Comparison

PayTrace Go vs SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

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

Head to head
About

PayTrace Go

Process credit card payments on the go with this mobile solution. Capture signatures, send email receipts, manage customer information, and review transaction history directly from your device.

Highlights
  • Credit card processing
  • Signature capture
  • Email receipts
  • Customer management
  • Transaction history review
Read full description

PayTrace Go is a mobile payment solution that allows PayTrace merchants to process credit cards, capture signatures, send email receipts, manage customers, and review past transactions.

About

SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

Transform your mobile device into a complete point-of-sale system. Easily manage products, track inventory, accept various payment types, and generate real-time reports. This app is designed for businesses of all types, offering a powerful and free solution.

Highlights
  • Product management with photos and pricing
  • Inventory tracking
  • Record credit cards, cash, and checks
  • Add modifiers for restaurants
  • Set discounts on products and orders
  • Track tips and taxes
  • Real-time reports and sales history
  • Email, text, or print receipts
Read full description

Free Credit Card Reader & Point of Sale System. Transform your iPhone or iPad into a Point of Sale System (POS) and manage your retail or mobile business from anywhere.   Easily manage products and payments anywhere your business takes you. Whether you are a retail business, food truck, hair stylist, pop up business or have a restaurant, SmartSwipe is catered for any and all business types. This free card reader is powerful, and is loaded with many features. Most POS apps charge you monthly or require you to activate a merchant account to use their application, but not us! Use our app for free and we will grow with you. SIMPLE SET UP 1. Download app 2. Create a username and password 3. Start managing your business CALL 866-925-5007 for quick set up FEATURES SmartSwipe has everything you need to manage and grow your business. All features are free and we continue to add new and innovative technology. - Manage products with photos, names, and pricing – Our merchant account solutions make it easy to manage your payments. - Track inventory – With this all in one, credit card reader cum payment management app. - Record credit cards, cash and checks – Never lose track of your payments. An easy, all in one way of tracking your payments. - Add modifiers for restaurants – Payment App that allows you to label the locations. - Set discounts on products and orders – Keep your customers happier. Do more with with less charge on credit card processing fee, but also - Track tips and taxes – A full purpose solution that lets you track the tips that you receive, along with tracking the taxes. A reliable payment solution cum financial app. - Real-time reports and sales history – Quick and swift reporting, a glimpse to sales history, and much more. Now, don’t just accept payments, but manage everything right from your point of sale system app. - Email, text or print receipts – A formidable credit card reader for iPhone. With this credit card reader app, you can email, text or print receipts to anyone. https://www.merchantaccountsolutions.com/?utm_source=app&utm_campaign=APPSTORE-APPLE

Screenshots

PayTrace Go4 screens
SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: PayTrace Go at 4.9 against SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader's 4.3. PayTrace Go also leads on ratings volume (808 vs 45). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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

PayTrace Go holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PayTrace Go has 808 ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of PayTrace Go's written reviews are positive against 65% of SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PayTrace Go ships an update every 4 months, SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PayTrace Go versus SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPayTrace GoSmartSwipe Credit Card Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (808 ratings) — better4.3 (45 ratings)
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews — better64.5% of reviews
Number of ratings808 — better45
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB31 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPayTraceJohn Kennedy

Customer experience

PayTrace Go

All ratings744 ratings
Positive98.1%
Neutral1.1%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral4.8%
Negative28.6%

SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

All ratings45 ratings
Positive82.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative15.6%
Written reviews62 reviews
Positive64.5%
Neutral3.2%
Negative32.3%

User reviews

PayTrace Go

From 808 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and quick processing
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 💰 Fair and competitive rates
  • 🎯 Reliable payment delivery
  • 🤝 Great customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Card reader compatibility issues
  • 🐛 Field formatting problems on larger screens
  • 🐛 Data clearing glitches during entry
  • 📏 Signature box too small
  • 🔄 App requires frequent restarts

SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

From 45 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 User-friendly and easy to use
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient transactions
  • 💡 Good for business growth
  • 💰 Competitive pricing and rates
  • 🤝 Great customer support

Room to improve

  • ⚠️ Hidden fees and contracts
  • 📞 Terrible customer service
  • 🇨🇦 Not supporting Canadian businesses
  • ⏳ Long waiting times for money
  • 📉 High termination fees

Bugs and requests

PayTrace Go

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • Card reader not recognized on iPhone
  • App randomly clears all form fields during data entry
  • Card expiration date adds 5 years incorrectly
  • Information fields run off screen on larger phones
  • Bottom field overlaps with invoice slot
Show 2 more
  • App freezes and requires restart before transactions
  • Card reader accuracy issues with incorrect readings

Requested features

4 requests
  • Photo-based card reader functionality
  • Enlarged confirmation box
  • Better field scrolling on larger devices
  • Improved signature capture area

SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes
  • Card reader not reading cards
  • Email verification not sent
  • Login screen freezes
  • Demo not working initially

Requested features

4 requests
  • Support for Canadian businesses
  • Clearer contract terms
  • Improved customer service responsiveness
  • More transparent fee structure

In-app purchases

None

PayTrace Go

No in-app purchases

None

SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PayTrace Go free?
PayTrace Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader free?
SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PayTrace Go or SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader?
PayTrace Go is rated higher. PayTrace Go averages 4.9 out of 5 from 808 ratings, while SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader averages 4.3 from 45 ratings.
Do PayTrace Go or SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader have ads?
Neither PayTrace Go nor SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PayTrace Go or SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader?
PayTrace Go ships an update every 4 months, and SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader every 2 months. Most recently, PayTrace Go was updated on October 23, 2026 and SmartSwipe Credit Card Reader on October 22, 2026.

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