Best Payment Apps for Small Business

If you’re looking for the best payment apps for small businesses in the UK, you will probably come across several options to choose from. Many of these payment apps offer different features such as domestic and international payment acceptance, in-person payments and advanced analytics and reporting. However, not all of them are suitable for the unique needs of your business.

In this guide, we will compare the best payment apps for small businesses in the UK, including Stripe, PayPal, Square, GoPayment, PaySimple, and SumUp. We will compare their fees, features, integrations and payment methods to help you make the right choice and maintain a healthy cash flow.

And while you're searching for the best payment apps to make your job easier, consider connecting it with an international account like Wise Business. With Wise Business, you can get local account details instantly and accept payments in 40+ currencies, making it easier to manage cash flow.

💡 Learn more about Wise Business

Payment apps for small businesses

The UK fintech sector accounts for 11% of the global industry¹ , and there are many payment options available. Payment apps in the UK offer several features and services, such as online payments, card payments, in-person payments with tap-to-pay or POS systems, and app integrations.

In this article, we will review six of the best mobile payment apps in the UK including:

• Stripe
• Square
• Paypal
• SumUp
• PaySimple
• GoPayment

Best payment apps: overview

Provider	Trustpilot score	Pricing model	Best known for
Stripe	2.0² (from +15k reviews)	Pay as you go³	Comprehensive payment solutions and APIs
Square	4.1⁴ (from +3k reviews)	Plans starting for free, £29 for Plus and custom fees for premium⁵	Payment processing and POS system
Paypal	1.3⁶ (from +33k reviews)	Pay per transaction	Wide coverage for domestic and international transactions
SumUp	4.0⁷ (from +25k reviews)	Pay as you go, plan Payment plus 19 GBP⁸	POS hardware and software systems
PaySimple	N/A	Monthly plan 79.95 USD⁹	Payment management for service-based businesses
Quickbooks Gopayment	N/A	Pay-as-you-go, or 19.95 USD monthly plan¹⁰	Credit card payments with smartphones or tablets

Comparing payment apps: criteria

In this guide, we will compare six payment apps for small businesses based on the following criteria:

• Features and services
• Payment methods
• Fees
• Integrations

Stripe

Stripe is a comprehensive payment platform that allows businesses to accept payments online and in person. Its powerful APIs make it easy for finance teams and developers to customise payment flows, automate billing, and integrate Stripe directly into their existing systems or apps. Stripe currently has a trust pilot score of 2.1 from 15.8K² reviews.

Read our complete Stripe Payments Review on security, costs and key features.

Stripe features and services:

• domestic and international payments (available in 46+ countries)¹¹
• in-person payments via Stripe terminal
• access to 100+ global payment methods¹²
• multi-currency management
• bulk payments and payouts
• virtual cards
• invoicing and billing
• accounting, sales, and vat automation
• custom reporting and dashboards
• real-time data syncing across systems
• built-in payment and regulatory compliance tools
• developer-friendly apis for customised integrations and workflows

Stripe payment methods:

Stripe supports 100+ payment methods¹² including

• Digital wallets: Apple Pay, Cash App Pay, Link, WeChat Pay
• Buy now, pay later (BNPL): Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay/Clearpay
• Bank transfers: SEPA (EU), SPEI (Mexico), Pay Now (Singapore)
• Other regional methods

Stripe fees

Fee Type	Cost¹³
Monthly fee	£0 (pay-as-you-go)
Domestic credit and debit card payments	1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards and 1.9% + 20p for premium UK cards
International credit and debit card payments	3.25% + 20p
Buy Now, Pay Later	Starting at 4.99% + 35p per successful transaction for Klarna
Multi-currency settlement	1% of payment amount or a minimum fee
Dispute fees	£20
Instant payouts	1%

Check out our Guide on how to use Stripe Payments in the UK.

Stripe app integrations

Stripe can easily integrate with your help desk and accounting software including:

• Quickbooks online
• Xero
• Netsuite

Square

Square is one of the best mobile payment apps in the UK. It is designed to help small businesses accept credit card payments and is well-known for its point of sale and contactless payment features. Square has a Trust Pilot score of 4.1 from +3k reviews². Here’s what a customer has to say:

“Downloaded the App and within 30 mins l had bank acc...No more having to carry cash and taking payments just with your phone is so relaxing” – Danny Vernel²

Square features and services

• domestic and international online payments
• in-person payments via point of sale (POS) systems and card readers
• tap to pay on android and iphone
• payment links for remote or no-code payments
• buy now, pay later options (powered by Afterpay)
• business checking and savings accounts
• debit cards and virtual cards
• bill payments and money transfers
• business funding
• invoicing and contracts
• inventory management
• finance dashboard with sales, tax, and cash flow insights
• APIs and SDKs for integration and customisation \

Square payment methods

Square supports a wide range of payment methods to accommodate both online and in-person transactions:

• credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American express, Discover)
• Square virtual terminal for remote payments
• swipe payments with square card readers
• contactless payments (Apple pay and Google pay)
• mobile payments through square’s pos system
• chip (dip) payments for EMV card transactions
• Square online payments for e-commerce stores
• API payments for custom online integrations
• card on file for recurring billing and subscription models
• tap to pay on iphone or android
• ACH payments

Square fees

Fee Type	Cost⁵
In-person payments	1.75% per transaction
Online payments	1.4% + 25p for UK card transactions and 2.5% + 25p for Non-UK card transactions
Manually entered card details	2.5%
Invoices	2.5%

Although Stripe and Square share some similar features, they have different pricing models and coverage. Check out our comprehensive Stripe vs Square guide to find out which is best for your team.

Square integrations

Square seamlessly integrates with popular finance, accounting and CRM platforms. Here are some of square’s popular integrations:

• Quickbooks online
• WooCommerce
• Wix
• Jotform
• Acuity Scheduling
• Shippo
• Printful
• Resy OS

Paypal

Paypal is one of the world’s largest payment providers that allow businesses to pay, sell and save money. Paypal is known for its swift cross-border payments and wide coverage. Paypal currently has a 1.3 trust pilot rating from +33k reviews⁶.

PayPal features and services

• domestic and international transactions (available in 200+ countries)¹⁴
• pay in 3 installments
• online checkout buttons for e-commerce and online payments
• business debit card
• paypal working capital
• invoicing
• POS system for physical stores
• risk management and reporting
• bulk payouts
• pay later options

PayPal payment methods

Paypal supports a wide range of payment methods including:

• Pay with PayPal
• debit and credit cards (visa, mastercard, american express, and others)
• bank redirects (e.g. open banking in the uk)
• direct banking (includes ACH direct debit and local payment systems)
• vouchers
• digital wallets (apple pay, google pay, samsung pay)

Read our comprehensive guide for a step-by-step on how to accept payments with PayPal.

PayPal fees

Fee Type	Cost¹⁵
Monthly fees	£0 (Pay per transaction)
Card funded payment from a user without a payment account	1.2% + fixed fee
All other commercial transactions	2.9% + fixed fee
International commercial transactions from EEA	1.29%
International commercial transactions from other markets	1.99%
Advanced credit and debit card payments - Blended pricing fee structure	1.2% + fixed fee
Advanced credit and debit card payments - Interchange Plus fee structure	Interchange fee + 1.2%
Fixed fee for PayPal Online Card Payment Services transactions (GBP)	£0.30
Domestic and international payouts	Fixed fee for PayPal Online Card Payment Services transactions (capped at £10 and £60 respectively)
Domestic and international micro payments	5% + micropayments fixed fee and 6%5% + micropayments fixed fee (which is £0.005 for payments in GBP)
Chargeback fees (for payments received in GBP)	£14.00
Currency conversion	3% above the base exchange rate
Withdrawals/ transfer to bank account	£0 when no currency conversion is needed

Check out our complete guide on Paypal business fees in the UK.

Paypal integrations

Paypal integrates seamlessly with both accounting software and ecommerce platforms including:

• Intuit Quickbooks
• Xero
• Shopify
• Wix
• WooCommerce
• Bluepark
• Cube cart
• Open cart

SumUp

Sumup is an online payment app thathelps small businesses receive payments and manage their finances, orders, and sales. As one of the best payment apps, SumUp has a Trustpilot score of 4.0 from +25k reviews⁷ and is well-known for its POS and software systems. Here’s what a customer has to say:

“Always reliable and very efficient and the funds transferred securely and quickly”-- Parvez Baloch⁷

SumUp features and services

• POS solutions
• cash advance
• payment links
• order and pay
• invoicing
• online payment
• payment links
• bookings
• self-service kiosk
• tap to pay

SumUp fees:

Sumup has two pricing plans: pay-as-you-go and payment plus.

Pay as you go

Description	Fee⁸
Pay as you go	£0 monthly cost
In-person payments (card readers, POS, Tap to pay)	1.69% of transaction fee
Online payments (invoices, online store, payment links and gift cards)	2.5% transaction fees
International corporate and premium cards (including AMEX)	1.69% / 2.5% transaction fee for in person and online payments
Card reader	Full price

Payment Plus

Description	Fee⁸
Monthly fee	£19
In-person payments (card readers, pos, tap to pay)	0.99% Transaction fee (domestic consumer cards, 1.99% for international cards
Online payments (invoices, online store, payment links, and gift cards)	0.99% Transaction fee (domestic consumer cards, 1.99% for international cards
International, corporate and premium cards (including amex)	1.99% Transaction fee for in-person and online payments
Card reader	50% discount

SumUp integrations

• WooCommerce
• Wix
• Intuit Quickbooks
• Xero
• Ubereats
• Zapier
• Shopify

PaySimple

You can’t discuss payment apps for small businesses without mentioning PaySimple. PaySimple is one of the few payment apps designed specifically for service-based businesses and small business owners.

Paysimple features and services

• omnichannel payments
• online checkout
• POS and mobile payments
• automated billing and invoicing
• online storefronts
• order and payment management
• marketing support
• personalised training

PaySimple payment methods

• credit and debit payments
• ACH bank transfers (e-checks)
• mobile payments
• in-person payments via mobile point of sale systems

PaySimple fees

You can access all features on PaySimple for $79.95 a month, available only in USD. However, you may need to contact PaySimple for a detailed view of pricing especially if you process more than 50,000 USD a month⁹.

Fee Type	Cost
Monthly fee	79.95 USD⁹
Credit card transaction fee	2.90% + 0.30 USD per transaction + monthly fees⁹
ACH/echeck transaction fee	1.05 USD¹⁶
Credit card processing batch fee	0.29 USD¹⁶
Credit card chargeback fee	25 USD¹⁶
ACH batch fee	0.75 USD¹⁶
ACH chargeback fee	25.00 USD¹⁶

PaySimple integrations

• QuickBooks Online
• TeamUp
• Desktop.com
• BlueSnap
• Knowify
• LeadPerfection
• Shift

QuickBooks GoPayment

QuickBooks Gopayment is a mobile payment app developed by Intuit, the company responsible for the popular accounting software QuickBooks. It’s great for receiving credit card payments and in-person payments with smartphones or tablets, and it integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks. This way, you can manage all accounting tasks from one place.

QuickBooks GoPayment features and services

• mobile payments
• in-person payments
• contactless payments
• GoPayment card reader plugin
• invoicing and receipts
• accounting and reporting

Quickbooks GoPayment payment methods:

• credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover)
• digital wallets (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay)
• Tap to Pay on iPhone
• ACH bank transfers
• cash and checks

Quickbooks GoPayment fees

Quickbooks GoPayments offer two major plans: Pay as you go and low monthly rates, both of them available in USD only:

Pay as you go

Fee Type	Cost¹⁰
Monthly fee	0 USD/month - Only pay per transaction
Swipe rate	2.40%
Keyed rate	3.40%
Transaction fee	0.25 USD

Low monthly rates

Fee Type	Cost¹⁰
Monthly fee	$19.95/month
Swipe rate	1.6%
Keyed rate	3.2%
Transaction fee	25 cents

Quickbooks Gopayment integrations

• QuickBooks online
• QuickBooks Desktop
• Dash Billing
• Bravo POS
• WizCommerce

How to choose the right app for your business

Here's what to consider when choosing the best payment app for your business:

• Compare total costs: Research the payment app’s transaction fees and other fees, such as setup, monthly, withdrawal, and currency conversion fees. Make sure the app is affordable for both you and your customers.
• Compare payment methods: Choose tools that support the payment types your customers actually use. For example, cards, mobile wallets, and bank transfers.
• Availability and coverage: Check to see if the payment app works in your customers’ locations and offers a smooth, user-friendly experience across regions.
• Look for integration options: Tools that connect easily with your accounting, CRM, or e-commerce platforms will save your team time and stress.
• Verify security and compliance: Ensure the app is PCI DSS compliant and FCA-regulated, and prioritise data security to reduce risk.

FAQS- payment apps for small businesses

What is the best payment app for small businesses in the UK?

The best payment app depends specifically on your business needs. Stripe offers a wide range of integrations and billing tools, and Square is great for in-person payments with POS. The more comprehensive the app, the better for your business.

What fees should I expect when using a payment app?

Payment apps typically charge subscription fees, transaction fees, conversion fees, card fees, and withdrawal or cash back fees. Always conduct some research to be aware of all costs.

How do payment apps help with cash flow management?

Payment apps help with cash flow management by making it easier and faster to accept payments. They often integrate with accounting tools and provide analytics and reporting to help finance teams track inflows and outflows.

Receive payments in multiple currencies with Wise Business

Wise can help UK businesses to receive payments in multiple currencies, with low fees and the mid-market exchange rate.

A Wise Business account comes with local account details to get paid in 8+ major foreign currencies like Euros and US Dollars just as easily as you do in Pounds, these payments can come directly from your customers, from PSPs like Stripe and Amazon, or from platforms like SumUp.

All you need to do is add the relevant currency account details to the platform you need to withdraw the funds. Once you receive the payment in Euros, Dollars or other supported currencies, you can hold this money into your multi-currency account, spend with Wise Business debit card or convert back to Pounds with low fees and the mid-market exchange rate.

Get started with Wise Business 🚀

Payment apps are important to any business that wants to simplify customer payments and improve cash flow. Proper research and comparing features, fees, payment methods, and integrations will help you choose the best payment app for your business and team.

Sources used in this article:

1. International Investment sectors page
2. Stripe TrustPilot page
3. Stripe GB pricing page
4. Square Trustpilot page
5. Square GB pricing page
6. Paypal TrustPilot page
7. SumUp TrustPilot page
8. SumUp pricing page
9. PaySimple pricing page
10. Quickbooks GoPayment pricing
11. Stripe global availability
12. Stripe payment methods
13. Stripe UK pricing page
14. PayPal global availability
15. PayPal GB fees page
16. PaySimple merchant fees page

Sources last checked 12-May-2025