Is Tapaya a Revolut Reader alternative?

For Android merchants, yes by default — Revolut's Tap to Pay is iPhone-only, so Tapaya is the option that works on the device you already own if it's Android. For iPhone merchants already banking with Revolut, Reader/Tap to Pay may be simpler since it's already inside an app you use; Tapaya doesn't require joining Revolut first.

Do I have to be a software company to use Tapaya?

No. Tapaya works for direct merchants too: sign up, verify your business, and start taking Tap to Pay on the phone you already own, no new hardware, approved in about 48 hours. The same underlying infrastructure is also available as an SDK for software companies that want to embed payments into their own product — one platform serving both audiences, not two separate products.

Can I embed Revolut's payment acceptance into my own platform for other merchants?

Revolut's Merchant API and SDKs are built for a single Revolut Business account to accept its own payments, not for a platform to onboard other companies' merchants under its own brand. Tapaya's SDK is purpose-built for exactly that: a software company integrates once and its own merchants take Tap to Pay under the software company's brand.

Does Revolut Reader work on Android?

The physical Revolut Reader and Terminal pair with either iPhone or Android, but Tap to Pay directly on the phone — no reader needed — is iPhone-only today. Tapaya runs on any commercial Android device with no separate reader to buy.

All comparisonsUpdated 2026-08-31

ComparisonCard reader & Tap to Pay (Revolut Business)

Tapaya vs Revolut Reader

Revolut Reader and Revolut's Tap to Pay on iPhone let a Revolut Business or Pro customer accept card payments, iOS only. Tapaya is a standalone Tap to Pay app for any commercial Android device, no Revolut account required — and the same infrastructure is available as a white-label SDK.

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At a glance

How Tapaya and Revolut Reader differ

Revolut Reader is a Bluetooth card reader that pairs with a phone running the Revolut or Revolut Business app; Revolut also offers Tap to Pay directly on iPhone, with no reader needed. Both sit behind a Revolut Business (or Pro, for sole traders) account — you need to be a Revolut banking customer first. Tapaya doesn't require any banking relationship: sign up, verify your business, and start taking Tap to Pay on the Android device you already own, at a transparent 1.39% blended rate with no monthly fee. Revolut's Tap to Pay is iPhone-only today, with no Android equivalent; Tapaya runs on any commercial Android device. Tapaya is also available as a white-label SDK for software companies, a path Revolut's Merchant API doesn't offer — it lets a single Revolut Business account embed Revolut-branded payments into its own app, not onboard other companies' merchants under your own brand.

Tapaya compared with Revolut Reader
Capability	Tapaya	Revolut Reader
Who it's built for	Direct merchants who want to take payments on a device they already own, and software companies that want to embed payments into their own product (POS vendors, vertical SaaS, marketplaces, banks, fintechs, kiosks/ERP).	Existing Revolut Business or Revolut Pro customers who want to accept card payments in person, alongside their Revolut banking account.
Prerequisite account	None — sign up directly with Tapaya.	An active Revolut Business (or Revolut Pro, for sole traders) account with a Merchant sub-account is required before you can take a payment.
Supported devices	Any commercial Android device — phones, tablets, kiosks and enterprise handhelds.	Tap to Pay on iPhone only (iPhone XS or newer, iOS 16.4+); no Android Tap to Pay. The Revolut Reader and Terminal hardware pair with either platform.
Embeddable under your own brand	Fully white-label, your app, your UI, your name end to end. Customers never see Tapaya.	Revolut's Merchant API and SDKs let a Business account embed Revolut-branded payment acceptance into its own app or site for its own transactions — not a platform for onboarding other companies' merchants under your brand.
Pricing & onboarding	One transparent blended rate, from 1.39%, no monthly fee, no lock-in, approved online in as little as 48 hours.	Card-reader and Tap to Pay rates published for some markets (from around 0.8–1.7% in the UK), but a Revolut Business account carries its own separate monthly fee before you can use them.
Best fit	You're a merchant who wants Tap to Pay on the Android device you already own without joining a new bank, or a software company that wants the same infrastructure under your own brand.	You're already a Revolut Business or Pro customer, use an iPhone, and want in-person acceptance to live inside the banking app you already use.

Who it's built for
Tapaya
Direct merchants who want to take payments on a device they already own, and software companies that want to embed payments into their own product (POS vendors, vertical SaaS, marketplaces, banks, fintechs, kiosks/ERP).
Revolut Reader
Existing Revolut Business or Revolut Pro customers who want to accept card payments in person, alongside their Revolut banking account.
Prerequisite account
Tapaya
None — sign up directly with Tapaya.
Revolut Reader
An active Revolut Business (or Revolut Pro, for sole traders) account with a Merchant sub-account is required before you can take a payment.
Supported devices
Tapaya
Any commercial Android device — phones, tablets, kiosks and enterprise handhelds.
Revolut Reader
Tap to Pay on iPhone only (iPhone XS or newer, iOS 16.4+); no Android Tap to Pay. The Revolut Reader and Terminal hardware pair with either platform.
Embeddable under your own brand
Tapaya
Fully white-label, your app, your UI, your name end to end. Customers never see Tapaya.
Revolut Reader
Revolut's Merchant API and SDKs let a Business account embed Revolut-branded payment acceptance into its own app or site for its own transactions — not a platform for onboarding other companies' merchants under your brand.
Pricing & onboarding
Tapaya
One transparent blended rate, from 1.39%, no monthly fee, no lock-in, approved online in as little as 48 hours.
Revolut Reader
Card-reader and Tap to Pay rates published for some markets (from around 0.8–1.7% in the UK), but a Revolut Business account carries its own separate monthly fee before you can use them.
Best fit
Tapaya
You're a merchant who wants Tap to Pay on the Android device you already own without joining a new bank, or a software company that wants the same infrastructure under your own brand.
Revolut Reader
You're already a Revolut Business or Pro customer, use an iPhone, and want in-person acceptance to live inside the banking app you already use.

A banking feature first, a payments product second

Revolut Reader and Tap to Pay on iPhone are features of a Revolut Business (or Pro) account, not a standalone payments product — you need the account, and in practice the Merchant sub-account, before either works. Tap to Pay itself is also iPhone-only; Android merchants have no equivalent inside Revolut today. Tapaya starts from the opposite direction: a merchant signs up directly for payments, on any commercial Android device, with no banking relationship as a prerequisite. For a software company, the difference is sharper still — Revolut's SDKs let one Business account accept its own payments; Tapaya's SDK is built for a platform to onboard many merchants under its own brand.

Where each fits

Choosing the right tool

Choose Tapaya when

You're a merchant who wants to take Tap to Pay on the Android device you already own, at a transparent blended rate with no monthly fee, no lock-in and no requirement to bank with a specific provider first. Or you're a software company that wants in-person payments to be a native, branded part of your own product, on any Android device — not a feature inside someone else's banking app.

Choose Revolut Reader when

You're already running your business on Revolut Business or Revolut Pro, primarily use an iPhone, and want to add in-person card acceptance without leaving the Revolut app you already use for banking. You don't need Android support, and you don't need to embed or rebrand the payment experience inside a separate product of your own.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Keep comparing

See how Tapaya stacks up elsewhere

Accurate as of 2026-08-31. Based on publicly available information; all product names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Comparison based on publicly documented Revolut Business and Revolut Reader product, developer and pricing pages as of August 2026; some figures (notably pricing outside the UK, and hardware availability in every market) could not be independently confirmed for every country. Terms, pricing and regional availability change over time — verify current details with Revolut directly.