Choose PayPal payment links when PayPal's merchant checkout fits your customers and account. Consider SumUp when you already sell through its business tools and want remote collection in the same workflow. Choose by online payment costs and what must happen after payment, rather than by the advertised price of a card reader.
This comparison is for merchants selling through messages, email or social channels. The pricing example uses a UK SumUp account and GBP; it is not a global fee comparison.
Compare merchant links with merchant links
PayPal's current merchant Payment Links are hosted product or service checkouts. They are different from a personal PayPal.Me address. SumUp Payment Links also collect remote payments without requiring a card reader or a website.
| Seller decision | PayPal route | SumUp route | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share a checkout in a conversation | Merchant payment link | Payment link | Buyer sees the correct offer and total |
| Already use the provider in person | Check your PayPal business workflow | Check your SumUp business workflow | How staff match remote and in-person orders |
| Buyer payment preference | Check eligible checkout methods | Check eligible checkout methods | Actual account, country and link experience |
| Custom work agreed with one client | Compare an invoice with a reusable link | Compare invoicing with a payment link | Scope, due date and outstanding balance |
| Download delivered immediately | Verify fulfillment separately | Verify fulfillment separately | Paid status triggers the right file and receipt |
Do not assume that provider selection means an exclusive wallet. SumUp documents PayPal among alternative payment methods in supported markets. Confirm availability for your account and product before promising a method on a particular link.
A twenty-order online fee worksheet
Assume twenty domestic orders of £50: total collected is £1,000. SumUp's UK link page lists 2.50% per transaction and no monthly link fee, checked on 19 October 2026. On that stated rate, 20 × £50 × 0.025 = £25. This is not a quote for other countries, currencies or products.
For the comparable PayPal quote, use the applicable UK merchant fee schedule. Payment type, currency conversion and cross-border conditions matter; a competitor's card-reader table is not a PayPal merchant-link quote.
| Worksheet line | Calculation |
|---|---|
| Percentage component | £1,000 × the quoted online rate |
| Fixed transaction component | 20 × the quoted per-payment amount |
| Extra conditions | Add applicable international and FX costs |
| Optional selling software | Add subscription or platform charges separately |
| Order administration | 20 × minutes per order ÷ 60 × your hourly cost |
Use rates for the same merchant country, buyer mix and payment method. A seemingly small fixed fee matters more on low-value orders. Do not copy an in-person rate into the online column.
Payment collected is not the same as order completed
For a hypothetical seller taking custom pottery orders, define the offer, buyer contact, agreed delivery date and order reference before sharing a link. Staff should match provider-confirmed payment to that order before shipping. A buyer screenshot is not your payment record.
For a seller offering a downloadable pattern, decide who releases the file after confirmed payment and how the customer retrieves it again. A checkout link may solve collection while leaving delivery manual. Conversely, a provider's current native tools may already cover everything you need; extra software is then unnecessary.
Compare two real offers before switching: one straightforward sale and one with a refund, custom scope or delivery requirement. This is an evaluation protocol, not a claim that we ran live transactions on either service.
When a PayRequest layer makes sense
Use PayRequest payment links when you want a selling and collection workflow with an eligible connected provider. PayRequest is not a SumUp integration, and you do not need to leave a working native checkout simply to add another subscription.
If paid file delivery is the missing job, compare digital products. Current pricing places digital products on Premium (€5/month) or Business (€20/month). Free includes payment links and basic invoicing with a 2% standard platform fee; active paid plans have 0% standard platform fees. Provider fees and commission-payment exceptions remain separate.
Create an account and configure one offer with the correct payment, order and delivery expectations. Choose the plan that actually covers that job before sharing it with buyers.
Editorial note: AI assisted this article. Provider sources and PayRequest pricing were reviewed on 19 October 2026. The twenty-order worksheet and seller examples are hypothetical; no vendor test, savings or conversion lift is claimed.
