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SquarevsSumUp·Ireland

Square vs SumUp fees in Ireland

A side-by-side look at Square and SumUp public card-processing rates for Irish businesses, with a sample €10,000/month scenario.

Saving at €10,000/mo
€44/mo

SumUp is lower in this example · ≈ €522 a year

Square
€213/mo

2.13% effective rate

SumUp
€169/mo

1.69% effective rate

Run your own numbersBrowse all 7 comparisons

Square and SumUp are natural comparisons for Irish businesses taking payments face to face. Both can suit small businesses that want card readers without a traditional merchant-services quote, but they differ in product depth.

Square is more of a POS and commerce toolkit, with online, invoice and card-on-file pricing lines. SumUp is simpler and often attractive for mobile sellers, market traders and micro-businesses that want pay-as-you-go card acceptance.

Quick answer

Use this as a starting point before checking the fee table.

Square is usually the stronger fit when you need POS workflows, inventory or a broader commerce app. SumUp is usually easier to justify when you mainly need a simple reader or payment link with low setup complexity.

Choose Square if

you want point-of-sale software, online/offline sales tools and a more complete operating setup around payments.

Choose SumUp if

you want straightforward card acceptance for markets, mobile services, pop-ups or smaller in-person volumes.

What this guide compares

Use this to rule providers in or out before checking the details that matter to your business.

Included
Public card-processing fees, supported features and common Irish small-business use cases.
Not included
Negotiated rates, hardware purchases, chargebacks, refunds, currency conversion, optional software plans and provider-specific add-ons unless explicitly stated.

Main fee differences

These are the assumptions most likely to move the estimate.

What changes the fee gap

  • Square's VAT treatment matters for non-VAT-registered businesses.
  • SumUp's paid Payments Plus plan is not included in the default estimate, so higher in-person volume may need a separate plan comparison.
  • Online versus in-person mix matters because Square publishes separate pricing lines.

Watch out for

  • Card reader and terminal purchase costs are outside the processing-fee estimate.
  • Square optional software products can add monthly costs beyond processing.
  • SumUp is simpler, but that can also mean fewer POS and commerce features than Square.

Feature comparison

Capability coverage from the Praghas provider directory.

Online checkout
SquareYes
SumUpYes
Payment links
SquareYes
SumUpYes
In-person terminals
SquareYes
SumUpYes
POS / commerce tools
SquareYes
SumUpPartial
Subscriptions
SquarePartial
SumUpPartial
Developer APIs
SquarePartial
SumUpUnclear
Business account
SquareNo
SumUpPartial

Example fee comparison

Based on €10,000.00/month, €50.00 average sale, default online payment mix. Run your own numbers for an accurate comparison.

SumUp
Lowest estimate

€169.00/mo

1.69% effective rate

Baseline

vs lowest

Annual €2,028.00

Visit provider
Square

€212.50/mo

2.13% effective rate

+€43.50/mo

vs lowest

Annual €2,550.00

Visit provider

The table sorts the two providers by estimated monthly fee for this sample scenario only. It is not a quality ranking or recommendation.

When each is a fit

Use these notes as decision prompts before running your own numbers.

Consider Square if

  • You want point-of-sale tools, inventory or a broader commerce app
  • You take a mix of in-person, online, invoice or remote payments
  • You value predictable product workflows as much as processing cost

Consider SumUp if

  • You want a simple card reader setup with no fixed monthly cost
  • You sell at markets, pop-ups, mobile services or low-overhead retail
  • You prefer a straightforward pay-as-you-go processing model

The verdict

Square is usually the richer POS choice; SumUp is usually the simpler card-reader choice. The fee estimate should be read alongside hardware cost, VAT treatment and whether you need POS features beyond taking the payment.

Read the provider notes

Each provider page lists the rates, assumptions and exclusions used by Praghas.

SquareUses Square's public standard Irish pricing. Hardware and optional software costs are separate.SumUpPraghas assumes SumUp's public pay-as-you-go pricing. Paid plans, subscriptions and hardware are not included.

Frequently asked questions

No. Card readers and terminals are not included in the processing-fee estimate. Compare hardware prices separately before choosing.

Square publishes processing rates plus VAT. Praghas includes that VAT effect for businesses that are not VAT registered, because it changes the real cost for those users.

Sources

Figures are estimates based on public standard pricing and may be out of date. Confirm current rates with each provider before deciding.