SumUp vs Square vs Dojo: which card machine for a UK takeaway?

Short answer: for a quiet takeaway taking under about £3,000 a month on cards, SumUp and Square cost much the same (1.69% vs 1.75%, no monthly fee). Above that, SumUp's £19 Payments Plus plan usually wins on published prices. Dojo can be cheaper again, but its rates are quoted, and above £100,000 a year they are custom. Square has the strongest free takeaway till. Whichever you pick, taking payment online when customers order is a separate choice. It can cut no-shows and queues.

Menuthere doesn't sell card machines and has no deal with any provider here. We make commission-free ordering software, which we cover at the end.

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SumUp vs Square vs Dojo at a glance

Published UK figures on 11 October 2026. Hardware ex VAT unless stated.

Zettle and Teya are worth a look too. Zettle charges 1.75% including Amex, with no monthly fee. Teya's Start plan is 1.59% for businesses taking up to £7,500 a month. See our PDQ machine guide for the full table.

What each one costs at your volume

Assumptions: average payment £18, and 85% of card payments are UK consumer cards. Card fees only, no hardware.

What this tells you:

• Below about £3,200 a month, SumUp's pay-as-you-go plan is cheaper than Payments Plus. Above it, the £19 plan pays for itself.
• Square is the dearest on card fees alone at every volume here. It earns its place with free POS software and an easy online ordering add-on.
• Dojo only publishes a blended rate for small businesses. Busy takeaways need a quote. Get it in writing, with every fixed fee, and compare it to the SumUp Plus line.

Remember the hardware too. A Square Reader is £19 and a SumUp Solo Lite is £25. A countertop terminal with its own screen is £135 to £149.

SumUp vs Square: the main differences

• Fees. SumUp is slightly cheaper on pay as you go (1.69% vs 1.75%) and much cheaper on its subscription plan.
• Payouts. SumUp pays next day into its own business account, even at weekends. Square pays in 1–2 working days for free, or instantly for 1.5%.
• Software. Square's free POS and restaurant tools are stronger for a takeaway with a menu, modifiers and a kitchen printer. SumUp's POS Plus costs £39 a month.
• Online. Square's online rate (1.4% + 25p) beats SumUp's (2.5%) on bigger orders.

Dojo vs Square and Dojo vs SumUp

• Dojo is built for busier venues. It's popular with restaurants and pubs, and it sells handheld devices for paying at the table.
• Rates are quoted, not listed for most businesses. That can mean a lower rate, but you must check the fixed fees: authorisation fees, device costs and any minimum term.
• Contracts: Dojo offers 12-month fixed and 30-day rolling options. Ask for any exit fee in writing.
• Square and SumUp suit owners who want a clear price list and no contract.

Which card machine suits your takeaway?

Whichever you choose, you can't add a card surcharge for consumers. Build the fee into your prices with our card fee calculator.

Do you still need online ordering if you have a card machine?

A card machine takes payment when the customer is in front of you. That works for walk-ins. For phone, collection and delivery orders, it leaves gaps:

• No-shows. Unpaid phone orders sometimes never get collected.
• Doorstep payments. Drivers carry a machine or cash, and wait while customers find their card.
• Phone queues. Staff take orders by phone at the busiest time of night.

Online ordering fixes these. Customers choose from your menu and pay when they order. Online card fees are similar wherever you go:

The real difference is not the card fee. It's the commission if the order comes through an app.

Where Menuthere fits

Menuthere is not a card machine. Keep SumUp, Square, Dojo or whichever machine you like for walk-ins.

Menuthere gives your takeaway its own ordering page for collection and delivery:

• 0% commission on every plan.
• Customers pay by card through your own Stripe account (Lite and above), so the money goes straight to you. Apple Pay and Google Pay work too if you switch them on in your own Stripe account. On the Free plan, customers pay when they collect or on delivery, by cash or on your card machine.
• Orders ring on the partner app and print a kitchen ticket.
• Free plan up to 50 orders a month, with basic delivery zones; Lite (US$17 a month, billed in US dollars) for unlimited orders, advanced delivery zones and card payments. 7-day free trial (a card is needed to start it, but nothing is charged until it ends).

Many takeaways run both: a card machine on the counter and a commission-free ordering page for everything else. See how it works for a takeaway ordering system.

Add prepaid online orders next to your card machine.

Create your free ordering page