Credit card readers have helped many small businesses make more sales by easily taking card payments. These days, it can even be done on your Android and IOS devices. If you’re using an IOS device, you will find more credit card apps available, but there are also some great ones available for Android devices. Finding these processing apps on Android devices is more difficult because there are too many devices available, and different updates depending on the operating system and device. We’ve compiled a list to help you select the best credit card reader app on your Android and IOS devices. Let’s get right into it.
Credit Card Reader Apps for Android
Before selecting the best card reader apps for your Android devices, make sure that they are fitting your needs and have enough positive reviews (because it can vary over time.) They have to easily process EMV chips or magnetic stripes, accept contactless payments, and be PCI compliant. Also check the point of sale, ease of use, business management tools, and cost.
1. Square
We’ve ranked Square as the best credit card reader app for Android devices, as it possesses all the best properties we were looking for. It is well trusted by customers, has a great POS system, and is very easy to use. Irrespective of what services you offer, you’ll find Square very helpful in accepting payments. You get the Square swipe reader for free, but the EMV (chip reader) costs $49. With Square, you also get a free online POS system without any monthly fees. The only thing we didn’t really like was that customer service is only available during the weekend.
2. Payline
Payline has the lowest card rates for steady businesses (those with higher sales volume per month). You’ll find the ongoing costs very useful and cheaper. If you go for Payline’s $10 per month plan, you can receive in-person payments. For Android users, Payline offers Clover Go as its card reader choice, but you can also use Ingenico. With Payline, you also get a dedicated account manager. If your business makes thousands of dollars per month, you can save a lot of money by starting with the Payline credit card reader.
3. Paypal Here
Paypal is one of the most popular solutions for receiving money from customers. It works pretty well for small businesses and is very easy to use. The mobile card reader syncs directly with your Paypal account. You can accept payment wherever you are in the world. It has standard fraud protection, has a POS system, and other business management tools like creating custom invoices and project bids, and it has different payment options including touchless, international, online, credit cards, and cross-border.
4. Shopify
Do you run an e-commerce store on Shopify? Then, you should use the Shopify credit card reader for your business. Of course, you don’t need a card reader when customers are shopping from your online store. But sometimes, you may want to sell in person. The free Shopify POS app on the Android store will help you receive all your payments. It automatically syncs your payment, inventory, and customer data between the POS app and your Shopify online store. It also lets you take cash payments.
5. QuickBooks GoPayment
If you use QuickBooks, GoPayment is a good choice, especially if you deal with large amounts of money and you’ll like to have ACH transfer capabilities. GoPayment offers a free chip reader and magnetic stripe, and a very affordable chip-and-touchless reader. Its transaction fees are also pretty low. What we didn’t love about GoPayment is that it has a separate POS system, and there have been customer reports about delays in being able to receive their money.
Credit Card Reader Apps for iOS
If you are an iOS user, you can use one of these applications to read your credit cards.
1. Square
Just like with Android devices, Square is also the best card reader app for your iPhones or iPads. It has no monthly fees or upfront costs and it offers amazing features that make it the best choice. You may want to opt for other providers depending on how much you sell monthly, but Square makes up for this by providing you with management tools, chargeback support, and scalable hardware. The Swipe, EMV & tap fee is 2.6% + 10c. Just like the Android version, the reader and contactless chip also cost $49 on your iOS devices.
2. PayAnywhere
When using PayAnywhere, you get charged a flat rate of 2.69% for your credit card transactions. So, if you are selling affordable items, this is a great choice for you. It will save you up to 25% of the money you’ll spend if you’re using Square to make payment. It offers a free EMV card reader and has no added fees for chargebacks. But, it has higher fees for keyed-in payments (3.49% + $0.19), and if you process over $10,000 monthly, this may be expensive for you. PayAnywhere also doesn’t accept international credit cards.
3. Payment Depot
Payment Depot is a great option for bigger businesses because of its very low processing fees (most especially if your average sale is over $25). This credit card reader app also comes with a free SimpleSwipe mobile account and you never have to worry about delayed payment. However, you have to pay a monthly fee to keep using the app ($79), and it may be pretty expensive if your average sale is less than $25. Payment Depot does not charge a flat conversion fee.
4. SumUp
SumUp is the cheapest 3-in-1 credit card reader. It has no contract or monthly fees and also has the lowest price for any credit card readers available ($19). There are various features available such as allowing payment links and QR codes to be sent to the customers directly to pay on their phones, a virtual remote terminal for payment, an option for the creation of different user accounts for staff, and a backend dashboard analytics. Its Swipe, EMV, and tap fee is 2.75%, the keyed-in cards cost 3.25% + 15c, and invoice payments cost 2.90% +15c.
5. EMSplus
EMSplus is best for business owners who sell items over $25 and want a credit card processing company that does not charge monthly or upfront fees. We don’t think its mobile app is as functional as Square or Shopify even though it has very low rates for large transactions. It also has a $45 chargeback fee and does not work online. Additional features of EMSplus include a payout time of two days, 24/7 customer support, a POS app that can accept credit card payments, email receipts, invoicing, and create product categories.