Comparison

PayPal POS (ex Zettle) vs ShoWorks™

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

Head to head
About

PayPal POS (ex Zettle)

This app allows businesses to accept in-person payments via card, contactless, and e-wallets. It also helps manage inventory, track sales with reports, and create staff accounts. Integrations are available for accounting, e-commerce, and specific industries.

Highlights
  • Accept card and contactless payments
  • Inventory management
  • Sales tracking and reporting
  • Staff account creation
  • Customizable receipts
  • Tap to Pay functionality
Features
Read full description

The PayPal POS app (ex Zettle) empowers you to easily and seamlessly accept in-person payments. From accepting card, contactless, e-wallet payments to tracking sales, PayPal POS has a suite of payment solution to fit your business' needs. Whether you’re running a coffee shop, clothing store or barber shop, PayPal POS is the one app you need accept payments, manage inventory, and track sales in one complete app. No monthly fees, no set-up costs and no lock-in contracts. The PayPal POS app is free to download and comes with a range of features: • Simplify your inventory management with an intuitive product library • Accept contactless payments with TTP or accept payment types including card, contactless, e-wallets, and more with the Card Reader or Terminal • Customize receipts and print, text or email them to your customers • Collect sales data and use easy-to-understand reports to grow your business • Create multiple staff accounts to track individuals’ sales • Benefit from a wide range of integrations, including Accounting and E-commerce integrations as well as integrations specially tailored for restaurants, retail, and health & beauty business How do I get started? 1. Download the PayPal POS app and sign up for an account 2. Start taking card payments immediately with TTP, or order your PayPal Reader, with rapid delivery (2-3 working days) Tap to Pay: Quickly and easily capture contactless in-person payments on-the-go with just your phone and the Point of Sale app. Just download the app and start selling. No storefront or additional hardware required. PayPal Reader and Dock: The new PayPal Reader and Dock are quick to set up and easy to use, allowing you to accept all major credit cards and contactless payments - including Apple Pay. A clear pricing model without fixed costs or fixed contracts. The PayPal Reader meets all requirements from the payment industry and is EMV-approved and PCI DSS-compliant. *A stable WiFi and Bluetooth connection may be required

About

ShoWorks™

This companion app streamlines event management for fairs and livestock shows. It allows for easy check-in, judging, and updating of exhibits by syncing with desktop software. Utilize your device's camera for quick scanning and efficient data management.

Highlights
  • Entry management for events
  • Check-in and judge exhibits
  • Syncs with desktop software
  • Barcode scanning via camera
  • Kiosk check-in functionality
  • Animal weigh-in and placing
Features
Read full description

ShoWorks is the world’s leading entry management software for fairs, festivals, livestock shows, and exhibitions. Manage, check-in and judge exhibits with this “must have” tool by swiping ribbons, places, weights, and more, onto entries downloaded from your existing ShoWorks fair management software for Windows. Not a ShoWorks user? Start your FREE trial today. How does ShoWorks work? • Install the full client version of ShoWorks onto any Windows machine. • Receive entries to your show via the built-in online entries website or manual data entry, letting exhibitors optionally print their barcoded receipts and entry tags. • Use this free iPad app as a companion to manage and update these entries in various ways, such as kiosk check-in, animal weigh-in, judging and placing, and more. • Use the existing built-in iPad camera to scan barcoded tags and receipts for quick access. • Sync the changes back to the client version of ShoWorks where you can complete the process of distributing awards and reports for your participants. Requires ShoWorks for Windows.

Screenshots

PayPal POS (ex Zettle)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ShoWorks™ at 100% against PayPal POS (ex Zettle)'s 50%. ShoWorks™ also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.2). PayPal POS (ex Zettle)'s advantage is ratings volume (1.2K vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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

ShoWorks™ holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PayPal POS (ex Zettle) has 1.2K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of PayPal POS (ex Zettle)'s written reviews are positive against 100% of ShoWorks™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PayPal POS (ex Zettle) ships an update every 3 weeks, ShoWorks™ every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PayPal POS (ex Zettle) versus ShoWorks™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayPal POS (ex Zettle)ShoWorks™
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.2 (1.2K ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.2K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 4 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS14.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size159 MB163 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPayPal, Inc.Gladstone Inc.

Customer experience

PayPal POS (ex Zettle)

All ratings1,166 ratings
Positive51.5%
Neutral6.3%
Negative42.2%
Written reviews675 reviews
Positive50.4%
Neutral9.3%
Negative40.3%

ShoWorks™

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PayPal POS (ex Zettle)

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App crashes after update
  • Constant update notifications despite updating
  • Inability to login
  • Inability to access money for days
  • Zettle staff can access all past PayPal invoices
Show 1 more
  • Barcode scanner not working with existing products

Requested features

10 requests
  • Auto file delivery after invoice payment
  • Repeat payments (easy tips) in USA
  • Dark mode
  • Ability to categorize products
  • Ability to apply tax rate to all products at once
Show 5 more
  • Ability to link Zettle with other platforms
  • Ability to process cash sales offline
  • Ability to split payments
  • Ability to manually enter card details
  • Ability to customize receipts

ShoWorks™

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PayPal POS (ex Zettle)

No in-app purchases

None

ShoWorks™

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PayPal POS (ex Zettle) free?
PayPal POS (ex Zettle) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShoWorks™ free?
ShoWorks™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PayPal POS (ex Zettle) or ShoWorks™?
ShoWorks™ is rated higher. PayPal POS (ex Zettle) averages 3.2 out of 5 from 1.2K ratings, while ShoWorks™ averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do PayPal POS (ex Zettle) or ShoWorks™ have ads?
Neither PayPal POS (ex Zettle) nor ShoWorks™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PayPal POS (ex Zettle) or ShoWorks™?
PayPal POS (ex Zettle) ships an update every 3 weeks, and ShoWorks™ every 4 weeks. Most recently, PayPal POS (ex Zettle) was updated on November 2, 2026 and ShoWorks™ on November 1, 2026.

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