Cheekypayments
vs Zettle.
PayPal’s small-business card reader and point-of-sale product, strong where a business already lives inside PayPal.
The rate card
Their rates unverified| Cheekypayments | Zettle | |
|---|---|---|
| In person | 1.4% + 10p · every plan (Stripe's rate) | Not yet verified |
| Online | 1.5% + 20p · every plan | Not yet verified |
| Monthly fee | £0, £19, £79 — for software, not a lower rate | Not yet verified |
| Hardware | Tap to Pay free · reader £29 outright · countertop machine via Verofy | Not yet verified |
| Payouts | Daily payouts | Not yet verified |
| Contract | No minimum term | Not yet verified |
We haven’t published Zettle’s rates because we haven’t verified them against their own pricing page. Quoting a competitor’s price from memory is how comparison pages end up wrong, and a wrong number that sits here for a year does more damage than a blank cell. Check Zettle’s current pricing directly, then use our calculator to work out what you’d pay here.
Built differently, not just priced differently.
Rates move. How a company is put together doesn’t, and it tells you more about what you’ll be dealing with in a year’s time.
- Ecosystem
Cheekypayments: Independent. Your payouts go to your bank on your schedule.
Zettle: Tightly integrated with PayPal balances and PayPal’s wider account rules.
- Point of sale
Cheekypayments: Payments and reporting today; our own till, Cheeky Till, is on the way. Until it ships, bring your own till software.
Zettle: Includes a full POS app with inventory, which is a real advantage in retail.
- Pricing model
Cheekypayments: One published rate, the same on every plan and the same as Stripe's own. Nothing to negotiate.
Zettle: Flat rate with volume-based reductions applied by application.
Want a till as well as a reader? Cheeky Till is coming, and it will work with a Zettle reader too. About Cheeky Till
They’re the better choice if…
If you already run your business through PayPal, or you want an all-in-one till with stock control included, Zettle removes a whole integration problem that we’d hand back to you.
We’d rather you went to them and stayed happy than came to us and left in three months. Churn costs us more than the sale is worth.
Switching from Zettle
Is Cheekypayments cheaper than Zettle by PayPal?
It depends on your volume and average sale, and we won’t publish Zettle's rate here until we’ve verified it against their own pricing page. Cheekypayments charges Stripe's published UK rates on every plan: 1.4% + 10p in person and 1.5% + 20p online, with a £0 plan available. Put your own numbers into our calculator and compare that total against your current statement — that is the only comparison that means anything.
Can I switch from Zettle by PayPal to Cheekypayments?
Yes. Cheekypayments has no minimum term and no exit fee, so you can run both side by side while you move over. Check your existing Zettle agreement first — if it has a minimum term or a hardware lease, those obligations continue regardless of whether you use the service.
What does Zettle by PayPal do better than Cheekypayments?
If you already run your business through PayPal, or you want an all-in-one till with stock control included, Zettle removes a whole integration problem that we’d hand back to you.
Do I need to buy a card reader to switch from Zettle by PayPal?
No. Tap to Pay on iPhone and Android turns the phone you already own into a contactless card reader, and it is included on every Cheekypayments plan. A card reader is available for £29 as a one-off purchase, with no rental and no minimum term, and a traditional countertop machine can be arranged on your own Verofy account.
Work out what you’d actually pay.
Put in your monthly takings and average sale. The card rate is the same on every plan, so the only question is whether you want the software.
Open the calculatorZettle is a trademark of its respective owner. This page is an independent comparison published by Cheeky Payments Limited and is not endorsed by or affiliated with Zettle.