Quick answer
Yoco's Core plan (2.30% on local debit, dropping to 1.35% past R50,000 a month) suits businesses needing a physical card machine. SnapScan (starting at 2.95%, stepping down with turnover) suits businesses that want zero hardware and QR-based in-person payments. PayFast (3.2% + R2.00, no monthly fee) suits online stores needing a full payment gateway. Most Cape Town businesses should match the tool to the channel, not pick one for everything.
Cape Town small businesses lose hundreds to thousands of rand a month to card and payment fees they never compared. This guide breaks down what Yoco, SnapScan and PayFast actually charge in 2026, which business type each suits, and where your next R10,000 in monthly sales should run through.
These three tools solve different problems. Yoco puts a physical card machine or tap-to-pay device in your hand. SnapScan turns any till or counter into a QR-code payment point with no hardware. PayFast is a gateway built for online checkouts, Instant EFT and recurring billing. Most growing businesses end up using at least two.
The fee difference is not trivial. On R30,000 in monthly card sales, the gap between the cheapest and most expensive option here can run past R400 a month, or roughly R5,000 a year (calculated from each provider's published 2026 rate card).
01What is the real difference between Yoco, SnapScan and PayFast?
Yoco sells hardware plus software. SnapScan sells a QR code with no hardware. PayFast sells an online payment gateway.
Yoco's core product is the card machine: tap, insert or swipe, plus a Tap to Pay on iPhone option and a full point-of-sale app layered on top (source: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026). It suits any business taking payments face to face.
SnapScan needs no hardware at all. Customers scan a printed or digital QR code, or click a payment link sent by SMS, email or social media (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026). It suits market stalls, service providers and anyone who wants to start accepting card payments today without buying a device.
PayFast is built for ecommerce and online billing: card payments, Instant EFT, and recurring subscriptions through one gateway with no monthly fee on its Aggregation plan (source: payfast.io, verified September 2026). Pair it with a website built to convert and the checkout becomes the growth lever, not just a cost line.
02How much does Yoco actually cost in 2026?
Yoco's Core plan has no monthly fee. You pay a transaction fee that starts at 2.30% on local debit and credit cards for the first R50,000 in monthly sales, and drops to 1.35% on debit once you pass R50,000 (source: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026).
| Plan and monthly fee | Debit up to R50k | Debit R50k-R200k | Credit up to R50k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core, R0/month | 2.30% | 1.35% | 2.30% |
| Plus, R249/month | 2.10% | 1.25% | 2.20% |
| Pro, R499/month | 1.95% | 1.20% | 2.15% |
All rates: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026. International cards carry a higher fee (3.20% on Core, down to 3.05% on Pro).
Hardware is a once-off cost. A Yoco Handheld POS starts from R699, and the Yoco Counter bundle (with a Neo Touch card machine included) runs R2,999 at time of writing (source: yoco.com/za/shop, verified September 2026). Once you pass R200,000 a month, Yoco offers custom rates on request.
03How much does SnapScan actually cost?
SnapScan charges no monthly fee and no sign-up cost. Its transaction fee starts at 2.95% (excluding VAT) and steps down automatically as your previous month's turnover rises past R10,000, R20,000, R30,000 and R60,000 (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026).
Businesses turning over more than R80,000 a month can request a fixed custom rate that applies to every transaction, online or in person (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026).
A mobile coffee shop turning over R20,000 in its first month pays SnapScan's standard 2.95% rate. The following month, its rate drops to 2.80% based on that R20,000 in prior turnover, and keeps falling as sales grow (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026).
Because there is no hardware to buy, SnapScan is often the fastest way for a new Cape Town business to start accepting card payments this week rather than after a device ships.
04How much does PayFast actually cost?
PayFast's Aggregation solution has no monthly fee. The standard card transaction fee is 3.2% plus R2.00 per transaction, with different published rates for Instant EFT, Mobicred and other local payment methods (source: payfast.io/fees, verified September 2026).
Immediate payout, for businesses that want same-day access to funds instead of the standard payout cycle, carries an additional 0.8% fee excluding VAT, with a minimum charge of R14.00 (source: payfast.io/fees, verified September 2026).
PayFast suits an online store or service business billing customers by invoice or subscription. It is not built for a physical till, so pair it with the CRM basics guide to track which invoices convert and which stall at checkout.
05Which one is cheapest at R10,000, R30,000 and R60,000 a month?
The cheapest option shifts as turnover grows, because SnapScan's rate falls with volume while Yoco Core's rate is flat until R50,000.
Estimates use each provider's published 2026 rate card. PayFast's per-transaction R2.00 add-on makes it costlier than Yoco or SnapScan for high-frequency, low-value sales, and more competitive for fewer, larger transactions.
Run your own numbers before switching. Rand Runners' CRM basics guide shows how to tag transactions by payment method so you can see your blended fee rate at a glance.
06When should a Cape Town business choose Yoco?
Choose Yoco when you need a physical card machine at a till, market stall or table, and want one app covering payments, stock, staff and reporting. Its Core plan carries no monthly cost, so it works for a business just starting to accept cards (source: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026).
Choose the Plus or Pro plan once volume passes R50,000 a month or you need multi-location management, a loyalty programme, or table-side ordering (source: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026).
07When should a Cape Town business choose SnapScan?
Choose SnapScan when you want to accept card payments today without buying hardware, or when your customers are used to scanning a QR code. Over 60,000 merchants nationwide already use it (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026).
It also fits a business already using a point-of-sale system, since SnapScan integrates with TabletPOS, Lightspeed, HumbleTill, Pilot POS and several others (source: snapscan.co.za/merchant, verified September 2026).
08When should a Cape Town business choose PayFast?
Choose PayFast when most of your revenue comes through a website: an online store, a service business taking deposits, or anyone billing recurring subscriptions. Its no-monthly-fee Aggregation plan removes the barrier to setting up a first online checkout (source: payfast.io, verified September 2026).
A converting checkout still depends on the page around it. Use this property and small-business website guide to reduce abandoned carts before the payment fee even matters.
09Can a business use all three at once?
Yes, and many Cape Town businesses do: Yoco at the till, SnapScan as a no-hardware backup or for markets and pop-ups, and PayFast for the website. Each tool earns its place on a different channel rather than competing for the same sale.
Track every payment method by channel in one place so you can see your blended cost of accepting money, not just each provider's headline rate. Rand Runners' CRM basics guide covers the setup.
10What do Cape Town businesses get wrong when comparing payment providers?
Businesses make 3 costly errors: comparing headline rates without matching them to actual transaction size, ignoring monthly plan fees that only pay off past a volume threshold, and never checking payout speed against their own cash-flow needs.
- Comparing the wrong tier.
Yoco's Core, Plus and Pro rates differ by up to 0.35 percentage points. Compare your actual monthly turnover against each plan's brackets before assuming Core is always cheapest (source: yoco.com/za/pricing, verified September 2026).
- Ignoring the flat per-transaction fee.
PayFast's R2.00 per-transaction charge matters far more on ten R50 sales than on one R5,000 sale. Model your actual basket size, not just the percentage (source: payfast.io/fees, verified September 2026).
- Skipping the payout-speed question.
Standard payout timing differs by provider, and faster payout options usually carry an extra fee, such as PayFast's 0.8% Immediate Payout charge (source: payfast.io/fees, verified September 2026). Confirm this before choosing a provider for a cash-tight business.
11The bottom line: where should your next R10,000 in sales run through?
No monthly fee, and rates improve automatically past R50,000.
Sign up free and let the rate fall as turnover grows.
PayFast remains the default for anything sold online. A fee difference of even 0.5 percentage points is real money at scale, but the bigger loss for most Cape Town businesses is an abandoned checkout, not the fee itself.
See how two Cape Town service businesses tightened their sales and follow-up systems: a Gardens estate agency case study and a Sea Point estate agency case study, both covering the systems around the sale, not just the payment step.
12What else do Cape Town business owners ask about Yoco, SnapScan and PayFast?
Owners usually ask about which is cheaper, whether PayFast charges a monthly fee, whether a card machine is still needed alongside SnapScan, and which suits an online store.
Which is cheaper, Yoco or SnapScan?
It depends on turnover and card type. Yoco's Core plan charges 2.30% on local debit up to R50,000 a month, dropping to 1.35% between R50,000 and R200,000. SnapScan starts at 2.95% and steps down as monthly turnover rises past R10,000, R20,000, R30,000 and R60,000. A low-volume business often pays less on Yoco Core; a growing SnapScan merchant can close the gap as turnover climbs.
Does PayFast charge a monthly fee?
No. PayFast's Aggregation solution has no monthly fee. You only pay a per-transaction fee, which is 3.2% plus R2.00 for standard card transactions, with different rates for Instant EFT and other methods.
Do I need a card machine if I already use SnapScan?
No. SnapScan works through a QR code or payment link, so it needs no hardware. A Yoco card machine adds a tap-and-insert option for customers who do not want to open a banking app, which matters most for older customers and larger baskets.
Which is best for an online store in Cape Town?
PayFast and SnapScan both support ecommerce checkouts without hardware. PayFast suits stores wanting one gateway for cards, Instant EFT and other local methods. SnapScan suits stores or service businesses already using its QR code in person, so online and in-store payments land in one dashboard.
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