5 Best Mobile Credit Card Processors of 2023
Versatile card readers and competitive transaction fees can influence your pick of a mobile credit card processor.
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The best app for credit card processing depends on your business needs. Free or inexpensive card readers, competitive pricing and device compatibility are some of the top features to consider when choosing a mobile credit card processor. Depending on your customer base, card readers that allow a range of payment options — including magstripe, chip and contactless transactions — may also influence your decision.
Here are our top picks for mobile credit card processors.
The best app for credit card processing depends on your business needs. Free or inexpensive card readers, competitive pricing and device compatibility are some of the top features to consider when choosing a mobile credit card processor. Depending on your customer base, card readers that allow a range of payment options — including magstripe, chip and contactless transactions — may also influence your decision.
Here are our top picks for mobile credit card processors.
Best Mobile Credit Card Processors
Our pick for
Overall option
on Square's secure website
Square
Payment processing fees
2.6% + 10¢in-person; 2.9% + 30¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0Starts at $0/month for unlimited devices and locations.
on Square's secure website
Our pick for
Customer support
on Clover POS's secure website
Clover POS
Payment processing fees
2.3% + 10¢ or 2.6% + 10¢in-person; 3.5% + 10¢ online.
Monthly fee
$15$14.95 and up.
on Clover POS's secure website
Our pick for
Card-present transaction fee rate
PayPal Zettle
Payment processing fees
2.29% + 9¢in-person; 3.49% + 49¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0Our pick for
QuickBooks loyalists
on NerdWallet's secure website
QuickBooks Payments
Payment processing fees
2.4% + 25¢in-person; 2.9% + 25¢ online.
Monthly fee
$0QuickBooks subscription required.
on NerdWallet's secure website
Our pick for
All-in-one option with built-in printer
Payanywhere
Payment processing fees
2.69%in-person; 3.49% + $0.19 online.
Monthly fee
$0in person; $20 online
Square: Best overall option
Reader cost: Free magstripe reader or $49 for chip card and contactless payments reader.
Compatibility: Apple iOS and Android devices with Bluetooth.
POS app: Free.
Monthly fee: $0 with Free plan.
Card-present transaction fees: 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction.
Square doesn’t require a contract, provides a free magstripe reader and offers a free plan and free POS app. You can opt to pay $49 for a chip card and contactless payments reader, and you can also upgrade to the Plus or Premium plans that start at $29 monthly if you want more advanced features. Square's mobile credit card readers can’t print receipts, but you can provide customers with a receipt through text or email. Only the free magstripe reader can handle offline transactions. Phone support is limited to weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time.
Clover Go: Best for customer support
Reader cost: $49 for a reader that accepts magstripe, chip and contactless payments.
Compatibility: Android and Apple iOS devices with Bluetooth.
POS app: Free.
Monthly fee: $0 with Starter plan.
Card-present transaction fees: 2.6% plus 10 cents per transaction.
Clover is a strong competitor of Square. Clover Go offers a mobile card reader at an upfront cost of $49, and it accepts payments by swipe, dip or tap. The POS app is free and the Starter plan doesn’t have a monthly fee. Phone support is available around the clock, which sets it apart from other providers. Your customers have the option to receive a receipt by text or email. However, details about product options and pricing can be hard to find on the Clover website, and you may have to sign a contract to use Clover.
PayPal Zettle: Best card-present transaction fee rate
Reader cost: $29 for the first reader that accepts magstripe, chip and contactless payments.
Compatibility: Apple iOS and Android devices with Bluetooth.
POS app: Free.
Monthly fee: No monthly fee.
Card-present transaction fees: 2.29% plus 9 cents per transaction.
PayPal Zettle offers one of the lowest card-present transaction rates at 2.29% plus 9 cents per payment. While the PayPal Zettle card reader isn’t free, your first one is relatively inexpensive at $29. Any additional card readers will cost you $79 each. You won’t be charged a monthly fee and the POS app is also free. There’s no long-term contract and daily phone support is available for businesses from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. You can text or email your customers a receipt. Payment funds are transferred into your PayPal account, but you can then schedule deposits to your bank account.
QuickBooks GoPayment: Best for QuickBooks loyalists
Reader cost: $49 for the first reader that accepts magstripe, chip and contactless payments.
Compatibility: Apple iOS and Android devices with Bluetooth.
POS app: Free.
Monthly fee: No monthly fee, when you have a QuickBooks online account.
Card-present transaction fees: 2.4% plus 25 cents per transaction.
The QuickBooks GoPayment mobile app may be a convenient option for QuickBooks users. A card reader costs $49, but the POS app is free and you won’t be tied to a long-term contract. Card-present transaction fees are competitive, but QuickBooks does charge a higher transaction fee of 25 cents compared to some of the other processors we looked at. Also, if you don’t currently have a QuickBooks account, you’ll need one in order to use GoPayment. The cheapest QuickBooks plan starts at $15 for three months and then $30 after that. Customer support is limited to weekdays.
Payanywhere: Best all-in-one option with built-in printer
Reader cost: $59.95 for a reader that also includes contactless payments.
Compatibility: Apple iOS and Android devices.
POS app: Free.
Monthly fee: None with credit card readers.
Card-present transaction fees: 2.69% per payment.
Payanywhere offers a three-in-one reader that can be purchased for $59.95, but the POS app is free. There aren’t monthly fees for the card readers, but monthly software fees for other devices range from $9.95 to $39.95. Payanywhere also offers a robust hand-held reader with a built-in printer, touch screen and camera at a cost of $349.95 plus $9.95 a month in software fees. If you commit to a set contract term, note that there could be a termination fee of $295 or more if you decide to cancel.
Last updated on March 1, 2023
Methodology
NerdWallet’s ratings of payment processing providers rewards companies whose products and services are priced well and work in a variety of payment scenarios, among other criteria. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including overall cost, hardware and software options, system capabilities, customer service, contract requirements and integrations. Learn more about how we rate payment processing providers.
These ratings are a guide, but fees, hardware, software and contract requirements can vary widely from business to business and provider to provider. We encourage you to shop around and compare several providers.
NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines.
To recap our selections...
NerdWallet's Best Mobile Credit Card Processors of 2023
- Square: Best for Overall option
- Clover POS: Best for Customer support
- PayPal Zettle: Best for Card-present transaction fee rate
- QuickBooks Payments: Best for QuickBooks loyalists
- Payanywhere: Best for All-in-one option with built-in printer
