The best EFTPOS machines in Australia
There is no single best EFTPOS machine, and any site that gives you one answer is selling something. What there is: a best machine for a cafe doing $18,000 a month in small taps, and a different one for a trades business doing $60,000 in large invoices.
What we rank on
Cost first, because that is what you feel every month. Then contract terms, because being able to leave is what keeps a provider honest. Then features, and only the ones that change what you pay or what you can accept.
We do not rank on how much a provider pays us. Providers cannot buy a position on this page — see our disclosure.
Ranked
| Provider | Rate per tap | Monthly cost inc GST | Terminal cost inc GST | Lock-in | Least cost routing | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyro | Not published — quoted per business | $19.00 | Included | No | Yes | Established businesses, especially hospitality and healthRate is quoted per business and not published. Monthly figure is Tyro Pro Lite from $19; Tyro Pro is from $29. |
| Shift4 (formerly Smartpay)grossed up from ex GST | Not published — quoted per business | $38.45 | Included | No | Yes | Businesses considering a surcharging modelRate quoted per business, not published. Their "zero cost" product relies on surcharging and carries a $100 + GST monthly minimum. |
| PayNuts | Not published — quoted per business | $29.00 | Included | No | Yes | Businesses over $10k/month, or wanting a surcharging modelIn-person rate is quoted per business, not published. The $29 inc GST applies per terminal only in a month under $10,000 turnover on their Pay Nothing plan — otherwise $0. No terminal rental, no lock-in. Online payments are published separately at 1.60% + $0.25 inc GST. |
| Zeller | 1.4% | None | $99.00promo as at 27 August 2026 | No | Yes | Small business wanting one simple rate, including AmexOne flat rate across all card types, including Amex. Terminal price is promotional — normally AU$199. |
| Square | 1.6% | None | $65.00 | No | Yes | Starting out, or occasional trade — cheapest way onto a readerHardware figure is the Square Reader at $65; the Square Terminal is $329. No monthly fee on the free plan. |
| Stripegrossed up from ex GST | 1.87% + 11cPublished as 1.7% + A$0.10 ex GST. | None | $97.90 | No | Yes | Businesses already taking payments online with StripeHardware is the entry BBPOS WisePad 3 (A$89 ex GST); Stripe Reader S710/S700 are A$449 and T600 A$469, all ex GST. Stripe has flagged lower domestic pricing from 1 Oct 2026. |
Best by business type
Cafes, bakeries and anywhere with small, frequent taps
Small average sale means a flat cents-per-transaction fee is disproportionately expensive. Look for a clean percentage with no fixed per-tap component, and make sure least cost routing is on — at $4 a tap, the difference between networks compounds fast.
Trades, services and anyone invoicing large amounts
With a high average sale, the percentage rate dominates and a monthly fee barely registers. Paying $45 a month to move from 1.4% to 0.9% pays for itself many times over. This is the case where the "expensive" plan is the cheap one.
Market stalls, mobile and seasonal traders
Irregular trade makes fixed monthly fees painful in quiet months. A higher rate with no monthly cost and no lock-in usually wins, even though it looks worse on paper.
New businesses and fresh ABNs
Approval matters more than rate here. Some providers will not board a business without trading history; the ones that will often charge for the privilege. Get set up, then renegotiate once you have six months of turnover behind you.