Square Vs Zettle
In this blog, we will compare Square and Zettle so you don’t have to, so as a South London Business you can make the right choice for you.
Overview
For small businesses looking for an integrated EPOS and card payment system there are a plethora of options but in tech scale matters. The bigger the user base, the greater the functionality that is likely to be on offer. For this reason, we have chosen to compare two of the front runners - Square and Zettle.
It is worth noting from the off that whilst both apps have an EPOS and card payment system at their core, Square’s ambitions appear to go further. There is functionality around shifts, rotas, bookings and more suggesting the platform could become a management hub for retailers.
POS
Payments - Both systems will accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay, both systems also have the possibility to accept cash with the cash drawers.
Refunds - Both systems will allow for full or partial refunds to customers
Gift cards - Gift cards can be sold and accepted through both systems.
Hardware - Both systems can be custom-built for your needs with optional extras that can be purchased such as cash drawers, receipt printers, barcode scanners and more.
System setup - Square has a 5 step process to get you up and running and accepting payments and there is also a support team that you can contact Mon-Fri 9-5pm. Zettle can be as simple as setting up an account and installing an app on your phone and connecting to the device over Bluetooth, this is the simplest version of setup, as you create a more complex system the setup will take longer.
Security - Zettle’s reader 2 meets the highest industry security standards making it one of the most secure on the market. There is encrypted payment data and a tamperproof design. Square will use its entire system to monitor new security threats to continually learn and upgrade your account.
Square comes across as working more effectively for smaller businesses with easier setup and matching many of the features of Zettle that you could pay more for.
Pay Out
Zettle will process payouts to your bank account within 1-2 days of the date of the transaction. In comparison, Square will send payments taken before midnight the next business day, not including weekends.
Costs
There is very little difference between the costing for both systems, the only clear exception is on the price of the card readers and any software fees imposed on the business.
Square Costs
No setup costs
Square stand kit - £329 + VAT (iPad required)
Square register kit starting at £839 + VAT
Square card reader can be brought for £16 + VAT
Transaction Fee - 1.75%
Software fees - there are no software costs for the EPOS system by itself but for each sector there is a free and paid for subscription pack mostly the paid-for versions offer more granular reporting features.
Zettle
No setup cost
Card reader starting at £29
Store kits starting from £189 + VAT
Transaction Fee - 1.75%
Software Fees - there are no software costs.
Reporting
Most users of Square and Zettle will be interested in Sales reports - by time period, by product, by team member, by category and both platforms perform quite equally in this regard with a full suite of reports.
Integrations
As we know from Xero, the App Marketplace can be a big part of the attractions. Both platforms cover many of the most popular integrations that small business owners will be looking for - Xero, QuickBooks Online, Shopify etc.
However, in terms of breadth, there is a clear winner. Square has a more extensive list of integrations.
Conclusion
Both systems are viable for good options to use within a small business. For what you get and ease of use and setup I would recommend Square as it has a larger range of integrations, more options with hardware extras as well as the option to invest in more in-depth reporting.