SumUpvs

Stripe·Ireland

SumUp vs Stripe fees in Ireland

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

Saving at €10,000/mo: €48/mo
SumUp: €169/mo
Stripe: €217/mo

Run your own numbers Browse all 12 comparisons

SumUp and Stripe appeal to different kinds of Irish business. SumUp is a simple, flat-rate card reader for selling in person or through quick payment links, while Stripe is an online-first payment platform built for custom checkout, subscriptions and developer integrations.

SumUp charges one flat percentage with no fixed per-transaction fee, so it is predictable on small sales. Stripe's online rate is slightly lower but adds a fixed fee per transaction, which matters most when your average sale is low.

Quick answer

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

SumUp is the simpler, often cheaper choice for small in-person sales because it has no fixed per-transaction fee. Stripe is the stronger choice for online-first businesses that need APIs, subscriptions or custom checkout.

Choose SumUp if

you mainly sell in person or want a simple flat-rate reader and payment links with no fixed per-transaction fee.

Choose Stripe if

your checkout is online, you need a developer API, subscriptions, marketplace features or precise control over the payment flow.

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

SumUp uses one flat rate with no fixed per-transaction fee, so it stays predictable on low-value sales.
Stripe's online rate is slightly lower than SumUp's but adds a fixed fee per transaction, so average sale value decides which wins online.
Channel matters: SumUp prices in-person and online the same, while Stripe's strength is online with Terminal available for in-person.

Watch out for

SumUp paid plans, tailored pricing and hardware are not in the default pay-as-you-go estimate.
Stripe currency conversion, disputes and additional product fees are outside the standard estimate.
For in-person, compare SumUp's reader against Stripe Terminal rather than Stripe's online rate.

Feature comparison

Capability coverage from the Praghas provider directory.

Online checkout: SumUpYes
StripeYes
Payment links: SumUpYes
StripePartial
In-person terminals: SumUpYes
StripeYes
POS / commerce tools: SumUpPartial
StripePartial
Subscriptions: SumUpPartial
StripeYes
Developer APIs: SumUpUnclear
StripeYes
Business account: SumUpPartial
StripeNo

Feature	SumUp	Stripe
Online checkout	Yes	Yes
Payment links	Yes	Partial
In-person terminals	Yes	Yes
POS / commerce tools	Partial	Partial
Subscriptions	Partial	Yes
Developer APIs	Unclear	Yes
Business account	Partial	No

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

Stripe

€217.00/mo

2.17% effective rate

+€48.00/mo

vs lowest

Annual €2,604.00

Visit provider

Provider	Monthly	Annual	Rate	vs lowest
SumUp Lowest estimate	€169.00	€2,028.00	1.69%	Baseline	Visit provider
Stripe	€217.00	€2,604.00	2.17%	+€48.00/mo+€576/yr	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 SumUp if

You sell mostly in person or at markets and pop-ups
You want flat pricing with no fixed per-transaction fee
Simplicity matters more than developer features

Consider Stripe if

Your checkout is online and you want API control
You run subscriptions, a marketplace or a custom flow
You want one platform that can grow with the product

The verdict

Average sale value and channel decide this one. For small in-person sales SumUp's flat, no-fixed-fee pricing is hard to beat; for online-first businesses Stripe's lower percentage and developer tools usually lead. Run your real average sale and channel mix to see the gap.

Read the provider notes

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

SumUpPraghas assumes SumUp's public pay-as-you-go pricing. Paid plans, subscriptions and hardware are not included.

StripeUses Stripe's public standard Irish card pricing. Extra product, currency conversion and dispute fees are not included.

Frequently asked questions

On small sales SumUp is often cheaper because it has no fixed per-transaction fee, even though Stripe's online percentage is slightly lower. On larger online sales Stripe's lower rate can win. The calculator shows the difference for your average sale.

Stripe Terminal supports in-person payments, but it is more of a developer-led setup than an off-the-shelf reader. For simple face-to-face selling, SumUp is usually the more direct option.