7 Best Mobile Credit Card Processing Apps For October 2023

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.

The free app, Square Point of Sale, is 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.

The free magstripe reader that comes with every account doesn’t hurt either.

The real value of Square is its all-in-one platform. Square offers free invoicing, a virtual terminal (you just pay the transaction costs), eCommerce integrations, a free online store, plus premium POS apps with competitive pricing tailored to various industries.

Features include:

• Multistore support
• Virtual terminal
• Contactless payments
• Multichannel selling
• Marketing tools
• Online ordering
• Inventory management
• Reporting
• Employee management
• Text messaging

• No setup or application fees
• $0/month for Square Free account ($29+/month for Square Plus accounts)
• 2.6% + $0.10/card-present transaction
• 2.9% + $0.30/online transaction
• 3.5% + $0.15/manually keyed-in transaction
• 2.9% + $0.30/invoice paid via credit or debit card
• 3.5% + $0.15/invoice paid via card on file
• 1%/ACH transaction (minimum $1 charge)
• No ACH reject or chargeback fees
• Square Contactless & Chip Reader: $49

SumUp is a bit like Square’s sophisticated, minimalist European cousin. SumUp’s standalone mPOS app works in many European countries and expanded into the US a while back. While SumUp’s app is the simplest option on this list, it has the essentials that merchants need for in-person sales. If you don’t need a lot and just want a well-designed mobile processing app, SumUp is a great choice.

Perhaps most importantly, the 2.75% processing rate with no flat markup fee makes it an excellent option for processing small transactions.

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.

Though it is something of a minimalist solution for mobile processing, SumUp covers most of the bases, including:

• Item library
• Virtual terminal
• Quick-sale mode
• Tipping
• Cash recording
• Basic analytics
• Invoicing
• Email/SMS receipts
• QR code payments
• Remote payments (payment links, virtual gift cards, etc.)

• No setup or application fees
• 2.75%/card-present transaction
• 3.25% + $0.15/virtual terminal or payment link transaction
• 2.9% + $0.15/invoice paid online
• SumUp Plus mobile reader: $39

Shopify started solely as an eCommerce provider, but it’s slowly built up its products into a powerful all-in-one platform. You can sell seamlessly online and in person using its branded third-party payment service powered by Stripe.

The Shopify platform makes it easy to grow your business within its ecosystem. You can just pay for as much Shopify as you need.

Shopify POS is included for free with all Shopify eCommerce plans, which start at $39/month.

Shopify’s eCommerce tools are top-of-the-line, and its POS app, simply called Shopify POS, is constantly improving.

Features include:

• Embeddable buy buttons
• Sell on social media
• Create invoices
• Product library
• Customer list
• Analytics and reports
• Discounts at POS
• Order fulfillment
• Tip collection

• $39+/month
• 2.7%/card-present transaction
• 2.9% + $0.30/online transaction
• + 2%/transaction with processor other than Stripe
• Shopify Tap & Chip Card Reader: $49
• Chipper 2x BT Reader: $49

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 have your own comparatively stable merchant account.

As you might expect, GoPayment integrates seamlessly with the rest of the QuickBooks software suite, making it a more appealing solution if you’re already heavily invested in the ecosystem.

For standalone users, GoPayment is respectably free of bloat, with straightforward pricing. One highlight: GoPayments allows up to 50 users to operate on a single account.

QuickBooks GoPayment can work as a standalone solution or as part of your current QuickBooks software package.

Features include:

• QuickBooks integration
• Merchant service center
• Apply discounts at POS
• Item library
• Item sync
• QuickBooks checking account
• Invoicing
• Estimates
• Expense tracking
• Live bank feeds
• Mileage tracking
• 1099 tax support

• $30+/month
• 2.4% + $0.25/card-present transaction
• 3.4% + $0.25/keyed-in transaction
• 2.9% + $0.25/invoiced transaction
• QuickBooks Card Reader: $49

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.

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.

In keeping with the PayPal brand, Zettle is both easy-to-use and functional. Features include:

• PayPal and Venmo QR codes
• Cash payments
• Item library
• Reports
• Discounts
• Custom gift cards
• Support for register setups
• Refunds and partial refund
• Integration with PayPal business account features

• No monthly fee
• 2.29% + $0.09/card-present and QR code transactions
• 3.49% + $0.09/keyed-in transaction
• Zettle Reader: $29 (first unit), $79 (additional units)

Toast is an Android-based POS system built specifically for restaurants.

Toast provides a comprehensive, industry-focused toolset that can scale to restaurants of just about any size. Getting “free” readers with Pay-As-You-Go plans is a nice perk for new restaurants that may not have a lot of spare cash to throw around.

Toast’s feature set is highly focused on its industry. Features include:

• Cloud-based POS
• Customer care
• Real-time fraud monitoring
• Custom configuration
• Mobile orders
• Online ordering and delivery
• Gift cards
•  Marketing
• Loyalty programs

• $0 – $165/month
• 2.99% + $0.15/transaction (Pay-As-You-Go plan)

Hardware can be included as part of your Pay-As-You-Go costs for no additional upfront cost. However, this option raises your processing fees. If you want to buy POS hardware kits outright, prices range from $609 to $999.

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.

Helcim offers features that scale well to a variety of business needs:

• Full merchant account
• Support for international payments
• Product service catalog
• Invoicing
• Discount codes
• Automatic tax calculations
• Virtual terminal

Volume discounts are available for transaction fees.

• No monthly fee
• Interchange + 0.4% + $0.08/in-person transaction
• Interchange + 0.5% + $0.25/keyed and online transaction
• Helcim Card Reader: $109