Comparison

Credit Card Terminal & Reader vs PAYware Mobile

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Credit Card Terminal & Reader

Transform your mobile device into a portable credit card reader. Accept payments anywhere, swipe or key in card details, and manage transactions securely. Send digital receipts with location data and capture tips or sales tax.

Highlights
  • Accept credit card payments
  • Swipe or key in card details
  • Capture tips and sales tax
  • Collect signatures
  • Send PDF receipts with location
  • Integrates with multiple payment gateways
Features
Read full description

Accept credit cards. Anywhere. As seen in Apple’s TV ads. Turn your iPhone or iPad into a mobile credit card terminal and accept payments while you’re on the go. The simple, secure way to ensure you never miss a sale. Get a free Credit Card Reader accessory when you create your new account. With Credit Card Terminal, you can swipe or key in credit cards, accept tips, capture signatures, collect sales tax, and print receipts. Even send PDF receipts with a map showing the transaction location. 1. Download the Credit Card Terminal app 2. Enter your business information 3. Instantly start accepting Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express Already have one of the following accounts? Authorize.Net, Beanstream, Bluefin, BluePay, Braintree, Element Express, First Data, MerchantWARE, NMI, PayPal Payments Pro, PayTrace, Pin Payments, Quantum, Sage Payment, Stripe, USA ePay, or Verifi. Connect it to your Inner Fence account to start processing with it. Every business is unique, so please contact us with any questions. Our US-based support team will be happy to help you. Learn more at www.innerfence.com, or email us at support@innerfence.com

About

PAYware Mobile

This app provides a secure and simple way for small businesses to process credit card transactions on an iPhone. It works with a special card reader and gateway to encrypt data end-to-end, ensuring transaction safety and expanding business reach.

Highlights
  • Process credit card transactions
  • Secure end-to-end encryption
  • Card swipe and tone confirmation
  • Signature capture
  • Email receipts
  • Transaction history and summaries
  • Web-based transaction management
Features
Read full description

For iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, and iPod touch. PAYware Mobile from VeriFone is a complete payment solution for the iPhone that provides small businesses with a simple and secure way to process credit card transactions. IMPORTANT NOTICE: HOW TO START USING PAYWARE MOBILE - Register at http://paywaremobile.com/ and fill out our quick and easy sign-up form - Shortly after you register, a VeriFone representative will contact you to get started and send you your card encryption sleeve - PAYware Mobile is designed to work with VeriFone’s card reader and secure payment gateway, PAYware Connect ACCEPT CARD PAYMENTS WHEREVER YOUR BUSINESS TAKES YOU - Expand your customer base, reduce transaction fees, and break down barriers to business growth - Pocket a chunk of change with more “card present” sales using the VeriFone reader and app - Keep transactions safe with our patented end-to-end encryption – no other manufacturer offers this level of safety & security - Our mobile card encryption sleeve is designed to survive in your business’s rough-and-tumble world, and perform flawlessly THE APP THAT’S ALL THAT - Remarkably easy to use - Swipe a card and a tone tells you the fully encrypted data was accepted - Push a button to capture the signature - Push another to add a tip to the bill - Push one more to finalize the sale - Want to email the receipt? Click. Done. - At any time, review previous transactions, check daily summaries, even view a map showing where transactions took place - Designed to meet PA-DSS V1.2 requirements for application security THE READER THAT’S RUGGED AND CAN KEEP A SECRET - Being tough is important in card readers, and this unit certainly is - But these days, cardholder data security is critical too - The PAYware Mobile card encryption sleeve is the only mobile product with patented end-to-end encryption - The moment the card is swiped, data is encrypted and stays that way until its processed by our gateway - The phone never sees, nor does it store, any sensitive data - The Gen I reader fits any iPhone 3G or 3GS model and the Gen 1.5 reader fits iPhone 4, 3G, and 3GS - And because it’s portable, you’ll reduce costs by making more “card present” sales - The design is sturdy and compact, so it’s not only built to survive, but to perform flawlessly - Comes with a built-in stylus for signature capture - Secures customer data and significantly reduces liability risks for your business INTRODUCING THE MOST HASSLE-FREE WAY TO PROCESS CARD PAYMENTS - With PAYware Connect, all it takes to manage your business’s card payments is access to the web - No hardware or software to buy … No payment engine … No electronic engineering degree - You get complete, easy to access transaction data and a reliable gateway service that’s ideal for small businesses - Whether you have one iPhone or ten, PAYware Connect can consolidate all your payments into a single portal - Details of all iPhone transactions are available in real-time MORE INFORMATION / NEED HELP? - Please visit http://www.paywaremobile.com for more information, FAQs, and additional support

Screenshots

Credit Card Terminal & Reader4 screens
PAYware Mobile2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Credit Card Terminal & Reader at 2.9 against PAYware Mobile's 2.2. Credit Card Terminal & Reader also leads on review sentiment (66% vs 38%). PAYware Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (9.1 vs 26.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Credit Card Terminal & Reader holds the better App Store score, 2.9 against 2.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 14 and 22 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Credit Card Terminal & Reader's written reviews are positive against 38% of PAYware Mobile's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Credit Card Terminal & Reader ships an update every 6 months, PAYware Mobile every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Credit Card Terminal & Reader versus PAYware Mobile: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCredit Card Terminal & ReaderPAYware Mobile
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (14 ratings) — better2.2 (22 ratings)
Positive reviews65.9% of reviews — better38.4% of reviews
Number of ratings1422 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.69.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size48 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperInner Fence, LLCVeriFone Inc.

Customer experience

Credit Card Terminal & Reader

All ratings14 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews126 reviews
Positive65.9%
Neutral1.6%
Negative32.5%

PAYware Mobile

All ratings22 ratings
Positive27.3%
Neutral4.5%
Negative68.2%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive38.4%
Neutral11.0%
Negative50.7%

User reviews

Credit Card Terminal & Reader

From 14 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Convenient for mobile businesses
  • 💡 Impressive customer support
  • 🚀 Quick setup and activation
  • 👍 Reliable and works well

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive monthly fees
  • 💰 High transaction fees
  • 🔒 Concerns about security and hidden charges
  • 🐛 Unreliable service and account issues

PAYware Mobile

From 22 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Works well for business
  • 👍 Good customer service (sometimes)
  • 👍 Instant email receipts
  • 👍 Saves money on mobile processing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes frequently
  • 🐛 App opens then closes
  • 🐛 Card reader not working
  • 🐛 Not working with iOS updates
  • 🐛 Hidden fees

Bugs and requests

Credit Card Terminal & Reader

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Compatibility issues with certain devices or regions
  • Inconsistent performance and unreliable transaction processing

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to integrate with other merchant services
  • More transparent pricing and fee structure
  • Improved user interface and functionality

PAYware Mobile

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App crashes on startup
  • App crashes when opening
  • App opens then immediately closes
  • Card reader not working
  • Card reader won't accept firmware update
Show 16 more
  • App doesn't work with new Apple updates
  • App verging on useless
  • App crashes on start up
  • Endless support wormhole loop
  • App crashes on iPhone with iOS 8
  • App doesn't work with OS8
  • App locks up
  • App crashes on iPad in landscape mode
  • Cannot get last transaction, summary between dates, or daily summary
  • App gives hard time reading cards
  • App goes crazy with swiper
  • Bugs since last update
  • App crashes when call or text comes in
  • App closes when call or text comes in
  • App crashes when processing card
  • App crashes when swiping card

Requested features

13 requests
  • Update app for iOS compatibility
  • Improve tip option placement
  • Add customer email database
  • Add tip input before signature
  • Block incoming calls/texts during transactions
Show 8 more
  • Copy and paste from contacts
  • More customizable receipts
  • Support for PIN Debit
  • Improve UI polish
  • Allow copy and paste into app
  • Improve signature sensitivity
  • Fix app restart issue after transactions
  • Make app work in landscape mode on iPad

In-app purchases

None

Credit Card Terminal & Reader

No in-app purchases

None

PAYware Mobile

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Credit Card Terminal & Reader free?
Credit Card Terminal & Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PAYware Mobile free?
PAYware Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Credit Card Terminal & Reader or PAYware Mobile?
Credit Card Terminal & Reader is rated higher. Credit Card Terminal & Reader averages 2.9 out of 5 from 14 ratings, while PAYware Mobile averages 2.2 from 22 ratings.
Do Credit Card Terminal & Reader or PAYware Mobile have ads?
Neither Credit Card Terminal & Reader nor PAYware Mobile shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Credit Card Terminal & Reader or PAYware Mobile?
Credit Card Terminal & Reader ships an update every 6 months, and PAYware Mobile every 2 months. Most recently, Credit Card Terminal & Reader was updated on October 31, 2026 and PAYware Mobile on November 1, 2026.

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