Card reader comparison: all 122 providers for taking payments on a phone

Filter by region, provider type, certification and published pricing — then sort by score, transaction fee or name. 33 of these providers serve the UK market.

Editorial: SoftPOS24 Payment ResearchUpdated: 15.08.2026Data set: 138 providers, 14 criteria
How to read this table

The score is not a verdict on how good the app is to use. It measures how transparent, far-reaching and independently certified an offer is, using the formula on our methodology page. "Price on request" means the provider publishes no rate — that costs points rather than being quietly ignored. Rates are headline rates for consumer debit cards; commercial and non-UK cards usually cost more, as explained on the costs page.

122 providers
Highest rated overall
1

Stripe

SDK / white label · iOS + Android · 29 markets · Europe

4.5out of 5
Rating 1.4excellent91 out of 100 points
Transaction fee
from 2.70% + 5 ¢
Monthly fee
none
Certification
PCI DSS
Data quality
source verified
  • no monthly fee
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • available in 29 markets
  • no MPoC certification stated
View provider profileProvider's own source
9

Adyen

SoftPOS + hardware · iOS + Android · 17 markets · Europe

3.9out of 5
Rating 1.9good78 out of 100 points
Transaction fee
on request
Monthly fee
none
Certification
PCI DSS
Data quality
source verified
  • no monthly fee
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • available in 17 markets
  • pricing not published
  • no MPoC certification stated
View provider profileProvider's own source
96

NMI

SDK / white label · iOS + Android · 2 markets · North America / UK

1.7out of 5
Rating 3.6adequate34 out of 100 points
Transaction fee
on request
Monthly fee
on request
Certification
n/a
Data quality
secondary source
  • Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • pricing not published
  • no MPoC certification stated
View provider profileProvider's own source

All figures without warranty. Payment pricing changes constantly and the same provider charges differently from one country to the next, so the provider's own current price list always takes precedence. Every number in this table is recorded with its source on the individual provider profile. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it free of charge.

Infrastructure providers and enablers

These 16 companies do not sell to merchants. They supply the technology, the certification or the card scheme approval that the providers above build on — a white-label SDK, an MPoC platform or an acquiring licence. They sit outside the ranking because a merchant cannot buy from them directly, but they are listed so you can see who is actually behind an app.