Modern smartphones can do just about anything, but not many people know how easily they can replace those old cash registers and allow your store to accept credit and debit cards instantly. All you need is an Android tablet or smartphone and a compatible credit card reader.

Some solutions focus mainly on small businesses and occasional users, while others cater to more demanding customers. As such, there’s a noticeable price disparity among current credit card readers for Android. We have selected the top 5 best mobile credit card readers, making sure to include something for everyone.

As you read the list, write down which feature is essential for you, so that the device you end up purchasing does everything you want it to do. This also allows you to avoid paying more for a credit card reader that doesn’t add anything useful for your particular usage scenario.

Square Credit Card Reader

Square is a financial service, merchant services aggregator, and mobile payment company based in San Francisco, and they have been in business since 2009. The company has announced initially the Square Reader at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in May 2011, which has become the go-to credit card reader for those who are looking for no-frills user experience and device that works straight out of the box.

The tiny Square Credit Card Reader for Android is the best-selling credit card reader on Amazon. The reader works with the Square Register app, allowing everyone to take payments on their smartphone or tablet. You can also use the same app to keep track of sales and inventory in real-time, manage items and employees, and view analytics about your business.

The reader connects to a smartphone or tablet via a 3.5mm audio jack and works with iPhone, iPad, and most Android devices. It automatically encrypts all credit card information at the moment of swipe, ensuring that you and your customers will always be safe.

The service requires no commitments, and Square’s clear pricing structure waves goodbye to hidden fees and shady business practices. You can process Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express at 2.75% per swipe and manually enter card information for 3.5% + 15¢ per transaction. With a compatible printer, you can even give personalized receipts to customers shortly after they pay you, instead of sending them via email or text message.

PayPal 4029USRTAM Here V2 Mobile Card Reader

Founded by Elon Musk, Ken Howery, Luke Nosek, Max Levchin, and Peter Thiel, PayPal is synonymous with convenient online payments. Their online payments system has more than 188 million users who use the service to purchase goods online, receive money from employers, and cost-effectively transfer money across borders. Since 2012, business owners can use PayPal Here to turn their mobile devices into an instant payment solution.

PayPal Here is a small business mobile payment system that includes a combination of a free mobile app and a small card-reader that plugs into a smartphone. The combination of the two allows users to accept credit and debit cards, send invoices, track cash, and check payments for only 2.7% per US card swipe, chip, or contactless transaction. The reader is secured by PCI-compliant encryption and backed by PayPal’s best-in-class risk management and fraud protection.

It takes just a few minutes for funds be transferred to your account, and you can conveniently manage and view your sales history from the PayPal Here app. The same app also allows you to text and email custom receipts and add multiple users on a single device.

Just like with the Square Credit Card Reader, the Here v2 simply plugs into the 3.5mm audio connected. Perhaps as a poke at Square, PayPal’s reader sports a pleasing triangular shape. Other than that, the two solutions are virtually identical in terms of their design and functionality.

Square A-SKU-0113 Contactless and Chip Reader

The new Square Reader for contactless and chip cards dramatically extends the functionality of Square’s swipe reader by allowing users to wirelessly accept Apple Pay, Android Pay, and EMI chip cards. The Reader connects to iOS or Android devices with Bluetooth or with a USB cable.

Just like the swipe reader, the Contactless and Chip Reader works with the free Square Register, a free Android point-of-sale app that gives you everything you need to take payments and run your business, including tipping, inventory, reports, and more.

POSimplicity Complete Point of Sale POS System

The main goal of POSimplicity, a family-owned point of sale company, based in Rhode Island, is to offer retail businesses and restaurants a highly effective, customizable point of sale system at a reasonable price. This allows them to grow through having a more practical point of sale system while also cutting costs.

To achieve this goal, the company has developed a whole range of point of sale systems, all of which work hand in hand with POSimplicity’s software. One of their more popular solutions is a 10” touchscreen cash register tablet with a barcode scanner. It includes everything you need to service your customers. Using the large display, you can simply tap on an item, and it instantly adds the item to the check-out list.

This all-inclusive point of sale system comes with a fast receipt printer, a tablet stand, and a cash register drawer. POSimplicity has several software plans you can choose from. The software has been thoroughly optimized for Android, ensuring a problem-free user experience.

Datio Point of Sale Base Station and Cash Register

Even though the last card reader on our list is made for iPad, we think that you should know about it, since you’re likely to stumble upon it sooner or later. The Datio Base Station is certified to Apple’s stringent MFI hardware requirements and has a cash drawer, printer, scanner, and credit card reader included.

Apart from the initial purchase of the hardware, you will also need to pay for monthly software, updates, and service. That’s a little more than what POSimplicity charges, but you get a lot for your money. The iOS app for the point of sale solution from Datio supports fast, reliable, and secure transactions with Vantiv’s award-winning payment processing. It also features detailed reporting and dashboard, color tagging, and several unique options, such as sales associates to track sales and tips by employee or kitchen print to print an extra copy of the receipt to give to your kitchen and call out the order number when ready.

Too bad that it works only with iOS devices. Hopefully, the company will add support for Android in the future. Until then, you can either purchase an iPad or go with a different PoS provider. We choose the latter.