SumUp POS Review 2024

Pros

• Low-cost mobile card reader
• Free plan available
• Fast setup
• Easy to use
• Lower payment processing fees on invoices

Cons

• Fund holds and slow payouts reported
• Poor customer support rating
• Limited feature set and integrations
• No native eCommerce features

SumUp POS Overview

SumUp is a payment services provider based in Europe that now offers low-cost card readers for no monthly fee and subscription-based POS registers in the US.

Because of the payment processing rates and limited features, SumUp is best for mobile retail sellers with transaction values of $40 or less.

SumUp POS Pricing

SumUp has an average pricing ranking, mainly because there are few POS hardware and software options available, so you would have to purchase these things separately. Additionally, there is no free trial available for the POS registers.

SumUp offers a completely free plan for users who purchase only a SumUp card reader. You may take in-person payments at a rate of 2.75% per order and invoice payments at a rate of 2.90% + $0.15 per invoice.

You must sign up for one of the paid subscription plans if you want to purchase the $799 SumUp POS register with a connected customer-facing display.

The only difference between the Essentials and the Pro subscription plans appears to be that you can send more promotional deals to customers (daily rather than weekly). We don’t believe this difference is worth the higher monthly fee.

SumUp Extra Costs & Fees

The Plus card reader is a simple card reader that you connect to your phone to accept payments. The Solo card reader is a simple mobile POS system with a small screen built into it so you can type in payment information without needing to pull up the app. The app is free to download.

Businesses That Would Benefit From SumUp

SumUp is one of the best POS systems for:

SumUp POS Features

Note: SumUp lists features like kitchen display system availability, appointment booking, and ingredient management on the US pricing page, but they currently appear to only be available in the UK and Europe. SumUp is probably rolling these features out slowly, but there’s currently no information on the US help center or US-facing web pages about these features. For a better idea of what additional features may look like for US sellers, you may browse the global SumUp pages in English.

To test out SumUp’s features, I focused on what is immediately available to US sellers, which is mostly in the realm of mobile payments and invoicing capabilities. Here’s what I found when I tested out SumUp software using a sample small hair bow business.

Mobile Payments

Example SumUp POS app checkout screen on Android device.

You can choose either the standalone Solo card reader or the Plus card reader paired with the SumUp app (available on iOS and Android devices) to accept payments on the go. You can’t accept payments from a desktop computer.

With SumUp for mobile payments, you can:

• Charge customers by dollar amount or by item (which you can search for in the app)
• Apply percentage or dollar-off discounts with discount notes
• Add inventory items and update stock manually on your mobile device
• Create quotes and invoices within the app
• Create suggested tips that customers see on-screen
• Connect to WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB-enabled printers and/or send digital receipts

Invoicing

SumUp POS creates an online quote.

SumUp offers straightforward invoicing software features, although there were more features than I originally expected.

With SumUp, you can:

• Choose from one of three aesthetically pleasing invoice templates
• Add customers, items, and discounts on a live invoice
• Include notes, invoice terms and conditions, and note invoice due dates
• Email quotes, wait for buyers to confirm the quote, then convert quotes into invoices to be paid using an email link
• Set up recurring invoices for repeat customers
• Issue credit on paid invoices in the event of damage or item returns
• Add delivery notes so customers can confirm their deliveries

The simple one-time invoice system makes SumUp a solid option for an individual who accepts simple custom orders. The recurring invoice system is great for individuals providing services like personal training.

Note: SumUp’s invoice payment processing rates are lower than competitors, so if you don’t need detailed invoicing features, SumUp could be a cost-effective solution for many small business owners.

Inventory Management

SumUp POS adds a new inventory item.

SumUp offers basic inventory management, including adding new items and item variations, automatically tracking and manually changing inventory, and creating item categories. You can create inventory variation templates, which is useful for situations like selling several items that share color and size variations. For example, I used the options template to create “red, blue, green” and “small, large” variations for different hair bow styles.

If you want to inventory things like production materials to find the actual cost of goods sold or incorporate more inventory management segmentation, consider one of the best POS systems with inventory management instead of SumUp.

Customer Relationship Management

SumUp’s customer relationship management features on the mobile app and web-based admin dashboard are pretty basic. You can enter customer details, pull them up when creating invoices, and view their transaction history.

You may also give them a custom discount and write custom notes on orders and invoices.

If you purchase a POS system from SumUp, the Fivestars loyalty program is a built-in digital marketing solution to attract and retain customers. Customers can sign up with their phone numbers on your POS screen, automatically earn points when they use their phone number at checkout, and redeem points in a variety of ways. Depending on your paid POS plan, Fivestars allows you to send weekly or daily promotions to your loyalty program customer base.

If you’re looking for better customer relationship management and a solid loyalty program, check out these best POS systems with built-in loyalty solutions.

Admin Management

SumUp offers basic admin management like employee logins, tax settings, and basic sales performance reports.

Developers can integrate SumUp with a WooCommerce, Wix, or Prestashop website. They may also build a payment widget into an app or website using the SumUp API.

On paid plans, you may integrate SumUp with QuickBooks Online.

Ease Of Use

To test how easy this POS software is to use, I created a SumUp account online and downloaded the mobile POS app onto my phone.

I added personal information and sample inventory, created quotes and invoices, credited paid invoices, changed admin settings like tax rates, and performed test transactions on the POS app. I also tested out the Bluetooth printer connectivity.

I found the entire setup process and everyday use very simple, which makes sense considering this is a basic POS system with a minimal feature set. SumUp is a decent choice if you’re looking for something that you can set up and start using within an hour.

Customer Service & Support

SumUp POS earns a below-average rating in customer support, mainly because the self-service help center offers very few articles and tutorial videos, and the most recent user reviews state that customer support is almost nonexistent.

Also, we don’t like the $399 installation fee that comes with a SumUp POS register setup.

SumUp offers phone support from Monday through Friday, 9 AM – 7 PM EST, for individuals on free plans. Those on paid plans get support from Monday through Friday, 4 AM – 11 PM PT, plus Saturday and Sunday support from 6 AM – 11 PM.

You may send a message or email to SumUp support. They aim to respond within one business day.

SumUp also has a limited knowledge base that does not include any photos or videos, all YouTube tutorials are for the UK version of the software, and the company’s blog/social media does not discuss product features.

Luckily, the software is very intuitive, so you generally won’t need a lot of support.

Payment Processing With SumUp

SumUp offers the following payment processing rates for different payment types:

• Card-Present: 2.75% (SumUp card reader) or 2.6% + $0.10 (SumUp POS register)
• Card-Not-Present: 3.5% + $0.15
• Invoice: 2.90% + $0.15
• Printed QR Code: 3.25% + $0.15

SumUp’s payment processing fees on the SumUp card reader beat competitors like Square (2.6% + $0.10 payment processing fee) when transaction values are less than $40, so businesses with a lot of small-ticket sales should consider getting a SumUp card reader.

The invoicing fee is also lower than competitors like Square, so if you need to send simple invoices, consider using SumUp’s free invoice creator and processor.

SumUp Contract & Commitment

SumUp offers monthly contracts that you may cancel at any point.

What To Watch Out For

Many customers have reported fund holds, slow payouts, and a lack of customer support when trying to get paid. Reviews also mention poor customer service in general.

Also, SumUp’s POS features are underdeveloped in the US, both in terms of what competitors offer and in terms of what you’re paying for. We believe there are better options for POS hardware and software than the SumUp register (you have to pay for the register, an installation fee, and a very costly subscription fee for an average-performing POS system).

SumUp POS User Reviews

Note: Most SumUp reviews are about the card reader and payment processing services, not the POS software. Also, many SumUp reviews are from several countries, so it’s hard to get a completely accurate picture of the SumUp POS for people in the US.

Negative SumUp POS Reviews & Complaints

• Poor Customer Support: Many customers complained about the lack of customer support. Representatives were either unable to be reached or there were long wait times to get someone on the phone to help.
• Slow Payouts: Several customers have reported very late payouts, especially for businesses that accept deposits for projects (you have to finish the entire project before getting paid.)
• Fund Holds: Some customers have reported random fund holds on transactions. SumUp will ask for more information before releasing funding for no apparent reason.

Positive SumUp POS Reviews & Testimonials

• Cost: The majority of people get SumUp because there’s no monthly fee and the card readers are inexpensive.
• Easy To Use: Many users state that SumUp is straightforward and there were no problems with setup.
• Card Reader Design: A lot of people appreciated how sleek and small SumUp card readers are.

Alternatives To SumUp POS

Final Verdict Of SumUp POS

SumUp offers an affordable mobile card reader and POS software that can work for very small retailers and service providers that operate on the go. We appreciate that there is a free POS subscription tier, but believe that these best free POS systems outperform SumUp for the most part.

If you own a retail store, have more in-depth inventory and customer management needs, want more integrations, or want eCommerce functionalities, look into these best retail POS systems.

If you are more interested in SumUp’s invoicing features, compare SumUp with the best invoicing software options.

If you own a restaurant, these are our picks for the best restaurant POS systems.

SumUp POS FAQs

Retail POS Review Methodology

We evaluate and test each software system that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on certain key software characteristics in order to generate our granular product ratings.

For retail POS software in particular, we have a 62-point rubric we use to evaluate the system in terms of its pricing, ease of use, features, and user reviews. These points are based on attributes relevant to the retail POS niche—such as the availability of features like purchase ordering, customer-facing displays, BOPIS (buy online, pick up in-store), and others.

Our rating system also takes into account attributes that are desirable for POS systems and cloud-based software in general, such as the availability of monthly pricing plans, free trials, and transparent software contracts.

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Square is an industry-leading point-of-sale and payment processing provider. Sign up for a free account and get a complimentary card reader for use with Square POS. Start For Free.

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Square	Visit Site Read our Review

Square is an industry-leading point-of-sale and payment processing provider. Sign up for a free account and get a complimentary card reader for use with Square POS. Start For Free.