Top 10 Best Card Reader Options

When choosing the best credit card reader for a small business, you want a solution that is reliable, affordable, easy to use, and offers the features you need. Here are some of the top options, each with its own set of benefits depending on your business type and size. We have included the top 10 most popular options for 2025.

Note: All devices listed below accept all modern payment types:

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Square Smartphone Card Reader

Best For: Small businesses looking for simplicity and low upfront costs. This is the best credit card reader for small business looking to process customer payments with a smartphone.

Features:

• Accepts both magnetic stripe and EMV chip and NFC cards.
• No monthly fees or contracts; only pay per transaction (2.6% + 10¢ for card-present transactions).
• Free mobile app (Square Point of Sale) with features like inventory management and sales tracking.
• Optional hardware add-ons like a receipt printer or cash drawer.
• Works with iOS and Android.

Why Choose It? Square is widely praised for its ease of use, transparent pricing, and flexible features, making it ideal for small businesses with basic point-of-sale (POS) needs.

Support:

Corporate only, no local: ✅ 🚫

SumUp Card Reader

Best For: Very small businesses or mobile vendors needing a low-cost option.

Features:

• No monthly fees, pay-as-you-go pricing (2.75% per transaction).
• Accepts chip and swipe cards as well as contactless payments.
• Compact and lightweight, ideal for on-the-go businesses.
• Free app for iOS and Android with basic POS features.

Why Choose It? SumUp is simple and inexpensive with a straightforward setup process. It’s great for small, mobile businesses that don’t need complicated features.

Support:

Corporate only, no local: ✅ 🚫

Toast Go

Best For: Larger restaurants and food service businesses.

Features:

• Cloud-based POS with mobile payment options.
• Accepts chip, swipe, and contactless payments.
• Includes specialized features for the restaurant industry (e.g., table management, menu customization, and tipping).
• Works with a wide range of peripherals (kitchen printers, cash drawers, etc.).
• 2.6% + 15¢ per transaction, with custom pricing for larger businesses.

Why Choose It? If you run a restaurant or café, Toast is an industry-specific POS that goes beyond just payments, with tools designed to improve operations in a fast-paced foodservice environment.

Support:

Corporate only, no local: ✅ 🚫

Stripe Terminal

Best For: Online businesses expanding into physical retail.

Features:

• Accepts chip, swipe, and contactless payments (including Apple Pay, Google Pay).
• No monthly fees, pay-as-you-go pricing (2.7% + 5¢ per transaction).
• Integrated with Stripe’s online payment system, so it’s ideal for businesses that sell both online and offline.
• Offers a sleek, portable terminal with a straightforward user interface.

Why Choose It? If you’re already using Stripe for your online business, Stripe Terminal offers easy integration and seamless payment processing for both digital and physical transactions.

Support:

Corporate only, no local: ✅ 🚫

QuickBooks GoPayment Card Reader

Best For: Small businesses using QuickBooks for accounting.

Features:

• Accepts chip, swipe, and contactless payments.
• Seamlessly integrates with QuickBooks Online for easier bookkeeping.
• No monthly fees, pay-per-transaction pricing (2.7% + 25¢ per swipe).
• Free app with basic POS features like invoicing and sales tracking.

Why Choose It? If you’re already using QuickBooks for accounting, the GoPayment reader makes it easy to integrate your POS system with your financial records.

Support:

Corporate only, no local: ✅ 🚫

Final Thoughts:

• Processing Rates: In our modern day it is becoming antiquated to be charged a processing fee. 0% Dual Pricing have become a very popular choice across the country.
• Support Issues: Some options in our list of the best credit card reader for small business have both corporate and local support, and some don’t. You have to choose what is best for your business.