Dojo vs takepayments UK 2026: Fees, Features & Which to Choose

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Dojo and takepayments are two of the most actively marketed card payment providers in the UK, but they suit very different businesses. Dojo charges from 1.4% per transaction for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard debit cards, settles funds by 7am the next business day, and operates on a rolling monthly contract after an initial period. takepayments uses custom blended rates typically starting around 1.6%, settles in two to three working days, and locks you into contracts of 12 to 48 months. This page compares their fees, hardware, contract terms, and support so you can decide which fits your business in 2026. Updated August 2026.

Key Facts

Who Is This Page For?

This comparison is for UK business owners who have received quotes from Dojo and takepayments, or who are shortlisting card payment providers in 2026. It is particularly useful if you run a restaurant, café, retail shop, or trade business and want to understand the real difference in fees, contracts, and settlement speed before committing to either. It is also for sole traders and micro-businesses weighing the value of a dedicated account manager against the flexibility of a rolling contract.

Dojo vs takepayments: Fee Comparison

Dojo Fees and Charges Explained

Dojo's published transaction fee starts at 1.4% for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard debit cards. That is the rate most commonly cited in marketing, but the actual cost depends on your card mix. Credit card transactions and commercial cards attract a higher rate, typically above 1.8% and sometimes above 2% depending on the card type. Dojo does not publish a single headline rate for credit cards, so you need to request a full breakdown before signing.

The monthly terminal rental fee starts at around £20 per terminal for the Dojo Go. This covers hardware, connectivity, and software updates. Dojo does not charge a separate PCI compliance fee in most of its standard packages, which simplifies the monthly cost calculation. There is no charge for standard next-day settlement. The main areas where Dojo charges add up are credit card transactions and the gateway product if you add online payments.

At £10,000 monthly volume with a predominantly debit card mix at 1.4%, transaction fees come to £140 per month. Add the terminal rental of around £20 and the total monthly cost is roughly £160, assuming no credit card volume. A business processing £20,000 a month at 1.4% pays £280 in transaction fees, making the hardware rental a smaller share of the overall cost at higher volumes.

takepayments Fees and Charges Explained

takepayments does not publish a standard rate card. Pricing is negotiated individually through a local sales representative, which means the rate you receive depends on your monthly volume, business type, and card mix. Typical blended rates start around 1.6% for businesses processing under £10,000 a month, though higher-volume businesses can usually negotiate below that level.

The terminal rental fee starts at approximately £25 per month, though this varies by contract length and terminal model. Longer contracts of 36 or 48 months often come with lower monthly rental fees, which can make the headline monthly cost look attractive. The hidden catch is the early termination fee: if you need to exit a 48-month contract after 12 months, the remaining rental charges can run to several hundred pounds.

takepayments also charges a separate PCI compliance fee of around £5 to £6 per month. This is on top of the terminal rental and transaction fees. At £10,000 monthly volume on a 1.6% blended rate, the transaction cost is £160, the rental around £25, and the PCI fee around £5 to £6. Total monthly cost is approximately £190 to £191, compared with around £160 for Dojo at the same volume. That is a difference of around £30 a month, or £360 a year.

Dojo Pricing vs takepayments: Side-by-Side Cost Example

These figures use Dojo's published 1.4% debit card rate and takepayments' typical 1.6% blended rate with a single terminal. Actual costs vary depending on your credit-to-debit card split, the specific contract terms takepayments offers, and whether additional terminals are required. Use these figures as a guide, not a guarantee.

What is Dojo?

Dojo is a UK card payment provider launched in 2019 under Paymentsense Limited. It targets hospitality, retail, and service businesses with Android-based smart terminals, next-day settlement, and transparent pay-as-you-go pricing. The Dojo Go terminal has become particularly popular in restaurants and bars because it handles split bills, tipping, and tableside payments without needing a separate EPOS system. By August 2026 Dojo serves over 100,000 UK businesses.

Pricing starts from 1.4% per transaction for UK consumer Visa and Mastercard debit cards, though credit card and commercial card rates are higher. Dojo also offers a payment gateway for card-not-present transactions, which means some businesses can use a single provider for both in-person and online payments. For a full breakdown of fees and features, see the Dojo provider review on Compare Card Fees.

What is takepayments?

takepayments is a UK merchant services provider founded in 2010 and based in Sheffield. It focuses almost entirely on face-to-face card payments for small and medium-sized businesses across sectors including retail, hospitality, health and beauty, and trades. The company operates a local sales agent model, meaning you typically receive a quote from a regional representative rather than signing up entirely online. takepayments processes payments through its acquiring partner and provides Ingenico and PAX terminal hardware on monthly rental agreements.

Contract lengths run from 12 to 48 months, and the pricing is negotiated individually rather than published on a standard rate card. Businesses processing higher volumes can usually secure lower blended rates. The local account manager model is a genuine differentiator for owners who find the setup process with purely digital providers confusing or impersonal. Read the full takepayments provider review on Compare Card Fees for a detailed fee analysis.

Dojo vs takepayments: Features Compared

Payment Methods Accepted

Both providers support the major payment methods a UK business needs day to day. Dojo terminals accept chip-and-PIN, contactless cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. The Dojo Go terminal also supports QR-code payments and has a built-in receipt printer. takepayments terminals accept contactless, chip-and-PIN, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. Neither provider natively supports buy-now-pay-later at the point of terminal sale without third-party integration.

Tipping Support

Dojo handles tipping natively on the Dojo Go terminal. Staff can prompt customers for a tip amount or a percentage, and the tip is itemised separately in reporting. This makes Dojo a practical choice for restaurants, cafés, and bars where tipping is routine. takepayments terminals can be configured for tipping, though the feature set depends on the specific terminal model and software version. Neither provider fully matches a dedicated hospitality EPOS system for tip pooling and staff allocation, but Dojo's implementation is cleaner out of the box. The Lopay platform, which is a separate mobile payments app, approaches tipping differently and is not a direct equivalent to either Dojo or takepayments.

Hardware and Terminals

Dojo's flagship device is the Dojo Go, a portable Android 10 terminal with a colour touchscreen, built-in 4G and Wi-Fi, and an all-day battery. The hardware is modern and well-regarded, and the Dojo Pocket is a smaller countertop option for fixed-position use. takepayments offers a broader range including countertop, portable, and mobile (SIM-enabled) versions of Ingenico Desk and Move terminals as well as the PAX A920. Both providers supply terminals on a rental model rather than outright sale, so you do not own the hardware at the end of the contract.

EPOS and Software Integrations

Dojo has built a growing set of EPOS integrations including Lightspeed and Tevalis, plus its own Dojo Dashboard app for reporting. The Android platform means third-party app installations are possible in some cases. takepayments offers integrations with selected EPOS partners but the range is narrower. Neither provider matches a dedicated EPOS platform like Square for depth of inventory and reporting tools, so high-complexity hospitality or retail operations may need a separate EPOS system alongside either provider.

Online Checkout and Payment Gateway

Dojo offers a payment gateway product for businesses that also take card-not-present or online payments. The gateway supports standard hosted checkout pages and virtual terminal functionality. This means a business that takes payments in-person at the counter and over the phone can potentially use Dojo for both. takepayments does not offer a native online payment gateway. If online checkout matters to your business, Dojo has a clear advantage here, though providers like Opayo and Stripe remain more capable pure-play online options. See the best payment gateways for UK businesses guide for a full comparison.

International and Multi-Currency Support

Both Dojo and takepayments are built for UK domestic trading. Dojo accepts international cards but charges a higher rate for non-UK and commercial cards, typically above 2%. takepayments handles international Visa and Mastercard cards at its blended rate, which may or may not include a surcharge for foreign cards depending on your individual contract. Neither provider offers dynamic currency conversion as a standard feature, and neither is positioned for businesses with significant cross-border transaction volumes. For that, providers like Adyen or Stripe are better suited.

Fraud Prevention and Security

Dojo is PCI DSS Level 1 compliant and includes 3D Secure on its gateway product. Terminal payments are end-to-end encrypted, and Dojo includes fraud monitoring tools in its dashboard. takepayments terminals are also PCI DSS compliant, but the company charges a separate PCI compliance fee of around £5 to £6 per month, which some competitors include within their monthly rental. Both providers support Strong Customer Authentication as required by FCA regulations. Dojo does not charge a separate PCI fee in most of its standard packages, which gives it a modest cost advantage here. Read more about PCI compliance fees and what UK businesses should pay.

Customer Support

takepayments wins on the local, personal support front. Every customer is assigned a dedicated account manager, and the company has regional teams across the UK. Support is available by phone, and many customers report being able to reach a named contact directly. Dojo provides 24/7 telephone support and live chat, but it operates a centralised contact centre model rather than dedicated account managers. Dojo's support is consistently rated well in online reviews for speed, but if you prefer speaking to someone who already knows your account, takepayments has the edge.

Pros and Cons

Dojo Pros and Cons

Pros

• Next-day settlement by 7am suits businesses with tight cash flow
• No long-term contract lock-in after the initial period
• Modern Android terminal hardware with a strong feature set for hospitality
• Transparent starting rates published online from 1.4% for UK consumer debit cards
• Payment gateway available for businesses that also take online payments
• No separate PCI compliance fee in most standard packages
• Native tipping and split-bill functionality on the Dojo Go

Cons

• Rates for credit cards and commercial cards are noticeably higher and not always clearly quoted upfront
• No dedicated account manager; support is centralised rather than personal
• The Dojo Go terminal is rented, not owned, so you lose it if you cancel
• EPOS integration library is still growing and trails some larger competitors

takepayments Pros and Cons

Pros

• Dedicated local account manager included as standard
• Wide range of terminal hardware including Ingenico and PAX devices
• Rates can be negotiated for businesses processing above £10,000 per month
• Established UK provider with over 15 years of operation as of 2026
• Suitable for businesses that prefer to set up with human guidance rather than online sign-up

Cons

• Contract lengths of 12 to 48 months with early termination fees that can run to hundreds of pounds
• Settlement typically takes two to three working days, slower than Dojo
• Rates are not published; you must request a quote, making upfront comparison harder
• A separate monthly PCI compliance fee of around £5 to £6 adds to the total cost

Which is Better For...?

Small Retail and Hospitality Businesses

Dojo is the stronger choice for most small restaurants, cafés, and independent retailers. Next-day settlement reduces the wait between taking a payment and having the money available to spend. The Dojo Go terminal handles tipping and split bills natively, and the rolling contract means you are not locked in for three or four years if your circumstances change. A café taking £15,000 a month at 1.4% pays £210 in transaction fees. That same business on a blended 1.6% rate with takepayments pays £240 in transaction fees alone, plus roughly £31 in rental and PCI fees, a difference of around £61 a month or £732 a year.

Sole Traders and Micro-Businesses

For sole traders or very small businesses processing under £5,000 a month, takepayments may feel more comfortable because of the dedicated account manager and hands-on setup support. Dojo's self-serve model is straightforward, but some first-time card machine users find having a named contact reassuring. The risk with takepayments at low volumes is being tied to a long contract if transaction fees turn out to be higher than expected. It is worth getting quotes from both before committing. See the card payment guide for sole traders for further guidance.

Mobile and On-the-Road Businesses

Both providers offer SIM-enabled mobile terminals. Dojo's 4G-enabled Go terminal is well-reviewed by tradespeople and market traders. takepayments' PAX A920 and Ingenico Move terminals also support mobile use. The key difference here is settlement speed and contract flexibility, which both favour Dojo. A mobile dog groomer or plumber who takes payments on the road benefits from seeing funds the next morning rather than waiting three days.

Businesses Wanting Online and In-Person Payments

If you need both a card machine and an online payment gateway, Dojo has a modest advantage. It offers a payment gateway product alongside its terminals, meaning you can manage both from one dashboard. takepayments is primarily a face-to-face provider and does not offer a native e-commerce gateway. Businesses with significant online volume should also consider Stripe or Opayo alongside either provider, as both are more capable pure-play online options. The difference between a payment gateway and a merchant account is worth understanding before you choose.

Businesses Processing Around £9,000 to £100,000 Per Month

At £9,000 a month, the fee difference between Dojo at 1.4% and takepayments at 1.6% is £18 in transaction costs alone. Add takepayments' PCI fee and terminal rental premium, and the gap widens to around £27 a month. At £100,000 monthly volume, the same rate difference produces £200 more in transaction fees with takepayments. Businesses at this volume should negotiate hard with takepayments and always request an interchange-plus breakdown. The interchange-plus vs blended pricing guide explains why the pricing model matters as much as the headline rate.

Our Verdict

For most UK small businesses in 2026, Dojo is the better default choice. Faster settlement, no long contract, and competitive published rates give it a practical edge over takepayments for day-to-day operations. The Dojo Go terminal is genuinely well-designed for hospitality and retail environments, and the absence of a separate PCI fee keeps the monthly cost calculation simpler.

takepayments earns its place for business owners who genuinely value a local account manager and a more guided setup experience. If you are not confident comparing payment processing quotes yourself, having a dedicated contact who walks you through the contract and hardware options has real value. The downside is that long contract terms mean you need to be certain about the rates you agree to at sign-up, because exiting early is expensive.

The better deal depends on your monthly volume, your card mix, and how much weight you put on support versus flexibility. Always get written quotes from both providers and ask each one to specify the rate for credit cards separately, not just the blended or debit rate.