SumUp POS is one of the quickest and easiest ways of boosting your business, with the added bonus of little in the way of hoops to jump through. The UK-based mobile point of sale (mPOS) concern is already popular with many businesses thanks to its other products and services, which include the Air Card Reader and the 3G Card Reader.
The former lets you use this natty bit of tech by mating it with your smartphone in order to accept mPOS payments, which is handy during the coronavirus crisis. The latter allows you to process payments on the go using mobile network connectivity. Another option however, is this, the SumUp point of sale hardware, which can be teamed up with the SumUp app to beef up the selling power of your business.
SumUp POS combines top tech with some very cool looks (Image credit: SumUp POS)
SumUp POS: Pricing
SumUp POS has quite a lot of appeal as it doesn't carry a monthly cost. In the UK, where SumUp is headquartered, you get the easy option of one fee per transaction and with any type of card. Therefore, you get zero monthly costs and just a 1.69% transaction fee.
Adding further weight to the potential of SumApp is the app and POS hardware combination that gives you a physical device for processing payments, which currently costs £139 and includes a SumUp Stand, Air Card reader and charging station. Sold on its own, the SumUp Air Card reader, which allows you to take payments in tandem with your smartphone costs £59 and if you want that with the accompanying cradle then it’s £69.
The SumUp 3G card reader is currently £99 while the docking station, which lets you print receipts and keep your card reader charged is £169 (though currently £129 for a limited time offer). All prices exclude VAT.
In the US, there’s a counterpart, the SumUp Point of Sale, which says the company is powered by the SumUp app. Again, there are no monthly costs and a 2.65% charge per transaction.
SumUp POS has one of the best apps in the POS business (Image credit: SumUp POS)
SumUp POS: Features
The SumUp POS terminal concept, and indeed the other products in the range, certainly makes a change from many of the other humdrum chunks of hardware out there. There’s a SumUp stand, which in effect is a sustainably sourced and neatly styled bit of kit to hold a tablet.
There’s also the Air Card Reader, which will let you accept major debit and credit cards, including contactless Chip & PIN, Apple Pay and Google Pay. You can also make use of the SumUp charging stating, which ensures your terminal is ready to go at any given time. In terms of functionality then the SumUp POS revolves around the supporting app, which if you activate the Product Catalogue allows you to utilize it as a point of sale solution.
The Product Catalogue lies at the heart of the SumUp POS system as it lets you create, manage and customize all of the products and categories in your business. The functionality therefore includes everything needed to itemize your stock, such as pictures, prices and descriptions.
SumUp POS utilises this great little card reader hardware (Image credit: SumUp)
SumUp POS: Performance
SumUp is all about speed and convenience, which is echoed by the super-speedy way you can sign up for an account and order your terminal within 5 minutes. In terms of payment processing then SumUp POS is able to handle Visa, V Pay, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Diners Club, Discover and Union Pay.
All of these benefit from the SumUp policy of not having any fixed or recurring costs, so you just get charged a small fee per transaction. Performance on all fronts, no matter which route you take, appears to be pretty impressive.
The SumUp POS hardware bundle combines a tablet stand with a charging dock (Image credit: SumUp POS)
SumUp POS: Ease of use
Like some of the best POS systems, SumUp POS have done a fantastic job of creating a range of easy-to-use hardware that makes getting to grips with the whole point of sale process a doddle.
Not only has the tech been designed and put together with ease of use at its core, the supporting app is also perfect for people who might not normally enjoy the task of processing payments.
SumUp POS is simple to use but there's plenty of help at hand too (Image credit: SumUp POS)
SumUp POS: Support
Much like its hardware and app, the support from SumUp POS looks to be in very good shape too. The website, by way of an example, has an entire Help area that contains a mountain of great information in relation to every aspect of the customer experience.
There are invaluable guides on setting up the card reader and other POS tips and tricks. You also get valuable insights into security and account information. If you don't find what you’re looking for there then real-time help comes in the shape of phone support Monday to Friday from 8 to 7 and Saturday from 8 to 5. You can also chat with the team during the same hours, or email them with a query.
For the US, there’s live support via a toll-free number that covers weekdays from 9 to 7, along with an online support center and help email address.
SumUp POS is also building a solid following in the USA (Image credit: SumUp POS)
Final verdict
The SumUp POS solution makes a great supplement to the other products and services in this impressive mPOS range. A lot of thought has clearly been put into the useability of the tech here, with little in the way of challenges facing anyone new to the word of POS kit.
The app is also especially impressive, while the other big bonus with SumUp is the smaller overheads that are involved. Indeed, if you’re a smaller business looking for a quick and easy payment processing solution then SumUp and the associated POS hardware makes a great way to turn your venture into a much more versatile operation. And, realistically, for very little in the way of outlay at that.
Xero is cloud-based accounting software that packs a real punch when it comes to features and functionality. Based in New Zealand, the multi-faceted package currently comes in three incarnations and is aimed at small, medium and larger-sized businesses.
With a regularly updated appearance, and new features being added all the time even during the coronavirus pandemic, Xero continues to expand its popular appeal and now enjoys a healthy following. If you’ve got a business that’s going places, needs dynamic accounting capacity and the ability to add in multiple users then the newest version of Xero requires further investigation.
Xero starts out at the Dashboard phase prior to populating its menu options (Image credit: Xero)
Pricing
Xero looks to be shaking up its pricing structure and strategy in the coming months. Currently, if you’re looking to sign up with the service in the US then the Early plan costs $11 per month. This gets you 5 invoices and quotes, lets you enter 5 bills and reconcile 20 bank transactions.
Next up, the Growing package costs $32 per month and lets you send invoices and quotes, enter bills and reconcile bank transactions. Xero’s Established plan, meanwhile, is $62 per month and on top of the Established features includes multi-currency, expenses (capture and manage claims) as well as having Projects, which allows for project time tracking and costing.
Xero is available in many other territories, so a look at their website will reveal other costing changes, plus the price of several additional extras that boost its capabilities.
As you populate categories a comprehensive overview of your business takes shape (Image credit: Xero)
Features
Xero certainly doesn't skimp when it comes to features and even more seem to come out of nowhere as you delve deeper into its hidden depths. Everything revolves around the Xero dashboard area, but we also love the easy way Xero lets you create a new part of your cloud-based experience with a simple ‘+’ button to the right of the screen. Here, you can produce invoices, bills, purchase orders and more besides, with one-click ease.
Due to the fact that this is a cloud-based service you also get automatic and secure backups, automatic bank feeds plus the ability to add in extra users who you might have on your team. In addition, Xero has an impressive capacity for integrating with over 800 apps that boost the feature set and allow you to include inventory managements, invoicing, time tracking, expenses and more features outside of what comes with the base-level package
Connecting to your bank accounts produces even more detail for your business (Image credit: Xero)
Performance
Being a cloud-based service Xero naturally works just as long as you are connected to the internet and use any one of the popular web browsers out there. You’ll find that Xero is similarly sprightly if you choose to use its app-based editions, which are available for both iOS and Android devices. In fact, the Xero experience on a tablet or smartphone seems to be generally good, especially considering its depth of data entry points.
Xero delivers comprehensive details on every aspect of your business such as invoicing (Image credit: Xero)
Ease of use
Xero has been nicely put together and if, for example, you choose to try out their demo site, which can be found once you’ve registered, there’s even help as you work. At the same time, Xero has evolved into a pretty meaty package, and as a result has many different areas that you’ll need to acquaint yourself with.
Some parts of the experience require time and patience to master. Even then you can tend to find yourself getting a little tied up in knots such is the powerful array of features on offer. In that respect the built-in help will pay dividends as you use it to navigate any of the trickier aspects of the cloud-based layout.
Things start out at the Dashboard, which is just that; the area that lets you move into the other sections of the site and from which you can manage the overall way it ticks. The layout is, on the face of it, pretty simple with a user-experience that delivers quick and easy access to core features. These are found via a top menu that houses not only the Dashboard, but Business, Accounting and Contacts options too.
To the right of your screen are less prominent but just as useful features, including Help, plus search and notification buttons. Work your way down through those root menus, however and you discover countless tools for tackling every aspect of your business.
Xero also boasts an impressive reconciliation area with the interface (Image credit: Xero)
Support
To its credit Xero does have quite a lot of help and support options at your disposal. There are handy built-in options that can get you around any minor issues you might encounter during setup. This is most notably handy thanks to the question mark up in the right-hand corner of the interface, which delivers and express-lane dialog box for solving many common queries.
Xero’s main website is also the source of many helpful videos and other documents that deliver primers and problem-solving solutions for most, if not all the sticking points you might encounter along the way too. There is also a lively community area that boosts the overall useability of the Xero experience.
The very appealing Projects aspect of Xero leaves a lasting impression too (Image credit: Xero)
Final verdict
Xero does a fine job of mixing an enjoyable and modern-looking user interface with a huge collection of accounting features and functions. For the money that makes it a pretty formidable package and with its cloud-based dependability and use-anywhere feel along with the ability to scale up its capabilities with app add-ons means that Xero is impressive on most fronts.
While the obvious lack of live support might not always be the best part of the overall package there is much to like with this service. If you take time to learn Xero’s ropes you’ll find that it soon starts to reward you by producing a comprehensive and slick picture of your business and its innermost workings.
AirPOS is a cloud-based operation based in Northern Ireland and has been in existence since 2009. It offers point of sale solutions and ePOS systems mainly for small businesses.
AirPOS also currently offers a free 14-day trial of the system so you can see if it’s the right sort of fit for your venture be it an existing business or a new idea.
While it appears to be a one-stop solution you’ll really need to take up the option of integrating the likes of Zettle, Sumup, Worldpay and Xero in order to fully exploit the potential of AirPOS. The building blocks are in place, so does AirPOS manage to join up the dots and deliver the goods?
AirPOS offers a combination of software and hardware systems (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Pricing
AirPOS gets things off to a solid start when it comes to getting you to invest in its products and services. As with many POS companies, AirPOS underlines that it doesn't require you to have a contract, there are no hidden fees and pricing is simple and transparent.
That’s good new, and based on its website that certainly appears to be the case. Their pricing setup is as follow:
There is also a Non-profit option mentioned too, for which you’ll need to contact AirPOS to talk that through. They also offer a free hardware bundle on an annual subscription with AirPOS Pro which is great if you’re starting out, or if you’re in the market for a new POS system.
That is all there is to it; save for the need to integrate those other business solutions mentioned at the beginning that is, for a more complete e-commerce bundle.
Hardware can be called upon from AirPOS collaborator StoreKit (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Features
AirPOS likes to keep things fairly simple with its hardware and software setup, which is obviously good news if you’re a small business owner looking for a straightforward POS solution.
AirPOS has partnered with hardware suppliers, including StoreKit, a UK-based ePOS company, that allows it to supply you with point of sale kit where needed. As a result of the collaboration, AirPOS says it has solutions for Windows platforms as well as mobile devices including iPad and Android tablets.
Along with hardware and software, AirPOS integrates with the likes of iZettle, Sumup, and Worldpay for processing payments anywhere, Tide, and Xero for accounting software.
You also get AirPOS reporting, which allows you to keep track of stock levels and overall business activity. This information can be accessed using a dedicated app (or in the back office).
If you opt for the AirPOS Pro package, incidentally, you enjoy access to power user features such as gaining the ability to create customer loyalty programs, customer & trade accounts, and a direct Shopify integration.
AirPOS allows you to run your business from a mobile device too (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Performance
AirPOS is cloud-based and, if you have a very small business using the Basic package, then day-to-day running should be very straightforward. This package gets you one POS screen and provides unlimited access to the cloud-based back office.
Businesses with a higher volume level of customers will be better suited to the AirPOS Pro package. The Pro package delivers the same unlimited access to the backoffice, while adding in extra functionality such as offering exclusive access to customer accounts and those customer loyalty schemes.
Once you’ve signed up to AirPOS then the bulk of your day-to-day work can be done via the AirPOS Backoffice, which we found trundled along okay.
The AirPOS reporting app is an ideal compliment to the POS system (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Ease of use
Aside from the hardware considerations, you’ll find that AirPOS is managed mainly from within the AirPOS Backoffice. Best accessed via a web browser, you’ll find that inside here there are all the options for coordinating your business.
A menu down the left-hand side of the browser window lets you access core functions, such as inventory, sales and customers, all of which are accessible once you’ve been through the initial setup steps.
Starting from scratch means you’ve got a task on your hands to populate the e-commerce categories if you’re selling products. AirPOS does allow you to import CVS files though, so that certainly speeds up the process.
There’s also the option for configuring PayPal inside the dashboard, as well as a link to downloading the AirPOS app. You can integrate the Xero accounting platform from within this area too. Step-by-step cloud-based simplicity in other words.
The AirPOS back office dashboard is very easy to master (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Support
The AirPOS website has a dedicated help area that features a wealth of useful information, ranging from getting to grips with its systems through to how to generate reports.
There’s also a basic AirPos FAQ list and a link where you can submit a request, which will presumably find its way to support staff.
The help articles are actually very nicely detailed, featuring a simplistic breakdown of features and functions, along with screenshots. It’s basic but solid information.
In terms of speaking to real people, AirPOS has staff available between 9a.m. and midnight seven days a week, UK time. Meanwhile, an in-screen chat option is also available should you need advice on-the-go.
Another valuable aspect for newcomers to the service is the free point of sale setup service, which will get you started without additional charges. Additionally, the company site has some community articles that offer up a flavor of the AirPOS experience.
AirPOS is suited to all sorts of business at the smaller end of the spectrum (Image credit: AirPOS)
AirPOS Final verdict
Overall AirPOS looks like it’s building nicely, with lots to offer the small business owner who is looking for a simple solution that works on one platform. AirPOS has teamed up with the right collaborators to produce a service that does plenty, and also offers many of the features and functions that are expected from POS systems.
That said, it’s still a pretty small player in this competitive market and might benefit for a slightly more joined up approach.
Offering the ability to plug-in to the likes of iZettle, Sumup and Worldpay are obvious benefits, but to the layman the add-on feel of these features might be a little bit off-putting.
The separate reporting app is another example of where the day-today useability could perhaps be a little more unified. It's doubtless that AirPOS will get your e-commerce chores done, especially with the release of their Shopify integration for retailers, but there’s as with any service provider, there's always room for improvement.
Venmo is appealing for many users who need to make payments due to its quick and easy appeal, though it’s not a money transfer service per se. While most services that allow you to send or receive cash don't involve too much in the way of legwork, Venmo has pulled in a lot of users who like its simplicity and social edge. Central to the process of sending money is its excellent app.
The service has undergone numerous improvements of late, such as offering CVS shoppers Venmo QR codes to pay for their goods at the checkout. The PayPal-owned payments app is also set to allow users to sell products and services using their personal accounts, albeit for a fee.
As a result, Venmo comes with plenty of the latest features that make it a great digital wallet-style accompaniment to have on your phone, allowing you to pay for purchases on the go. In addition, there’s the social aspect of Venmo that has been integrated into the service, with the ability for users to share updates about their purchases to contacts. If you frequently spend money as part of a group of friends, for example, Venmo is ideal.
Similar products worthy of investigation include WorldRemit, Azimo, Western Union, PayPal and Zelle.
The Venmo app offers convenience and a social edge too (Image credit: Venmo)
Pricing
Costs to use Venmo have been kept simple and straightforward, with no monthly or annual fee to worry about. If you’re going to be paying using a credit card to carry out the transaction then expect a 3% fee. Another potential cost is the 1% charge that comes from moving money out of your Venmo account and into a bank account if you don't want to wait for its regular one to three day schedule. Other than that though, Venmo delivers a plain and simple payment option.
Venmo has no contract and very little admin to navigate through (Image credit: Venmo)
Features
While Venmo is owned by PayPal they’re both quite different, with the former being a much more practical day-to-day solution for many more minor purchases. PayPal is obviously handy too, but it’s often used for bigger payments or transfers. Venmo is billed as offering ‘fast, safe, social payments’ and that’s really the appeal of the app summed up right there.
Wherever you and your phone goes you can tap into Venmo’s handy payment toolbox to pay for things, shop with ease and also send money to family or friends. Different settings allow you to change who can see your activity too, including Public, Friends and Private, which is useful if you have a small circle of people who perhaps all contribute to bills and need to be kept in the loop.
Students, for example, who maybe share accomodation will find Venmo useful for paying into utility bills and suchlike. Venmo has that strong built-in social aspect too, making it similarly appealing for those of us who are constantly connected. Better still is its use of QR codes to help you make payments faster and to the right person.
You can use Venmo in several different ways to pay and shop (Image credit: Venmo)
Performance
You’ll find that using Venmo in its app incarnation, either for iOS or Android will perform as expected. Having the substantial clout of parent company PayPal obviously means it’s been well engineered. You can also use the service via a web browser, so all in all Venmo can be called upon in a variety of different environments from home, work, hotels or on the move.
Venmo actually seems to work better the more social you are with it. For example, if you connect with your friends who also use it through Facebook you get the benefit of being able to spend more money.
Venmo can also be used to pay bills from businesses in an instant (Image credit: Venmo)
Ease of use
You certainly can't fault Venmo for its instantly appealing ease of use. Simply install the app, get yourself registered and away you go. You can sign up using your Facebook account if preferred. Otherwise, it’s just a case of filling in the usual kind of details, such as name, email, mobile number and you’ll need a password.
Central to the way Venmo works is to have a bank account connected to your profile, and Venmo helps you navigate this admittedly straightforward step with ease. Debit card or bank account details will need to be input, or you can add a credit card.
Paying for things, paying someone else or indeed asking for money from an acquaintance is fuss-free with a tap of the Pay or Request buttons. A couple of steps and you’re sorted. Even if you're not friends with someone on Facebook you can use Venom Codes to pay them if they’re with you in the flesh.
You also get plenty of help options from the Venmo support hub (Image credit: Venmo)
Support
There’s an extensive help hub online to get you through most if not all of the aspects of Venmo, with similar assistance at hand if mobile is your preferred route. It’s possible to contact support via email, using the app or via forms on the Venmo website. Adding to the social aspect of the Venmo experience is the option for chatting with staff between Monday to Friday from 7am-1am EST and Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-11pm EST.
Final verdict
Venmo has heaps of benefits, especially for people who are well-versed in using their phones for all kinds of transactions. The app has been nicely put together and offers speedy payments in all kinds of scenarios. Venmo will be perfect for many who need to pay for a coffee on the go, or settle up with a family member or friends.
The service is less useful if you’re looking to making international transfers or payments as it can't currently be used for that. Users should also keep a keen eye on security settings. If you're not on top of Venmo’s privacy options you might have more on show to world than you realize.
That said, Venmo does have the benefit of PayPal’s security technology and systems behind it. All in all then, there’s lots to like about Venmo, especially if you have a close-knit group of friends who also have the app and tend to share a lot of costs when you socialize.
With the best POS system, business owners can transform existing devices, such as smartphones and tablets, into advanced transaction management systems.
Payments can be accepted in seconds, and usually you get the benefit of built-in features like inventory management, transaction history, analytics, and other integrations.
Canadian brand, Helcim POS, is one of the world’s more popular POS systems, styling itself as a "point of sale system for small retail businesses".
In our Helcim POS review, we take a close look at how useful Helcim's POS offering is for SMBs. We provide information about everything from the platform’s prices to its main features to help you decide whether it’s the best option for your business.
Helcim POS: Plans and pricing
Firstly, it’s important to note that Helcim charges no monthly fees. But you will have to pay $199 per unit if you need to use a Helcim card reader, and you will be charged transaction fees on top of this.
Helcim POS uses a model that’s quite common among POS software providers. It takes the payment processing fee charged by major credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard and adds a small margin that represents its profits.
The exact fees that you pay will vary according to your customer makeup and the fees charged by the various credit card companies.
You can expect to pay anything from 1.5% + 8¢ to 3% + 8¢ on every retail transaction. Helcim takes 0.3% + 8¢ on retail payments, but this increases to 0.5% + 25¢ on online and manually keyed transactions.
Helcim’s fees are quite complicated (Image credit: Helcim POS)
Helcim POS: Features
If you do decide to use Helcim, you will benefit from an impressive range of tools that go above and beyond simply enabling you to accept payments. Indeed, the company recently added new easy-to-deploy QR codes, as well as contactless and self-service checkout options.
Inventory management
The inventory management tools are excellent. They are designed to help you keep track of every item in your catalog. Discover which products are selling best, set up automatic alerts for low inventory levels, and ensure that your store runs smoothly at all times.
Analytics, Reporting & Insight
You will also benefit from the analytics tools, which present data that you will be able to use to make informed decisions about your business. This includes in-depth reports about sales trends, best-selling items and combinations of items, and transaction sizes.
Fraud Prevention
To protect your business against transaction risks, Helcim POS comes ready with a Fraud Defender. Fraud Defender stops transactions from questionable accounts by checking for suspicious payment activity. As of February 2021, Helcim have automated this feature for all Helcim POS users.
Employee Management
We were impressed by Helcim’s employee management portal, which enables you to create and manage employee profiles and permissions. With this, you can allocate different employees’ different responsibilities, ensuring that people only access the parts of your system that they need to.
Helcim boasts a great range of integrated features (Image credit: Helcim POS)
Helcim POS: Interface and in use
Getting started with Helcim is quite a drawn-out process.
Although there are no initial sign-up fees, you will have to enter many personal and business details, including your operating name, business registration type, tax ID number, and information about your transactions or expected transactions.
Similarly, you can expect to spend some time setting up your Helcim account. You will need to connect bank accounts and payment equipment, create employee profiles, and configure business settings before you can start processing transactions.
Fortunately, the user interface is quite intuitive. Virtually everything that you will need can be accessed via the menu to the left of the screen. Initially, you will also benefit from a few valuable tips to help you get started.
The Helcim interface is neat and tidy (Image credit: Helcim POS)
Helcim POS: Support
For starters, Helcim POS system has an excellent Support Center containing information about virtually everything that you will need to know.
Discover new resources by browsing the cleverly designed categories, or simply use the search bar to find exactly what you want with the click of a button.
On the live support front, things are also positive. All users can send an email inquiry or speak with a Helcim Guru via a US toll-free phone number.
The Helcim Support Center is excellent (Image credit: Helcim POS)
Helcim POS: Security
As a reliable POS service provider with years of experience, Helcim naturally has great security across the board. All users are protected by powerful firewalls that include both intrusion detection systems and intrusion prevention systems.
Ongoing server monitoring is used at all times, and suspicious activity is dealt with immediately. On top of this, all data is backed up to external servers, effectively eliminating the risk of customers losing important information.
User data is also protected by 256-bit AES encryption, which ensures that the data is secure both during transmission and while at rest on Helcim’s servers.
This enables the company to boast Level 1 PCI-DSS compliance, the industry standard for companies working with sensitive payment and personal information.
Helcim boasts excellent security across the board (Image credit: Helcim POS)
Helcim POS: business customisation
Helcim POS is built for small businesses across multiple industries. In fact, they claim to process "billions in transactions every year for thousands of merchants across 800 industries." They also list specific POS information for the following industries:
For true customisation, Helcim's Developer API is ideal. Their full payment gateway API lets you add payments to your app or online store and easily pull out the customer data that's most relevant to you. Developers have over 80 API actions to choose from to help create a truly custom POS experience for your business.
As with most modern POS providers, Helcim POS also works across devices. It is Mac and Windows compatible. So, your customers can easily pay for your services whether you are using the Helcim app on desktop, mobile or tablet.
If you business has multiple locations, you might even wish to use all three at once! Thankfully, Helcim POS can handle that, and will sync all your payment data through the cloud. Naturally, this also allows you payment flexibility for mobile and pop-up sales events too.
The competition
If you’re looking for a low-fee POS service provider for your retail business, Helcim POS is a great option. However, its ecommerce fees are a little high.
For businesses that mainly sell online, we recommend using Square ecommerce. The majority of transactions will come with a 2.6% + 10¢ fee, which is up there with the best in the market. Additionally, Square POS is an extremely popular and trusted option.
Lightspeed POS is another popular choice, particularly among those looking for an all-in-one business management system. It enables you to use iPads to receive payments, boasts cloud-based data management, and comes with extra analytics, loyalty programs, and other tools.
Final verdict
You might not see Helcim at the top of the most popular POS system lists that often, but it’s a great platform that’s comparable to the major industry leaders nonetheless.
It boasts a suite of tools to help you accept payments and manage your business, has competitive credit card processing rates, and is backed by excellent customer service.
On top of this, the user interface is versatile and powerful yet intuitive and easy to use. All things considered, you would do well to use Helcim for your business, especially if you mainly process retail sales.
If you’re looking for the best POS system for your business, you might have heard of Adyen POS, a Dutch company that provides payment processing services for companies like Microsoft, Uber, and Spotify.
In this Adyen POS review, you’ll find information about its pricing, features, interface, support, and security to help you decide if Adyen POS is the payment processing solution for your needs.
Adyen POS: Plans and pricing
Adyen does not charge monthly, setup, integration, or closure fees. Instead, you’ll be charged a processing fee ($0.12) plus a payment method fee per transaction. Payment method fees vary.
For example, Adyen charges fees for Mastercard and Visa according to an Interchange ++ model: a combination of the interchange fee charged by the bank, the fee from the card network, and the applicable acquirer markup.
Other payment methods such as Alipay and ACH Direct Debit see a flat fee of 3% and $0.25 per transaction respectively.
You can find a full breakdown of Adyen’s pricing on its website. Do note that with Adyen, you’ll require a minimum invoice of $120 per month, depending on transaction volume and region.
Adyen POS pricing model is rather complicated (Image credit: Adyen)
Adyen POS: Features
Adyen offers a wide range of features that business owners will find useful. Like many POS providers, they integrate in-store, online, and app-based transactions in an all-encompassing system.
Merchants can process all kinds of payments in multiple ways without the hassle of dealing with different processors for a point of sale, payment gateway, or mobile payment.
Local & Global payments
Adyen are well known for their ability to deliver a localized version of global merchant processing. International merchants can accept payments and process them locally as well as globally.
With this flexibility, you can avoid several costs of operating an international business, such as cross-border card network and interchange fees and bank surcharges. Also, you don't need to juggle between multiple vendors for different global payment types.
Plugins
Adyen offers a range of plugins for leading technology solutions to give your shoppers the best checkout experience. In addition to in-house plugins built and maintained by Adyen, you’ll find plugins like Shopify, WooCommerce, Spryker, and more that Adyen has created with its partners.
The plugins are easy to integrate and come with Adyen’s payment platform functionality delivered out of the box.
POS Reporting & Insights
Adyen’s all-in-one payment solution stores your client’s information and complete transaction history within a single system to allow for a seamless customer experience. More than that, with a dedicated Customer Area, you’ll be able to unlock powerful shopper insights that will help grow your business.
Customer Area gives you a full view of a series of charts that document each step of the payment flow. At a glance, you’ll see how many payments come in, how many are authorized, and how many are finally settled. Business owners can identify potential areas for improvement and take action where necessary.
Adyen offers a range of plugins for leading technology solutions to give your shoppers the best checkout experience (Image credit: Adyen)
Adyen POS: Interface, set-up and in use
Getting started with Adyen is an easy but long process. You'll have to:
1. Create an account
2. Speak to Adyen's team for tailored advice and an assessment of your business
3. Request to start processing payments
...and only then can you sign a contract, before you can go live.
After you sign up, however, Adyen's ease of use shines. Its simple API allows you to initiate payments from web browsers, mobile devices, and POS systems.
On the backend, Adyen's helpful dashboard navigates to all the essentials that you'll need. You can view performance, terminal fleet management, and reporting in one clean and intuitive interface.
Adyen’s dashboard offers you essential information at a glance (Image credit: Adyen)
Adyen POS: Support
Adyen’s user support team is top-notch and contactable via email or phone. You can find a long list of worldwide offices and phone numbers on Adyen’s contact page, and all lines are available 24/7.
Alternatively, you can fill up a support ticket on the site and get a solution within eight hours. Adyen’s website also features multiple Adyen POS resources, links, and an FAQ section that are useful for troubleshooting.
Adyen is also known to be active on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube. You can comment on its posts to get instant replies and support.
Adyen offers comprehensive and top-notch customer support (Image credit: Adyen)
Adyen POS: Security
Adyen is fully PCI DSS 3.2 compliant as a Level 1 Service Provider, which is the key security standard within the payments industry.
All users benefit from Adyen RevenueProtect, a risk management feature that protects your business against fraud.
It comes with a range of powerful built-in risk tools including 3D Secure authentication, real-time machine learning, specialized device finger-printing, and automated chargeback defence.
You’ll also be able to customize your risk settings by adding or creating risk rules and block lists.
RevenueProtect, Adyen’s risk management feature, comes with a range of powerful built-in risk tools (Image credit: Adyen)
The competition
Competition is stiff in the POS system market. For one, users who prioritize flexibility and customization will find Lightspeed POS’s bespoke solution attractive.
A basic plan ($69/month) comes with different features and options that can be added as needed.
Furthermore, Adyen’s complicated pricing model can make cost determination a challenging process. Users who prefer simpler pricing models often go for platforms such as Square POS ecommerce, where transactions come with a straightforward 2.6% + $0.10 fee.
Adyen POS: final verdict
With its simple interface, comprehensive support and security, and useful features, Adyen is easy to recommend. Some users, however, may find its pricing model complicated. Additionally, low-volume merchants may find it a challenge to hit the minimum monthly invoice of $120.
Beyond that, the all-in-one payment solution with global merchant processing is perfect for business owners who'd like to avoid a whole host of operating costs and the hassle of managing multiple processors.
Square is a long-established provider of card payment services, including a raft of point of sale units, that allows business of all kinds and sizes too, to boost their turnover. Square has since gone on to introduce a range of mobile services, with its mobile card reader proving to be hugely popular with business owners on both sides of the Atlantic, especially during the coronavirus crisis.
You’ll need to sign up for an account with them, but once you’ve got that and one of their card readers you’ll be able to process transactions from all over the place, and for a reasonably small transaction fee too.
Square Reader comes in different versions depending on where you're based (Image credit: Square)
Pricing
Square has a mobile card reader to suit business owners on both sides of the pond, with an American edition that is currently free when you sign up for the service. And, as Square points out, that comes with the benefit of clear pricing and fast transfers, with 2.6%+ 10¢ charged per swipe for Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express payments.
If you want a Square card reader for contactless and chip cards and for Apple and Google Pay, you’ll need the $49 version however. You’ll then receive the processed payments as fast as the next business day.
Meanwhile, you can currently get the Square reader for £19 in the UK, which once you have it configured will carry out payment processing for chip and PIN cards, plus contactless too with a fixed flat rate fee of £1.75%.
The larger edition lets credit cards be inserted into the body of the unit (Image credit: Square)
Features
In the States the Square reader comes in two editions, one with a headset jack and the other with a Lightning connector, which means it’ll work with iOS or Android and can also be connected to an Apple computer or Chromebook. There’s no battery to worry about either, making it even more useful.
The UK’s Square reader is a simple but effective hardware device that features a lightweight, compact and unobtrusive design that arrives complete with a microUSB cable for charging purposes. It’s compatible with Apple devices running iOS 10.0 or greater, though won't work with the iPad 2 or 3. It is compatible, however, with Android 5.0 devices and upwards.
The Square reader will process payment types including chip and PIN or EMV cards, contactless or NFC cards, magnetic stripe cards and will also process Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay transactions. Connectivity is done via wireless and it’s pretty straightforward to configure.
The smaller edition in the USA can be plugged into a smartphone (Image credit: Square)
Performance
As pointed out in the previous paragraph, Square’s card reader is a well-designed piece of hardware that has a proven track record. There’s not an awful lot to it, and so theoretically not much to go wrong either.
Considering its small size the Square reader is still pretty versatile, with in the larger edition a slot for chip and PIN cards to be inserted into the card reader for a physical transaction. At the same time it works ell enough for contactless transactions too, with customers only needing to hold their card close to the unit in order to process a payment.
The same can be said for the likes of Apple Pay, Google Pay and other contactless payment options that are available for smartphones and smart watches.
Smart Reader accepts most common credit cards for convenience (Image credit: Square)
Ease of use
Square is one of the simpler to use card readers and is also very intuitive, once you’ve got yourself registered with the company that is. You might already have an account with Square if you run a business that uses its products and services in a more permanent location.
However, the bonus of mobile card readers as opposed to fixed location point of sale machines, is that they deliver additional freedom. Being able to turn up at things like events, markets or pop-up fairs means that you instantly gain the ability to boost your business. And, once you're there, this device accepts all major cards, plus there’s the appeal of that fixed transaction charge. It’s a doddle basically.
Support
Square has been running for long enough now to know how to handle customers successfully. Therefore, starting with its website, you’ll find plenty of assistance should you need it when using the Square card reader. First time users should find getting set up relatively uneventful, but there are plenty of online options to use should you have basic questions.
Boosting the support angle is the way you can also get in touch with Square representatives in order to deal with more complicated issues. In addition, once you’re signed up with Square and have logged in you’ll receive expedited support, which should get to the bottom of your queries sooner rather than later.
The smaller edition works using power from your mobile device (Image credit: Square)
Final verdict
Whichever version you select, Square Reader is a natty little unit that does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a nicely put together device that boasts a decent size battery (on the larger unit), which subsequently allows you to use it all day long before a recharge.
Alongside its practical styling and performance we’re also smitten with its one price chip and PIN or contactless price of £1.75% per transaction in the UK or 2.6%+ 10¢ in the USA.
Add on the convenience of Apple Pay, Google Pay and other contactless options and you’ve got a fully featured gadget that has the capacity to boost your business. If you’re already with Square then it’s the ideal compliment to any static POS units you might possess, delivering portability whenever, and indeed, wherever you might happen to be.
FreshBooks is a one-stop, cloud-based accounting software package that for a relatively small outlay can provide you with an easy-to-use package that ticks most boxes.
Within its browser-based design you’ll find a whole host of options that cover any and all aspects of running a business. It doesn't matter if you're a lone freelancer or someone who’s growing a business and employing staff.
FreshBooks is a doddle to use, has the capacity to expand with your business needs and, thankfully, keeps those stress levels low as you build up your accounting profile. New features for this year include advanced search, the ability to download your own statements, Dropbox connectivity, new keyboard shortcuts and much more.
In the UK, Freshbooks has teamed up with Barclays to offer joint bookkeeping solutions for customers, offering new ways to help with invoicing and wider business management tasks. It's now possible to integrate Barclaycard Payments into FreshBooks, providing extra convenience for business customers.
FreshBooks is easily configured using a step-by-step series of user-friendly windows (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Pricing
FreshBooks comes with a selection of package and payment options that should provide a solution for most, but like most other companies in any industry, prices have climbed in recent years. Still, FreshBooks can justify that with feature improvements and other ways to find value for money, and there are often promotions on to get you through the door for less money.
Lite is the entry-level tier, which costs $21 per month. This and Plus ($38/month) are where FreshBooks envisions attracting most freelancers, but self-employed workers who have a bit more income and more complex needs could toss a coin between Plus or the more feature-packed Premium ($65/month).
Any requirements over and above this selection and you’re best advised to contact FreshBooks for a custom deal, which the company calls its Select plan.
All of the plans are pretty customizable, including options for additional team members ($11/month), online payment accepting ($20/month) and Payroll, which costs $40 per month plus $6 monthly per user. All of this means the costs can quite quickly add up compared with other plans, and while we've criticized others for offering too many plans to make sense of, we're worried FreshBooks' approach can make the costs climb quickly.
FreshBooks also gets a thumbs up for its try-free option, which lets you explore the package and cancel within 30 days if it’s not right for your needs.
Initial setup takes mere moments thanks to a very straightforward cloud-based design (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Features
FreshBooks comes with an impressive array of features no matter which of the package options you adopt. Even the Lite edition sparkles with the capacity for unlimited and customizable invoices, unlimited expense entries, the ability to accept credit card payments online and ACH bank transfers too.
However, the limits come in areas. For example, you can only work with five clients or you'll need to upgrade.
Naturally, the beefier the package the more features you get, so Plus adds to the Lite feature set with up to 50 clients, unlimited proposals, automated recurring invoices, double entry accounting reports and more besides.
For us, Plus might be the most cost-effective plan, with other features extending to e-signature support, bank reconciliation and slicker receipt and expense tracking.
Similarly, Premium gets all the Lite and Plus features along with an unlimited client capacity (up from 500 previously) and customizable email templates, which means you could pretty much manage most of your financing from the single platform.
Anyone with a custom-priced deal can also enjoy a personal account manager, personal FreshBooks training for you and your team along with other value-added features.
FreshBooks Dashboard is where you can control all of the features and functionality (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Performance
FreshBooks has had plenty of time to perfect its operation and this cloud-based system is one that works with little to worry about. The service delivers a neat experience depending on what kind of business you run, and if you’re a one-man-band then there’s very little to go wrong it seems.
Even if you’re operating a large or expanding business FreshBooks seems nicely engineered and rolls with the punches if you’re dealing with large chunks of customer data.
Freshbooks is also available for iOS or Android and the app edition is a clever supplement to the desktop arrangement. Not everyone wants to do everything on their app, especially if that involves large reams of numbers, but this is a great option if you’re keeping track of things on the go.
Updates in early and mid 2025 added manual bank imports and flexible reconciliation options, so if you live in a region where bank connections can be unreliable or your bank doesn't support this feature, then at least you can find another way to connect your expenses.
It's updates like these that speak volumes about a company, and it's promising to know that FreshBooks is making these changes and upping quotas (as mentioned above regarding client capacity) to continue adding value to its products even when prices climb.
FreshBooks can also be used in expanded fashion as your business grows (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Ease of use
Accounting software can be a long and arduous journey if you’re not au fait with its different sensibilities, let alone the work involved in mastering a new system. However, FreshBooks has been honed and fine-tuned over the years and is now an inviting option, especially if you’re starting out in business.
In fact, FreshBooks is refreshing in its set-by-step setup, with initial manoeuvres involving little more than picking a package and following the email address and password route so common with cloud-based operations.
On the whole, we found the experience clean, simple and jargon-free. The simple setup and onboard process also makes it a welcoming place, given how daunting finance software can be for new starters.
Ease-of-use is enhanced as the system can be adapted to suit what type of user you are. Larger concerns, for example, allows team members to be added. Freelancers and self-employed sole trader-types have it even easier.
FreshBooks might look simplistic but it comes with a raft of powerful tools (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Support
FreshBooks has a dependable and well-established support system that goes back as long as it has been operating. To start, there’s an excellent online area of the FreshBooks site that offers up a delicious selection of quick fix answers.
There are top categories too, such as dashboard and settings, invoicing and payments or handling online payments, which cover the majority of newbie enquiries.
Support extends beyond how to use the platform to discuss broader topics, like MTD explanations for smaller businesses who will soon be affected by the changes.
However, for the more unusual requests you may have, or indeed if you prefer a human to advise you, then there’s an easy-to-find phone number in the same section of the site. Live support is available from Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm EDT (Excluding Holidays) in the US. Alternatively, FreshBooks has a support email address to beef up the contact and support options.
Like other businesses, you can use the chatbot to help you find the right support article 24/7, but you'll still need to wait for a human to come online if you need further assistance.
FreshBooks can be used to seamlessly connect to any or all of your financial institutions (Image credit: FreshBooks)
FreshBooks: Final Verdict
We’re really pleased with the way the latest incarnation of FreshBooks looks and performs. It’s been around for a while now and that is obviously a strength as the FreshBooks folks have refined the essence of the accounts package, but the best part is how polished it has become, making what can be a regular, tedious and complex task a joy to complete.
Its strongest suits include invoicing, expense management and tax-ready reporting, which it handles with ease, and it’s easy to setup and configure, the menu systems and sections are plain and simple, plus there’s plenty of power behind it to ensure things keep on ticking even if you’re asking a lot of it.
All told, FreshBooks seems like a mighty fine way to do your accounting and, depending on your requirements, is actually pretty cost-effective. We just worry that it could be seen as more of a premium product, with higher tiers and add-ons quickly making it a more expensive option than some others.
Medical Alert is a leading provider of medical alert systems in the country, trusted by numerous families, hospitals, and healthcare organizations. They offer a wide range of in-home and mobile medical alert systems with a focus on affordability and value.
Their systems feature PERS devices such as the MyTrex MXD3G, known for its loud speakerphone. While Medical Alert's offerings share similarities with those of other companies, their competitive pricing makes them a compelling option for budget-conscious individuals.
The systems allow users to quickly call for assistance at the touch of a button, connecting them with trained specialists who assess the situation and send appropriate help, such as contacting family, friends, or emergency services.
Medical Alert: Medical alert systems
Best quality package
Medical Alert's most recommended offering is their Mobile System. The audio quality of the system was usually very good, with both loud and clear sound. However, there were occasional instances where the audio clarity was not as consistent. The quality of these systems may also vary, likely influenced by factors such as the duration of their use.
Pro Tip 💡
Each time a customer cancels their subscription, they return the system to Medical Alert. It’s cleaned and sent out to new customers. Over time, you can expect a speaker’s audio quality to deteriorate. If this is the case with your system, we recommend returning it and asking for a new one.
One minor downside of the pendant is its limited range. Despite being advertised as having a range of approximately 600 feet, our tests revealed an average range of only 70 feet. However, the signal strength remained consistently excellent, even when faced with obstacles like multiple walls and furniture.
Considering the typical size of apartments and homes, a range of 70 feet may seem short at first glance. However, for most users, it should be sufficient. It is important to note that if you require a mobile medical alert system, a medical alert smartwatch might be a better option due to its wider range.
Medical Alert sells the common MyTrex MXD medical alert system. (Image credit: Future)
The On-the-go medical alert system is bulky compared to other mobile medical alert systems, and the audio isn’t great. It comes with a wireless pendant, allowing you to use it like an in-home system while it’s charging in the base station.
Medical Alert fall detection
Medical Alert's in-home system includes a teardrop-shaped pendant for fall detection. While some fall detection pendants can be overly sensitive, we found Medical Alert to be more accurate than most. However, it's not foolproof, and can sometimes trigger false alarms.
One advantage is that it detects falls immediately, unlike some sensors that wait 30-60 seconds before calling for help. It's important to be cautious, though, as it can occasionally mistake other random events for falls. Additionally, if you're out of range of the base station, it might be difficult to determine if it's sending an emergency alert.
Medical Alert: Emergency response center
During our initial three-week testing phase, Medical Alert's average call handling time was approximately 78 seconds. This was significantly slower than industry averages, making it a disappointing result, especially compared to Lively's impressive average of 20 seconds per call.
However, in the subsequent three-week daily testing phase, Medical Alert showed substantial improvement, achieving an average call handling time of around 35 seconds. While still slower than Lively's remarkable average of 15 seconds, this marked a significant increase in competitiveness. In situations where every second counts, this improvement is highly significant.
Medical Alert had above-average response times in our second round of tests. (Image credit: Medical Alert)
The emergency call center's quality was generally good but not outstanding. Most calls were handled excellently, with operators typically confirming the callers' identity and periodically inquiring about their well-being throughout the conversation.
However, there were some instances where operators deviated from the standard script. Occasionally, they assumed the caller was the account holder (posing a potential security risk), and in other cases, they neglected to inquire if assistance was needed.
A positive aspect of Medical Alert is that it includes coverage for spouses at no additional cost, providing additional pendants with each in-home system. Additionally, the 365Access Caregiver App, available with the On-the-go mobile system, allows loved ones to track the user's location and receive alerts if assistance is needed.
Medical Alert provides a lot of resources for caretakers and seniors. (Image credit: Medical Alert)
Medical Alert: Pricing
With Medical Alert you can choose from monthly, semi-annual or annual subscription packages to save money.
Medical Alert’s Home System package is an excellent bet if you've got a budget to stick to. It starts at $19.95 per month, it’s one of the more affordable medical alert systems that we’ve reviewed. And with an above-average call response time, it’s an excellent value, despite the aging technology. Also keep in mind that the fall prevention is an optional additional cost of $10/month.
However, the cost of the other packages is somewhat higher.
The Mobile System plan price varies based on how long you sign up for. At the monthly price of $47.95/month it is quite expensive. However, with a 6 month commitment it drops down to $34.95/month and includes free shipping, and with an annual commitment it goes down to an affordable $29.95/month and also has a free lockbox to provide medics a key included. You should also factor in that there is a $99.95 one-time programming fee on top of the above costs.
(Image credit: Medical Alert)
Medical Alert: Support
If there is an issue with Medical Alert, there are a few options to get some help. You can reach out directly on the phone to Customer Care at 800-906-0872; the hours of operation are not listed. The other option is a Support Portal, which will get back to you via email or phone.
A shortcoming is that there are no other direct support options, as we did not find a chat, a direct email, a fax, or a mail address.
On the self support side, it was also not quite robust. We did find product guides specific to the device, and some answers to general questions presented as a FAQ, but there were no other options, such as a forum, whitepapers, or video content.
Medical Alert offers affordable and competitive pricing. (Image credit: Medical Alert)
Medical Alert: Final verdict
Medical Alert's medical alert system has some key points to consider. These include the pros of a fast and reliable emergency response, the effective fall detection pendant, and the simple and limited packages. We also like the good customer service, especially for non-English speakers. Also keep in mind the cons such as the limited features with less functions than some competitors, that customer service could be more proactive, and that this service offers less educational resources than some others.
Overall, Medical Alert is a good option for users who are looking for a basic and reliable medical alert system with good customer service. However, if you are looking for a system with more features or educational resources, you may want to consider other options.
The company with the curious name of 20i was launched in 2016 by a dynamic duo consisting of two brothers, Tim and Jonathan Brealey. Although 20i is still basically a new-born in the trade, its creators are industry veterans, having gathered extensive web hosting experience while working on their previous creations.
Their first project was Webfusion, which was the first company to offer a customized version of a control panel called Virtual Control Panel. Three years later they founded 123-Reg, which remains a market leader in domain name registration in the UK. After two decades of experience the brother's launched a hosting company that would (in their words) “break the mold” (let’s hope for the better).
20i’s head office is located in Ransom Wood, the UK, and they have two of their own datacenters, one in London and one in Dallas, Texas. Plus they have the option of using AWS and Google Cloud servers. 20i also provide a global CDN (content delivery network) with twenty-one locations across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa, but their infographics could lead you to believe there are more locations included in their network than there are. So, double check the CDN locations when making a purchasing decision.
(Image credit: Future)
Actual amount and location of CDN nodes
(Image credit: 20i)
Plans and pricing
20i are best known for their reseller hosting but they also provide managed cloud hosting for AWS, and managed WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting from their own datacenters and AWS and Google Cloud servers. For reseller plans you can't choose the datacenter location but for other plans you can.
If you create a reseller account with US login details you'll automatically be given servers in the US datacenter. If you create a reseller account with UK login details, you'll get the UK datacenter. For other plans you can choose the location but only customers from outside the UK have the option to use the USD listing price which is cheaper than the GBP listing price after currency conversion. If you use a VPN you might be able to take advantage of the USD prices (but check the T&Cs).
(Image credit: Future)
We asked 20i about why the pricing is different and we were told that it's because of the lower costs to run a datacenter in the US. This didn't add up though because for this plan you can choose a server location anywhere in the world.
Even though 20i focuses on reseller hosting, its shared, WordPress and VPS packages offer a wide array of fantastic features such as free website migration, CDN, website acceleration suite and much more. All hosting plans are presented in a very detailed manner where you can get all needed information about web hosting packages, their cloud platform, security measures, e-mail features, supported web hosting software and their promises (some of which are backed by a guarantee) within a few clicks.
We've noticed at least one inaccuracy in the specifications listed for 20i plans. For example, for managed WordPress hosting unlimited MySQL databases with a 5GB capacity are provided but in the small print it says that database size is limited to 1024 megabytes. We asked 20i about the database capacity and were told that the limit is actually based on the SSD size of the hosting plan.
(Image credit: Future)
After you select a plan, you’ll be provided with a few options regarding the domain name. Here, in addition to the typical options (register a new or use an old one), you can choose to feed the little master of procrastination that lives in all of us and decide to, well, decide later what to do about your domain.
In any case, the rest of the process is everything one might expect from it. You are required to provide a first round of personal data, opt for a payment frequency (monthly or annual, with the annual one getting you one month of free hosting) and go through 20i’s terms and conditions. Now it’s time for the second round of personal data and the content of a form slightly differs depending on whether you are acting as an individual or on behalf of a company.
Ease of use
This is the user interface of 20i's custom control panel My20i (Image credit: 20i)
20i have their own control panel (named simply My20i) that, without much subtlety, proclaims its superiority over the fan-favorite “old-school” Linux-based cPanel. Funnily enough, My20i and cPanel look like chips off the same old block, which is something even the casual eye would take a notice of.
However, we have to admit, My20i is one of the most user-friendly tailor-made control panels we have seen and the one that will make everything you need readily available at your fingertips. It is a genuine one-stop solution for managing all of your web hosting, e-mails, databases and software. In addition to this, it has to be noted that My20i is included with all hosting packages, so you won’t be driven to pay extra just to enjoy its elegant simplicity and intuitive ease of use.
As an alternative (not that you will need one), you can use 20i’s drag-and-drop website builder, but if you haven’t opted for their “Startup”, “Premium”, “Business” or any of the reseller plans, it will come at a price.
We used GTmetrix to measure the uptime and response time of 20i's main website (Image credit: GTmetrix)
Speed and experience
Considering that 20i utilizes worldwide CDN and their own website acceleration suite in order to improve your site speed and “make it fly”, we came with a certain set of expectations regarding the speed performance. After we performed a speed test on 20i’s main website (provided by GTmetrix), our expectations were pretty much justified.
The page fully loaded in just 1.8 seconds (the average result is 8.1) and it required 55 requests to do so (the average being 98 requests). In addition, all other vital web metrics were ahead of the curve i.e. all but one, and that is total blocking time that regrettably took 352 milliseconds, although ideally it should be less than 150. Nevertheless, GTmetrix rated the speed performance of 20i’s site with a B (86%), which is one of the better performances we have seen so far.
20i emphasizes security of their “state-of-the-art” data centers that are manned day-and-night and reinforced with high-level physical security measures that cover everything from backup power generators to advanced fire protection. However, oddly enough, they failed to say a lot about the uptime we can expect while doing business with them.
As per usual, we put the uptime of 20i’s main website to the test, so you don’t have to. After a month of steadfast monitoring (via tireless UptimeRobot), our efforts were rewarded by pretty promising results. There was no recorded downtime at all resulting in an impeccable 100% of uptime.
Support
Although all visitors to 20i’s website have an option to reach its support staff via telephone, if you are looking for some good old customer support, you will notice that their help is primarily text-based. The first pick for most of us will be live chat, which seems available during the working hours at a minimum. Fortunately (for both parties), after testing the willingness of their helping hands, we were well pleased with all the hand-holding we got.
20i's knowledgebase can help you find the answers you need to common web hosting problems (Image credit: 20i)
If you’re not in a rush, you can get in touch with 20i’s technical team via support ticket or email. However, if you want to remain as self-sufficient as humanly possible, there are some excellent options for you as well. The principal one is their knowledgebase (titled “Support Database”) as it manages to cover all key issues and concerns in an easy-to-understand way. On the other hand, if you are more into how-to video guides, 20i’s YouTube channel features a stack of them (actually, around sixty) and those we have checked out seem really handy.
The competition
Most newcomers looking for a well-balanced reseller hosting solution are likely to consider web hosting providers like InMotion Hosting, HostGator and A2 Hosting at some point, and not without reason.
Since you are here, you are presumably taking 20i into consideration. And if you pick them out, you are right to expect a full list of features (many of which are unlimited), lightning speed and powerful performance in general, together with a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. However, if this should be your first close encounter with reseller web hosting, InMotion Hosting is most likely your safest bet. Their packages present a great value for money at a pocket-friendly price of $26.59 (with 20i it is about $49.50) per month, with cPanel, WHM and WHMCS included together with an overgenerous 90-day money-back guarantee that will give you quite a bit of time to try them out before making any definitive decision.
Although HostGator is not as reseller-focused as 20i, its reseller plans can grab anyone’s attention, particularly in terms of features. For a really reasonable price HostGator will put no limitations on the number of domains, subdomains, email accounts, MySQL databases and FTP accounts. However, if you want an unlimited hosting in its true form, you’ll have to go with 20i for they will throw in an unlimited number of websites, unlimited storage space (100% SSD), unlimited bandwidth and unlimited Wildcard SSL certificates.
Bluehost is another popular alternative for those on the lookout for a novice-friendly hosting provider that has something to meet most needs. However, while Bluehost offers no reseller packages (which are 20i’s specialty), 20i doesn’t provide an option for demanding users in need of dedicated servers (and Bluehost does). This is one of those differences that can serve as a decisive point for certain types of users.
In terms of features, GreenGeeks is comparable with InMotion Hosting, but one feature that sets them apart from all the hosts above is (not hard to guess considering the name of the company is highly suggestive) their dedication to eco-friendly hosting. If we add that they guarantee 99.98% of uptime, provide 24/7 live support chat and all at a price starting at $10.95 (you can get about 80% off on sale), going green might sound even better.
Final verdict
One of the hallmarks of hosting with 20i is their very own custom-made My20i control panel and it is the closest thing to an industry-standard control panel (such as cPanel and Plesk) we have seen since the Jurassic period of web hosting. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, intuitive design and sheer user-friendliness, which is something we seldom see with non-standard counterparts.
At the same time, 20i has been quietly gaining worldwide momentum thanks to its well-structured, feature-rich and easy-to-set up hosting solutions, a performance one can rely on and professional and polite in-house support staff.
We just found too many inaccuracies on their site which could fall into being misleading for us to strongly recommend this hosting provider for everyone. If you're looking for the best UK web hosting, there are other options.
Claimed score vs real score
(Image credit: Future)
The company with the curious name of 20i was launched in 2016 by a dynamic duo consisting of two brothers, Tim and Jonathan Brealey. Although 20i is still basically a new-born in the trade, its creators are industry veterans, having gathered extensive web hosting experience while working on their previous creations.
Their first project was Webfusion, which was the first company to offer a customized version of a control panel called Virtual Control Panel. Three years later they founded 123-Reg, which remains a market leader in domain name registration in the UK. After two decades of experience the brother's launched a hosting company that would (in their words) “break the mold” (let’s hope for the better).
20i’s head office is located in Ransom Wood, the UK, and they have two of their own datacenters, one in London and one in Dallas, Texas. Plus they have the option of using AWS and Google Cloud servers. 20i also provide a global CDN (content delivery network) with twenty-one locations across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa, but their infographics could lead you to believe there are more locations included in their network than there are. So, double check the CDN locations when making a purchasing decision.
(Image credit: Future)
Actual amount and location of CDN nodes
(Image credit: 20i)
Plans and pricing
20i are best known for their reseller hosting but they also provide managed cloud hosting for AWS, and managed WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting from their own datacenters and AWS and Google Cloud servers. For reseller plans you can't choose the datacenter location but for other plans you can.
If you create a reseller account with US login details you'll automatically be given servers in the US datacenter. If you create a reseller account with UK login details, you'll get the UK datacenter. For other plans you can choose the location but only customers from outside the UK have the option to use the USD listing price which is cheaper than the GBP listing price after currency conversion. If you use a VPN you might be able to take advantage of the USD prices (but check the T&Cs).
(Image credit: Future)
We asked 20i about why the pricing is different and we were told that it's because of the lower costs to run a datacenter in the US. This didn't add up though because for this plan you can choose a server location anywhere in the world.
Even though 20i focuses on reseller hosting, its shared, WordPress and VPS packages offer a wide array of fantastic features such as free website migration, CDN, website acceleration suite and much more. All hosting plans are presented in a very detailed manner where you can get all needed information about web hosting packages, their cloud platform, security measures, e-mail features, supported web hosting software and their promises (some of which are backed by a guarantee) within a few clicks.
We've noticed at least one inaccuracy in the specifications listed for 20i plans. For example, for managed WordPress hosting unlimited MySQL databases with a 5GB capacity are provided but in the small print it says that database size is limited to 1024 megabytes. We asked 20i about the database capacity and were told that the limit is actually based on the SSD size of the hosting plan.
(Image credit: Future)
After you select a plan, you’ll be provided with a few options regarding the domain name. Here, in addition to the typical options (register a new or use an old one), you can choose to feed the little master of procrastination that lives in all of us and decide to, well, decide later what to do about your domain.
In any case, the rest of the process is everything one might expect from it. You are required to provide a first round of personal data, opt for a payment frequency (monthly or annual, with the annual one getting you one month of free hosting) and go through 20i’s terms and conditions. Now it’s time for the second round of personal data and the content of a form slightly differs depending on whether you are acting as an individual or on behalf of a company.
Ease of use
This is the user interface of 20i's custom control panel My20i (Image credit: 20i)
20i have their own control panel (named simply My20i) that, without much subtlety, proclaims its superiority over the fan-favorite “old-school” Linux-based cPanel. Funnily enough, My20i and cPanel look like chips off the same old block, which is something even the casual eye would take a notice of.
However, we have to admit, My20i is one of the most user-friendly tailor-made control panels we have seen and the one that will make everything you need readily available at your fingertips. It is a genuine one-stop solution for managing all of your web hosting, e-mails, databases and software. In addition to this, it has to be noted that My20i is included with all hosting packages, so you won’t be driven to pay extra just to enjoy its elegant simplicity and intuitive ease of use.
As an alternative (not that you will need one), you can use 20i’s drag-and-drop website builder, but if you haven’t opted for their “Startup”, “Premium”, “Business” or any of the reseller plans, it will come at a price.
We used GTmetrix to measure the uptime and response time of 20i's main website (Image credit: GTmetrix)
Speed and experience
Considering that 20i utilizes worldwide CDN and their own website acceleration suite in order to improve your site speed and “make it fly”, we came with a certain set of expectations regarding the speed performance. After we performed a speed test on 20i’s main website (provided by GTmetrix), our expectations were pretty much justified.
The page fully loaded in just 1.8 seconds (the average result is 8.1) and it required 55 requests to do so (the average being 98 requests). In addition, all other vital web metrics were ahead of the curve i.e. all but one, and that is total blocking time that regrettably took 352 milliseconds, although ideally it should be less than 150. Nevertheless, GTmetrix rated the speed performance of 20i’s site with a B (86%), which is one of the better performances we have seen so far.
20i emphasizes security of their “state-of-the-art” data centers that are manned day-and-night and reinforced with high-level physical security measures that cover everything from backup power generators to advanced fire protection. However, oddly enough, they failed to say a lot about the uptime we can expect while doing business with them.
As per usual, we put the uptime of 20i’s main website to the test, so you don’t have to. After a month of steadfast monitoring (via tireless UptimeRobot), our efforts were rewarded by pretty promising results. There was no recorded downtime at all resulting in an impeccable 100% of uptime.
Support
Although all visitors to 20i’s website have an option to reach its support staff via telephone, if you are looking for some good old customer support, you will notice that their help is primarily text-based. The first pick for most of us will be live chat, which seems available during the working hours at a minimum. Fortunately (for both parties), after testing the willingness of their helping hands, we were well pleased with all the hand-holding we got.
20i's knowledgebase can help you find the answers you need to common web hosting problems (Image credit: 20i)
If you’re not in a rush, you can get in touch with 20i’s technical team via support ticket or email. However, if you want to remain as self-sufficient as humanly possible, there are some excellent options for you as well. The principal one is their knowledgebase (titled “Support Database”) as it manages to cover all key issues and concerns in an easy-to-understand way. On the other hand, if you are more into how-to video guides, 20i’s YouTube channel features a stack of them (actually, around sixty) and those we have checked out seem really handy.
The competition
Most newcomers looking for a well-balanced reseller hosting solution are likely to consider web hosting providers like InMotion Hosting, HostGator and A2 Hosting at some point, and not without reason.
Since you are here, you are presumably taking 20i into consideration. And if you pick them out, you are right to expect a full list of features (many of which are unlimited), lightning speed and powerful performance in general, together with a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. However, if this should be your first close encounter with reseller web hosting, InMotion Hosting is most likely your safest bet. Their packages present a great value for money at a pocket-friendly price of $26.59 (with 20i it is about $49.50) per month, with cPanel, WHM and WHMCS included together with an overgenerous 90-day money-back guarantee that will give you quite a bit of time to try them out before making any definitive decision.
Although HostGator is not as reseller-focused as 20i, its reseller plans can grab anyone’s attention, particularly in terms of features. For a really reasonable price HostGator will put no limitations on the number of domains, subdomains, email accounts, MySQL databases and FTP accounts. However, if you want an unlimited hosting in its true form, you’ll have to go with 20i for they will throw in an unlimited number of websites, unlimited storage space (100% SSD), unlimited bandwidth and unlimited Wildcard SSL certificates.
Bluehost is another popular alternative for those on the lookout for a novice-friendly hosting provider that has something to meet most needs. However, while Bluehost offers no reseller packages (which are 20i’s specialty), 20i doesn’t provide an option for demanding users in need of dedicated servers (and Bluehost does). This is one of those differences that can serve as a decisive point for certain types of users.
In terms of features, GreenGeeks is comparable with InMotion Hosting, but one feature that sets them apart from all the hosts above is (not hard to guess considering the name of the company is highly suggestive) their dedication to eco-friendly hosting. If we add that they guarantee 99.98% of uptime, provide 24/7 live support chat and all at a price starting at $10.95 (you can get about 80% off on sale), going green might sound even better.
Final verdict
One of the hallmarks of hosting with 20i is their very own custom-made My20i control panel and it is the closest thing to an industry-standard control panel (such as cPanel and Plesk) we have seen since the Jurassic period of web hosting. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, intuitive design and sheer user-friendliness, which is something we seldom see with non-standard counterparts.
At the same time, 20i has been quietly gaining worldwide momentum thanks to its well-structured, feature-rich and easy-to-set up hosting solutions, a performance one can rely on and professional and polite in-house support staff.
We just found too many inaccuracies on their site which could fall into being misleading for us to strongly recommend this hosting provider for everyone. If you're looking for the best UK web hosting, there are other options.
Claimed score vs real score
(Image credit: Future)
The company with the curious name of 20i was launched in 2016 by a dynamic duo consisting of two brothers, Tim and Jonathan Brealey. Although 20i is still basically a new-born in the trade, its creators are industry veterans, having gathered extensive web hosting experience while working on their previous creations.
Their first project was Webfusion, which was the first company to offer a customized version of a control panel called Virtual Control Panel. Three years later they founded 123-Reg, which remains a market leader in domain name registration in the UK. After two decades of experience the brother's launched a hosting company that would (in their words) “break the mold” (let’s hope for the better).
20i’s head office is located in Ransom Wood, the UK, and they have two of their own datacenters, one in London and one in Dallas, Texas. Plus they have the option of using AWS and Google Cloud servers. 20i also provide a global CDN (content delivery network) with twenty-one locations across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa, but their infographics could lead you to believe there are more locations included in their network than there are. So, double check the CDN locations when making a purchasing decision.
(Image credit: Future)
Actual amount and location of CDN nodes
(Image credit: 20i)
Plans and pricing
20i are best known for their reseller hosting but they also provide managed cloud hosting for AWS, and managed WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting from their own datacenters and AWS and Google Cloud servers. For reseller plans you can't choose the datacenter location but for other plans you can.
If you create a reseller account with US login details you'll automatically be given servers in the US datacenter. If you create a reseller account with UK login details, you'll get the UK datacenter. For other plans you can choose the location but only customers from outside the UK have the option to use the USD listing price which is cheaper than the GBP listing price after currency conversion. If you use a VPN you might be able to take advantage of the USD prices (but check the T&Cs).
(Image credit: Future)
We asked 20i about why the pricing is different and we were told that it's because of the lower costs to run a datacenter in the US. This didn't add up though because for this plan you can choose a server location anywhere in the world.
Even though 20i focuses on reseller hosting, its shared, WordPress and VPS packages offer a wide array of fantastic features such as free website migration, CDN, website acceleration suite and much more. All hosting plans are presented in a very detailed manner where you can get all needed information about web hosting packages, their cloud platform, security measures, e-mail features, supported web hosting software and their promises (some of which are backed by a guarantee) within a few clicks.
We've noticed at least one inaccuracy in the specifications listed for 20i plans. For example, for managed WordPress hosting unlimited MySQL databases with a 5GB capacity are provided but in the small print it says that database size is limited to 1024 megabytes. We asked 20i about the database capacity and were told that the limit is actually based on the SSD size of the hosting plan.
(Image credit: Future)
After you select a plan, you’ll be provided with a few options regarding the domain name. Here, in addition to the typical options (register a new or use an old one), you can choose to feed the little master of procrastination that lives in all of us and decide to, well, decide later what to do about your domain.
In any case, the rest of the process is everything one might expect from it. You are required to provide a first round of personal data, opt for a payment frequency (monthly or annual, with the annual one getting you one month of free hosting) and go through 20i’s terms and conditions. Now it’s time for the second round of personal data and the content of a form slightly differs depending on whether you are acting as an individual or on behalf of a company.
Ease of use
This is the user interface of 20i's custom control panel My20i (Image credit: 20i)
20i have their own control panel (named simply My20i) that, without much subtlety, proclaims its superiority over the fan-favorite “old-school” Linux-based cPanel. Funnily enough, My20i and cPanel look like chips off the same old block, which is something even the casual eye would take a notice of.
However, we have to admit, My20i is one of the most user-friendly tailor-made control panels we have seen and the one that will make everything you need readily available at your fingertips. It is a genuine one-stop solution for managing all of your web hosting, e-mails, databases and software. In addition to this, it has to be noted that My20i is included with all hosting packages, so you won’t be driven to pay extra just to enjoy its elegant simplicity and intuitive ease of use.
As an alternative (not that you will need one), you can use 20i’s drag-and-drop website builder, but if you haven’t opted for their “Startup”, “Premium”, “Business” or any of the reseller plans, it will come at a price.
We used GTmetrix to measure the uptime and response time of 20i's main website (Image credit: GTmetrix)
Speed and experience
Considering that 20i utilizes worldwide CDN and their own website acceleration suite in order to improve your site speed and “make it fly”, we came with a certain set of expectations regarding the speed performance. After we performed a speed test on 20i’s main website (provided by GTmetrix), our expectations were pretty much justified.
The page fully loaded in just 1.8 seconds (the average result is 8.1) and it required 55 requests to do so (the average being 98 requests). In addition, all other vital web metrics were ahead of the curve i.e. all but one, and that is total blocking time that regrettably took 352 milliseconds, although ideally it should be less than 150. Nevertheless, GTmetrix rated the speed performance of 20i’s site with a B (86%), which is one of the better performances we have seen so far.
20i emphasizes security of their “state-of-the-art” data centers that are manned day-and-night and reinforced with high-level physical security measures that cover everything from backup power generators to advanced fire protection. However, oddly enough, they failed to say a lot about the uptime we can expect while doing business with them.
As per usual, we put the uptime of 20i’s main website to the test, so you don’t have to. After a month of steadfast monitoring (via tireless UptimeRobot), our efforts were rewarded by pretty promising results. There was no recorded downtime at all resulting in an impeccable 100% of uptime.
Support
Although all visitors to 20i’s website have an option to reach its support staff via telephone, if you are looking for some good old customer support, you will notice that their help is primarily text-based. The first pick for most of us will be live chat, which seems available during the working hours at a minimum. Fortunately (for both parties), after testing the willingness of their helping hands, we were well pleased with all the hand-holding we got.
20i's knowledgebase can help you find the answers you need to common web hosting problems (Image credit: 20i)
If you’re not in a rush, you can get in touch with 20i’s technical team via support ticket or email. However, if you want to remain as self-sufficient as humanly possible, there are some excellent options for you as well. The principal one is their knowledgebase (titled “Support Database”) as it manages to cover all key issues and concerns in an easy-to-understand way. On the other hand, if you are more into how-to video guides, 20i’s YouTube channel features a stack of them (actually, around sixty) and those we have checked out seem really handy.
The competition
Most newcomers looking for a well-balanced reseller hosting solution are likely to consider web hosting providers like InMotion Hosting, HostGator and A2 Hosting at some point, and not without reason.
Since you are here, you are presumably taking 20i into consideration. And if you pick them out, you are right to expect a full list of features (many of which are unlimited), lightning speed and powerful performance in general, together with a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. However, if this should be your first close encounter with reseller web hosting, InMotion Hosting is most likely your safest bet. Their packages present a great value for money with cPanel, WHM and WHMCS included together with an overgenerous 90-day money-back guarantee that will give you quite a bit of time to try them out before making any definitive decision.
Although HostGator is not as reseller-focused as 20i, its reseller plans can grab anyone’s attention, particularly in terms of features. For a really reasonable price HostGator will put no limitations on the number of domains, subdomains, email accounts, MySQL databases and FTP accounts. However, if you want an unlimited hosting in its true form, you’ll have to go with 20i for they will throw in an unlimited number of websites, unlimited storage space (100% SSD), unlimited bandwidth and unlimited Wildcard SSL certificates.
Bluehost is another popular alternative for those on the lookout for a novice-friendly hosting provider that has something to meet most needs. However, while Bluehost offers no reseller packages (which are 20i’s specialty), 20i doesn’t provide an option for demanding users in need of dedicated servers (and Bluehost does). This is one of those differences that can serve as a decisive point for certain types of users.
In terms of features, GreenGeeks is comparable with InMotion Hosting, but one feature that sets them apart from all the hosts above is (not hard to guess considering the name of the company is highly suggestive) their dedication to eco-friendly hosting. If we add that they guarantee 99.98% of uptime, provide 24/7 live chat support going green might sound even better.
Final verdict
One of the hallmarks of hosting with 20i is their very own custom-made My20i control panel and it is the closest thing to an industry-standard control panel (such as cPanel and Plesk) we have seen since the Jurassic period of web hosting. Its beauty lies in its simplicity, intuitive design and sheer user-friendliness, which is something we seldom see with non-standard counterparts.
At the same time, 20i has been quietly gaining worldwide momentum thanks to its well-structured, feature-rich and easy-to-set up hosting solutions, a performance one can rely on and professional and polite in-house support staff.
We just found too many inaccuracies on their site which could fall into being misleading for us to strongly recommend this hosting provider for everyone. If you're looking for the best UK web hosting, there are other options.
