp is a great choice.
SumUp has the same transaction rate as Square---2.6% + $0.10--- making this mPOS solution best for small transactions and low-volume businesses in general. Overall, because it is so similar, SumUp is a good Square alternative if you like Square but can't use it for whatever reason. SumUp's processing hardware, which includes both Bluetooth card readers and standalone touchscreen devices, are also slightly cheaper than Square's.
SumUp uses a pay-as-you-go model, so you can cancel at any time without penalty. Just be aware that SumUp will automatically terminate inactive accounts after two years, so be sure to empty your account of funds before that happens.
When To Use SumUp
- To process small transactions
- For a simple app that provides fundamentals
- To process international transactions
Intuit GoPayment: Best For Easy QuickBooks Integration
Pros
- Good value for businesses with high average tickets
- Easy integration with QuickBooks
- Includes dedicated merchant account
Cons
- Not the best choice for non-QuickBooks users
- Somewhat confusing pricing
- Some public complaints
Why We Chose Inuit GoPayment For Its Easy QuickBooks Integration
QuickBooks is still one of the most recognizable names in accounting software, so it's no surprise that Intuit has leveraged the brand into mobile payment processing. Unlike many of the other options on this list, QuickBooks GoPayment is not a third-party processor. Instead, you'll get your own comparatively stable merchant account.
As you might expect, GoPayment integrates seamlessly with the rest of the QuickBooks software suite, making it an extremely convenient solution for QuickBooks users.
GoPayment pricing can get a little confusing because it depends on whether you use QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop. However, GoPayment's flat transaction fee for QB Online users is lower than Square's and SumUp's; GoPayment transaction fees for QuickBooks Desktop users are such that merchants with high average tickets (such as service-based businesses like plumbers, mechanics, or contractors) can save a lot in transaction fees.
When To Use QuickBooks GoPayments
- To easily integrate QuickBooks into your mobile processing
- If you have a high average ticket size
- If you don’t mind paying a monthly account fee to get low flat-rate transaction fees
Get Started With Intuit GoPayment
PayPal Zettle: Best For Low Transaction Costs
PayPal Zettle |
|---|
Pricing
No monthly feeContract
NoneEquipment Cost
$29 for your first card readerPros
- Easy to use
- Supports PayPal payments
- Free sub-user accounts
Cons
- Account stability issues
- Not ideal for high-volume merchants
We PayPal Zettle Is A Great Choice For Lowering Transaction Costs
Formerly PayPal Here, PayPal Zettle represents the eCommerce giant's foray into in-person payment processing. Ironically, as PayPal's eCommerce pricing has become more expensive, PayPal Zettle remains a competitive POS option with some of the lowest flat-rate processing costs for mobile payments.
PayPal leverages its extensive infrastructure to make the most of Zettle. In addition to processing credit and debit cards, you'll be able to process PayPal and Venmo transactions by scanning QR codes. Throw in inventory management, reports, and at-register discounts, and you have a well-rounded app that integrates with PayPal's longstanding features, such as invoicing, same-day funding, and recurring billing.
Overall, we think PayPal Zettle is a great value for the average mobile merchant. With no monthly fee and a transaction fee that isn't too expensive for either small- or high-value transactions, it can accommodate a wide variety of circumstances.
When To Use PayPal Zettle
- If you like the PayPal ecosystem
- To get competitive flat-rate processing with no monthly fee
- You only need a single reader for your mobile operations
Get Started With PayPal Zettle
Toast POS: Best For Restaurants
Pricing Range
$0/mo - $69/mo; with custom plans availableOnline Ordering
YesEquipment Cost
$0+ if you agree to a higher processing ratePros
- All-in-one POS
- Android base reduces hardware costs
- Advanced employee management tools
- Free plan & free hardware available
Cons
- High transaction fees on free plan
- Long-term contract with termination fee
- Expensive hardware if purchased outright
Why Toast POS Provides The Most Comprehensive Mobile App For Restaurants
Toast is an Android-based POS system built specifically for restaurants. While it's not the cheapest way to process mobile transactions by any means, we do believe the highly honed feature set is a good fit for full service restaurants that want to bill at the table.
Toast provides a comprehensive, industry-focused toolset that can scale to restaurants of just about any size and accommodate online and delivery orders as well as in-house transactions. Getting "free" processing equipment with a Pay-As-You-Go plan is a nice perk for new restaurants that may not have a lot of spare cash to throw around. (However, businesses on the free plan will pay higher transaction fees.)
When To Use Toast POS
- If you want an all-in-one solution specifically designed for restaurants
- If the feature sets of cheaper mobile apps don’t meet your processing needs
- If you need advanced employee management tools
Helcim: Best For High-Volume Mobile Processing
Pros
- Uses interchange-plus pricing exclusively
- No long-term contracts
- No monthly fee
Cons
- Does not accept high-risk merchants
- May be expensive for very low-volume businesses
Why Helcim Is The Best Choice For High-Volume Mobile Processing
Mobile processing is typically a low-volume transaction solution, but if your business happens to process a lot of transactions and some or all of these are mobile transactions, you probably want a solution that offers interchange-plus pricing.
Enter Helcim, a mobile-friendly processor that offers high-volume discounts and an extremely versatile app. Best of all, there's no monthly fee for using it, so you'll only pay fees when you process a transaction. We also love that the more transactions you process, the lower your per-transaction cost will be. Just be prepared to pay a little more upfront in hardware costs. While the Helcim card reader is a great piece of hardware, it's substantially more expensive than the other entry point mobile readers on our list.
When To Use Helcim
- If you want interchange-plus pricing with no monthly account fees
- If you’re a high-volume merchant
- If you don’t mind paying more in hardware costs
Payment Processing Rating Methodology
Merchant Maverick has been researching the payment processing industry since 2009. Our writers have reviewed hundreds of credit card processors, merchant account services, and mobile payment apps, evaluating each provider carefully on several different metrics.
When comparing different payment processing companies and applications to one another, we consider numerous data points. Our experts start by comparing credit card processing rates, the presence of additional fees, contract length, sales practices, and the presence or absence of additional features and services, like point of sale software. Each provider is judged on its own merits and how well it stacks up to industry standards; then it is weighed against the other providers on the list.
We spend an average of 10-15 hours researching and updating each one of our lists, making sure every company or application included meets our internal standards for quality and reputation. Any list of recommended payment processors on our site might contain a mix of standard merchant accounts, third-party payment processors, mobile payment devices, and high-risk payment processors, depending on what our expert feels is the best fit for certain scenarios or business types.
For additional details about Merchant Maverick’s review and rating processes, please refer to any or all of the following methodology pages:
- Credit card processor rating criteria
- High-risk merchant account rating criteria
- Credit card reader & mobile payment device rating criteria
15
Years reviewing payment processors
100+
Providers evaluated
25
Attributes and features assessed per vendor
40+
Years combined experience
Why We Don't Recommend These Credit Card Processing Apps
There are far more credit card processing apps than the ones we’ve covered above. Let’s look at two apps that didn’t quite make our list.
How To Take Credit Card Payments On Your Phone?
To accept credit card payments on your phone, you’ll need to open an account with a payment processor that supports your device. After you’ve done this, you can accept credit card payments on your phone. To process transactions as card-present transactions (tapped, dipped, or swiped) you’ll need a mobile card reader, ideally a NFC-capable device.
Can I Take Credit Card Payments On My Phone Without A Card Reader?
Mobile card readers are increasingly unnecessary for mobile payments, though be aware that transaction fees may be higher if you don’t use one. Other ways to process payments on your phone include:
- Tap-to-Pay for iPhone (available to use with some, but not all, mobile POS apps)
- Send a payment link or scan a QR code
- Key-in credit card information through a virtual terminal
How Do I Select A Mobile Credit Card Reader?
While mobile credit card readers are no longer a requirement for cost-effective mobile credit processing, they are still often the best solution for secure, high-volume transactions. It’s also the interface that asks the least of your prospective customers. They can simply present their credit or debit card to be dipped, swiped, or tapped.
Our guide to credit card readers can get you started. If you have a favored device, you can easily find a credit card reader for iPhone or a credit card reader for Android.
Can I Get A Free Mobile Card Reader?
Mobile credit card readers generally add upfront costs in exchange for security and convenience. As you might expect, there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world of mobile credit card processing. With some rare exceptions, like Square’s free magstripe reader (and you’ll only get one), getting “free” hardware usually means locking yourself into long-term contracts.
If you’re looking to minimize mobile hardware costs, our guide to free card readers can help.
How To Choose The Best Credit Card Payment App For Your Business
Credit card processing apps can make it easy to take non-cash payments without a complicated hardware setup. When looking for the best credit card processing companies, take stock of your needs, budget, transaction volume, and even how you physically take transactions at POS.
When choosing a credit card payment app, you’ll want to consider several factors:
- User Experience: Is the app easy and convenient to use on your available devices?
- Cost: Does the app’s payment processor charge reasonable fees for your transaction volume?
- Supported Payment Methods: Can the app process the payment methods your customers prefer to use?
- Security: Does the app offer security features like tokenization? Or does it mainly function as a virtual terminal?
The best credit card payment processing app will be the one that makes your life easier and increases your sales.
Looking for a more stationary setup? Check out our list of the best POS systems for small business.
Chris Motola
Expert Contributor at Merchant Maverick
Chris has been writing about small business topics since 2003. He has been featured in Fox Business, ABC News, Yahoo Finance, GoBankingRates, Newsweek, BizJournals, and other publications. He has a Bachelor’s of Arts in English Writing Arts from SUNY Oswego, and a Masters of Science in Interactive Media from the University of Central Florida. He currently resides in the Hudson Valley region of New York.
View Chris Motola's professional experience on LinkedIn.
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