Zettle by PayPal
Card reader and POS app with no subscription, from PayPal, for small shops, markets, and quick service, certified by the French LNE lab under VAT anti-fraud law
Overview
Zettle, now marketed under the PayPal Point of Sale brand, is PayPal's payments offering for small merchants. The model is straightforward: there is no software subscription at all, and the editor is paid solely through the commission on each payment, set at 1.75% per card or mobile wallet transaction in person. Hardware is the only upfront investment: the PayPal Reader starts at EUR 29 net for the first device (EUR 79 net for additional readers), the standalone PayPal Terminal at EUR 199 net, and complete POS kits at EUR 229 net. The app covers product catalog, variants, discounts, basic stock management, sales reports, and email receipt delivery. Beyond EUR 10,000 in monthly payments, the editor offers negotiated terms with its sales team.
The PayPal POS app is certified by the LNE, the French national metrology and testing laboratory and one of the two bodies accredited in France alongside AFNOR: once the POS function is enabled, the editor guarantees compliance with French VAT anti-fraud law, which applies to any register used to sell at retail in France. Outside France that certificate is not a buying criterion, and Zettle stands on its commission and its hardware prices alone. A French-language site, app, and phone support are available. A developer portal exposes APIs, and the editor documents e-commerce connectors (PrestaShop, Shopify, WooCommerce, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce), accounting connectors (Qonto), and gateways to third-party POS systems like Lightspeed, Popina, or Zelty. The real limitations: no floor management or kitchen routing, a deliberately minimal feature set, and a fixed 1.75% commission that becomes expensive for high-volume commerce, where competitors drop below 1% in exchange for a monthly subscription.
Our verdict
Best for small shops, markets, food trucks, and tradespeople who want to start taking payments from day one without a subscription, on a EUR 29 net reader; if you trade in France, the LNE certification covers your anti-fraud obligation. Not for you if your volume exceeds a few thousand euros per month: the fixed 1.75% commission eventually costs more than a subscription with reduced commission, and the POS does not manage the floor or kitchen.