I was looking into mobile payment processors, a need for an upcoming event, and was not satiated with listings on other comparison sites. Here is my evaluation.
Sites I visited:
http://www.merchantmaverick.com/top-7-square-alternatives/ – ton s of information but way too wordy. I just wanted to get to the numbers
http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/square-vs-intuit-gopayment-vs-paypal-here-mobile-credit-card-processors/ – 10 pages, and no side-by-side comparisons, no thanks
Off the bat, I was interested in knowing the minimum monthly fee, per transaction fees, if I can swipe cards without an internet connection, how they handle customer support, and finally price of the device.
Monthly fees/minimums
Most services don’t charge a monthly fee. Those that do all have a pay as you “go” version and a paid version that trades a monthly for a per swipe fee reduction.
Transaction fees
Very varied. Refer to the chart
Offline
The information here is sparse. I am still investigating this information. Square for sure does have this functionality: https://squareup.com/help/us/en/article/5095-process-payments-with-offline-mode
Customer support
Still looking into this
Cost of the device
All have a free device except for Amazon Local Register and Flint.
- Amazon charges $10 for the device but offsets it with a $10 account credit.
- Flint doesn’t have a device at all. The app uses the phone’s camera.
Last updated: 6/15/15