Lopay

Lopay combines in-person payment acceptance, remote payment links and point-of-sale tools for businesses. It is a strong fit for sole traders and small operators who need more than one way to collect payment and care about payout timing. The trade-off is that faster payouts sit on higher tiers, while Tap to Pay and Xero syncing have device and plan requirements.

Overview

Lopay serves businesses from taxi drivers and market traders to barbers, builders, pet groomers and dry cleaners. Its mix of payment methods and simple POS functions can suit operators who want payment acceptance and a product-and-stock workflow in one service. All three named plans have no monthly fee, but dedicated hardware costs extra, and the plan choice still matters if payout speed is important.

Key features

Payment acceptance includes chip and PIN, contactless and wallet payments, NFC and wearables, Tap to Pay, payment links, subscriptions, donations, QR codes, invoicing and refunds. Links can collect deposits or payment for remote services, either as one-off or recurring charges. This makes Lopay useful to businesses that combine face-to-face sales with remote bookings or services.

The POS feature lets merchants organize products, manage stock and check out using a smartphone or tablet. That is a practical fit for a small seller who needs basic product and stock management alongside checkout. A dedicated card reader is not required, though readers and terminals are available for purchase.

Tap to Pay removes the need for a separate reader, but works only on an iPhone XS or later running iOS 16.4 or later, or an NFC-enabled Android device running Android 10 or later. Businesses with older or incompatible phones will need another payment method or hardware.

Lopay documents integrations with Xero and QuickBooks, and payment links can be added to Intuit invoices. Xero syncing is constrained to one Xero organization per Lopay account, and daily syncing requires a supported Xero plan; Ignite and lower or free plans are excluded. That matters for businesses whose bookkeeping depends on daily reconciliation.

Lopay says it is PCI DSS compliant, with payment data encrypted and tokenized and compliance independently verified by an accredited third-party assessor. Support includes in-app, email and phone contact, guided onboarding and more than 60 help articles.

Pricing

All three plans are priced at $0, with no monthly fee and unlimited team members. Their main difference is payout timing and rewards, so the best fit depends on how quickly the business needs funds in its bank account.

• Essential: Thursday bank payouts and $10 in processing fees waived per $100 spent on card. It suits businesses that can work with a fixed weekly payout and want the simplest option, but gives up the faster payout schedules and higher rewards of the other plans.
• Standard: Next-day, weekly or monthly payouts, $50 in processing fees waived per $100 spent on card, and 2x rewards. This is the most flexible fit for businesses that want to choose a payout cadence without needing funds instantly.
• Instant to bank: Instant bank payouts 24/7, weekend and bank-holiday payouts, and 2x rewards. It is the clearest choice when access to funds outside normal banking schedules matters.

For US buyers, the card reader costs $35 upfront plus shipping, and the business terminal costs $299 plus shipping. Tap to Pay can avoid that hardware purchase if the phone meets the requirements.

Platforms

Lopay is available on Android, iOS and the web. Tap to Pay has stricter device requirements than the broader platform availability, so check the phone’s operating system and NFC support before relying on it.

Who it's for

Lopay is best suited to sole traders, side hustlers and small businesses that accept payments both in person and remotely, especially those that value flexible payout schedules and have straightforward product and stock needs. It is less suitable for a business that depends on daily Xero syncing through an unsupported plan, or one that needs a more capable inventory workflow than the described POS functions.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Three plans have no monthly fee and unlimited team members, keeping the listed plan cost predictable as teams grow.
• Pro: Payment links, recurring payments and in-person methods cover remote and face-to-face sales in one service.
• Pro: The Instant to bank plan supports 24/7 payouts, including weekends and bank holidays.
• Con: Tap to Pay depends on relatively recent iOS or Android requirements and NFC, limiting use on older devices.
• Con: Xero supports one organization per account, and daily syncing is unavailable on Ignite and lower or free plans.
• Con: A dedicated reader or terminal adds an upfront hardware cost plus shipping in the US.

Alternatives

Consider Helcim if you want processing with no account monthly fees and interchange-plus rates that vary by volume. Choose PayAnywhere if its pay-as-you-go swipe, dip or tap and keyed transaction fee structure better fits your payment mix. PayPal Invoicing is a more focused option for creating and sending invoices without setup or subscription fees, with transaction fees when customers pay.

Zeller is another alternative. SumUp Invoices suits readers looking for invoicing and quotes with recurring invoices on its free plan. SwipeSimple may suit eligible businesses whose customers can cover a 3.5% card fee through its Connect Zero plan. NAB Easy Tap is an option for eligible Visa, Mastercard and eftpos transactions with no setup or terminal hardware fees. Paid for Stripe has no monthly or setup fees and charges 0.99% per transaction in addition to Stripe’s standard fees.

See more options in Mobile Payment Processing Software.

Verdict

Lopay is a good choice for a sole trader or small business that needs in-person and remote payment tools, basic POS functions and the ability to select a payout schedule without a monthly plan fee. Its standout reason to choose it is the range of payment methods paired with an instant payout option. Look elsewhere if daily Xero syncing on an unsupported plan is essential, or if you need a more extensive stock-management system.