Comparison
Yoco vs iKhokha (2026): Which Is Right for You?
How Yoco and iKhokha really differ on fees, payouts, prepaid income, support and lending, and which one fits your business.
Some links here are referral links, and where a provider gives our readers a better price than its own site, that is the price you get by using one. It costs you nothing extra, and every option here is judged on the same test either way.
These two are the default choice for almost every small business in South Africa that wants to take cards without opening a merchant account at a bank. Same price to start, same paperless signup, same no-contract promise.
And they are not really competing on the same thing, which is why "which one is cheaper" turns out to be the wrong question.
Two companies, two very different bets
I think each of them has made a different guess about what will save your business.
Yoco's bet is keeping it cheap and simple. Get the fee as low as it goes, charge nothing monthly, include the data, and get you trading tomorrow. Everything it builds is about the card sale itself, and making that sale cheap.
iKhokha's bet is income. Charge a slightly higher transaction fee, and in exchange turn the card machine into a second stream of income: it sells airtime, data, electricity, DStv and vouchers for a commission. Prepaid also brings more people through your door. Everything it builds points outward, at what else the counter could be doing.
Both approaches work, so the one that suits you depends on what your business needs more, a lower fee or extra income from the counter.
Rates exclude VAT, the way both companies quote them.
Yoco vs iKhokha on the eight things that cost or make you money
| Yoco | iKhokha | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | The lowest fee, and trading by tomorrow | Extra income from the same machine |
| Local card rate | 2.30%, and 1.35% on local debit above roughly R50 000/mo | From 2.75%, sliding toward 2.50% with volume |
| Monthly | R0 on Core | R0, or R75 for the two 4G SIMs |
| SIM data | Included at no extra cost | R75/mo, or R0 on your own Wi-Fi |
| Settlement | 1-2 business days free, no payout fee | Next business day on FNB or Absa, R2.50 per payout |
| Money before it clears | Instant Payout, R17.25 or 1% a payout, anyone, any day | Twice a day on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card, no percentage |
| Extra income from the counter | None, it sticks to card payments | Airtime, data, electricity, DStv and vouchers on commission |
| Support | 24-hour service and WhatsApp, no phone line given | 24/7, WhatsApp, and a phone number |
From yoco.com/za/pricing and ikhokha.com/pricing.
Yoco wins on the rate, the monthly fee and the data. iKhokha wins on extra income from the counter and a phone line you can ring.
Yoco's flat fee against iKhokha's sliding one
Yoco charges 2.30% Excluding VATThe rate before 15% VAT is added, which is how almost every South African provider quotes. A rate of 2.30% excl. VAT actually bills you 2.645%, so two quotes are only comparable once you know which basis each is on.What both rates really billYoco's 2.30% bills 2.645% with VAT on it. iKhokha's 2.75% bills 3.1625%. The gap grows a little with VAT, from 0.45 of a point to about 0.52, which is why every rate on this page is quoted the way both companies quote it.Both companies quote their fees excluding VAT, so comparing them to each other needs no conversion at all. It matters when you compare either one to a bank, because some quote including VAT and a 2.30% and a 2.645% sitting side by side look like two different offers when they're the same one. If your business is VAT-registered, you claim it back and the excluding number is what you actually pay. If it isn't, the including number is.See every term in the glossary, and only drops on local debit cards, to 1.35% above R50 000 a month. iKhokha starts at 2.75% and steps down as you grow: 2.65% above R40 000 a month, 2.55% above R60 000, 2.50% above R80 000, and a custom fee past R100 000.
You'd expect that to reach a point where iKhokha becomes the cheaper one. It doesn't.
iKhokha's rate never actually catches Yoco's
On both price lists, iKhokha's best standard rate is 2.50% above R80 000 a month, and Yoco is 2.30% from your first rand. Yoco also drops to 1.35% on local debit above roughly R50 000 a month, so the gap widens rather than closes as you grow. If a salesperson tells you iKhokha gets cheaper than Yoco at volume, ask them to write down the turnover at which that happens.
So on the transaction fees alone, Yoco wins, and everything iKhokha offers has to be worth more than the difference. The card machine fees guide breaks down what a fee is made of.
Try it on your own turnover
This fee slider runs on both companies' current fees, so you do not have to keep opening two fee pages that keep changing. Drag it to what your business takes in a month, or what you expect it to take.
If you restock daily and take your money out every day, tick the box: the totals then include what each company charges to pay you that fast, and that is where the answer changes.
-
Yoco2.30% + R0/moWhere it wins: the lowest rate, with nothing monthly and the data included
R690
-
iKhokha2.75% sliding to 2.50% + R140/moWhere it wins: same-day money with no percentage, and commission on prepaid
R965
becomes the cheaper one above about a month. The answer changes with how you trade, not with who is paying us.
Why one name stays on top: Yoco's total stays lower wherever you drag it, as the callout above showed, so the tool has no crossover to find. That's 2.30% excluding VAT and R0 a month against 2.75% sliding to 2.50% plus R75 for the SIMs. Yoco's 1.35% on local debit above roughly R50 000 a month would only widen the gap. Read on both companies' pricing pages on 24 September 2026.
Each company's headline rate for local cards from its own price list, excluding VAT, plus the fixed monthly each one bills. iKhokha's rate steps down at R40 000, R60 000 and R80 000 and its R75 dual-SIM add-on is included, which is R0 if you run the machine on your own Wi-Fi, and so is its R2.50 daily payout, about R65 a month. Yoco's local debit rate of 1.35% above roughly R50 000 a month isn't modelled, so the real Yoco figure at higher turnovers is lower than shown. A second payout each day isn't in the slider unless you tick the box. iKhokha takes R2.50 each time it pays you.
Yoco costs you R275 less a month here
That is R3,300 over a year at this turnover, before either provider negotiates.
When you actually get your money
For a business that buys stock every week or on any kind of regular cycle, you know the pain. A cheaper transaction fee means nothing if the money is still stuck in the machine.
Yoco has a feature called Instant Payout. It costs R17.25 for a payout of up to R1 000 and 1% above that on Core (Yoco's plan)Yoco's standard plan, and the one almost every small business is on. R0 a month, 2.30% excluding VAT per local card sale, and the dual-SIM mobile data included at no extra cost.What you get on itThe machine, the free POS app, stock counts, invoicing, payment links, and the data. Nothing monthly. Instant Payout costs R17.25 a payout up to R1 000, then 1%.Yoco does have other plans, but Core is the default and the one every price on this page is quoted against. Two things matter. The 2.30% is on LOCAL cards excluding VAT, and it drops to 1.35% on local debit once you pass roughly R50 000 a month, which happens automatically. And nothing on Core is billed monthly, so a quiet month costs you nothing at all.See every term in the glossary, once a day up to R10 000, and the money lands within minutes, any day of the week, into all the major banks. Anyone can use it, there is nothing to apply for, and it is there on the Sunday you need it.
iKhokha does something different. It pays you twice a day, the same day, if you bank with Nedbank, or onto an iK Debit Card that you spend straight at your supplier like any other card. It takes no percentage, only its flat R2.50 a SettlementWhen the money actually lands in your bank account — not when the payment is approved. The gap is one to three business days depending on provider.A Saturday sale, at each of themOn Yoco it lands by Tuesday for free, or within minutes for R17.25 or 1%. On iKhokha it lands on Monday if you bank with FNB or Absa, or twice the same day on Nedbank, less R2.50 each time.Settlement is the gap between a customer's card being approved at your counter and that money being available in your bank account. The card is authorised instantly, but the funds move on a separate clock, and that clock is what every provider is quoting when it advertises payout speed. It matters most if you buy stock with the money you made, or if you're open on days the banking system treats as non-business days.See every term in the glossary.
The card needs a GoTyme Bank EveryDay accountA free personal transaction account from GoTyme Bank, a South African digital bank. It isn't an iKhokha product, and iKhokha's same-day iK Debit Card is the only thing that pays into it.What it takes to set upYou open it yourself in the GoTyme app, then list those account details on your iKhokha profile as your payout account. It has no monthly fee.This is the step that catches people out, because it's a second bank account to open, not a setting inside iKhokha. GoTyme charges nothing monthly on the EveryDay account and nothing for local card purchases. International purchases are R3, and ATM withdrawals run from R10 to R70 depending on where you draw. The account is also why the iK Debit Card is limited to sole proprietors. iKhokha's own wording is that the linked GoTyme account can only be used by a sole trader, meaning a business owned by one person and not registered.See every term in the glossary you open yourself and list as your payout account, and iKhokha limits it to sole proprietors. In its own words, "only available for sole traders", so a registered company can't get the card, though it can still get paid the same day by banking with Nedbank.
- Yoco 1-2 business daysinstant, R17.25 or 1%
- iKhokha Next business day, FNB and Absasame day, twice, on Nedbank or the iK Debit Card
Same dayDay 1Day 2Day 3
On the standard wait, iKhokha commits to the next business day only for FNB and Absa. For any other bank it gives no timeline, so do not plan your cash flow around a next-day payout. Our payout times guide has every provider's window side by side.
So what does getting paid early cost at each?
At Yoco it's a fee on every payout. On R30 000 a month of card turnover, pulling everything forward through Instant Payout runs to about R300 a month on top of your normal fees. A quieter shop pays more in proportion, because a payout of R1 000 or less still costs R17.25.
At iKhokha the price is whether you qualify. You need Nedbank, or to be a sole proprietor willing to open a GoTyme account for the iK Debit Card. For a shop that qualifies, that's about R130 a month against Yoco's R300. For a registered company on another bank, the same-day payout isn't on offer.
So the answer is not that one is better. It is that Yoco sells speed to everybody at a price, and iKhokha charges a flat R2.50 for it to a specific kind of business. But with all of that in mind, here is a quick interactive tool that helps you choose the right company for your type of business.
Interactive · pick your business
Yoco or iKhokha for the business you run?
Tap the one closest to yours to see which company fits it, and why.
Take iKhokha
People already ask you for airtime and electricity, you restock often, and as a sole trader you can get the iK Debit Card for same-day money at R2.50 a payout.
- Start with
iK Flyer Lite, R699 (R629 with iKhokha's 10% off through our link)- Watch for
- You fund the prepaid float yourself, and the profit is paid to you the following month.
Lean iKhokha
Clients wait here, and a client with time to fill buys airtime, data or a voucher. If they never ask, Yoco's lower fee wins instead.
- Start with
- iK Flyer Lite, R699
- Watch for
- Count how often clients ask for airtime for a week before you buy.
Take Yoco
You need a printed slip and a simple till. Yoco's point-of-sale app, stock counts and invoicing come at R0 a month, with the lower transaction fee of 2.30% excluding VAT.
- Start with
Yoco Khumo Print 2, R1 499 (R1 399 with Yoco's R100 off through our link)- Watch for
- If customers ask you for vouchers all evening, look at iKhokha's iK Flyer instead.
Take Yoco
Payment links, invoicing and online payments through Shopify, Wix and WooCommerce all come with Yoco at R0 a month.
- Start with
Yoco Khumo 2, R699 (R599 with Yoco's R100 off through our link)- Watch for
- Getting paid within minutes costs R17.25 a payout up to R1 000, and 1% above that.
Take Yoco
Yoco states 18 hours of battery on one charge, and its SIM comes with data at no extra cost, so there's nothing to pay each month.
- Start with
- Khumo 2 at R699, or R599 with our R100-off link
- Watch for
- If people at your stall ask for airtime, the iK Flyer Lite earns on that instead.
Take Yoco
Nobody asks a plumber for airtime, so iKhokha's prepaid sales would sit unused, and Yoco's lower fee wins.
- Start with
- Yoco Khumo 2, R599 through our link (R699 without it)
- Watch for
- If you need the money the same day, an Instant Payout costs R17.25 up to R1 000.
Each answer rests on this article's own numbers: the transaction fee, how often you draw your money, and whether people ask you for prepaid.
What else the company puts on your counter
This is where iKhokha shines, and it is the single biggest hidden difference between the two companies.
An iKhokha card machine or point of sale system sells prepaid: airtime and data on all four networks, electricity, water and gas, DStv and other bill payments, traffic fines, and Hollywood Bets and OTT vouchers, and an OTT voucher also loads a Betway account. You earn a commission on those sales. If people already walk into your shop asking for airtime or OTT vouchers, that is income on hardware you were buying anyway, and Yoco cannot do any of it.
Two things to know before you count on that income. You fund the prepaid float yourself, and the profit is released to you the following month rather than immediately. And iKhokha doesn't say what the commission rate is anywhere, so there's no figure to quote you. If you already sell airtime by hand, you know what that side of the business is worth on your volumes, and that parents will always send the kids to the nearest shop that has it.
Yoco spends its effort in the other direction, on the software around the sale. A free point-of-sale app, stock counts, invoicing, payment links and online payments through Shopify, Wix and WooCommerce, all at R0 a month. On a counter with more admin than time, that does more work every day than a slightly lower fee does.
iKhokha is not bare on admin either: free, unlimited invoicing, a free webstore and its own payment gateway. Its point of sale and accounting are paid add-ons, as the table below shows.
Both also let you take a card payment on your phone, free and with no machine. At Yoco it's Tap to Pay on iPhone, and at iKhokha it's iK Tap on Phone on Android or Huawei. Either makes a sensible backup when the main machine is charging.
What each company includes once you have the machine. Anything paid is marked.
What comes with each account
| Yoco | iKhokha | |
|---|---|---|
| Sells prepaid and vouchers | No | Yes, on commission |
| Point of sale | Free | Paid add-on |
| Invoicing | Free | Free, unlimited |
| Online store or gateway | Payment links, Shopify, Wix, Woo | Free webstore and gateway |
| Accounting | Not offered | R189/mo after a 30-day trial |
| Free card app, no machine needed | Tap to Pay on iPhone | iK Tap on Phone, Android |
From each company's own product pages.
So iKhokha earns you money at the counter but charges for the admin tools. Yoco's the other way round.
Which has better customer support?
iKhokha, by one thing. Both offer customer support 24/7, but only iKhokha gives you an actual number to phone, 087 222 7000, as well as WhatsApp.
Yoco lists 24-hour customer service and WhatsApp on its pricing page, and no phone line.
For most people that difference is small. But if your first instinct when the machine won't connect is to call someone rather than type, it matters a lot, and it's the clearest reason to pick iKhokha for something other than prepaid income.
The channels each company offers, and the hours it commits to.
How you reach each one
| Yoco | iKhokha | |
|---|---|---|
| Hours | 24-hour customer service | 24/7 |
| Phone | Not given | 087 222 7000 |
| Yes | Yes | |
| Yes | support@ikhokha.com | |
| Warranty | 12 months, courier return | 12 months, courier return |
Channels as each company lists them on its own pricing page.
The warranty is the same 12 months at both, so the phone line is the one real difference.
Business funding from Yoco or iKhokha
Both companies lend to their own merchants, and they do it the same way. There is no application in the normal sense: they can already see what you turn over, so your trading history is the qualification. Yoco calls it Yoco Capital and iKhokha calls it iK Cash Advance.
What is good about both is the repayment. You pay it back as a share of what you transact, so a slow month means a slow repayment rather than a missed one, with no fixed instalment and nobody phoning you to collect.
Funding isn't a reason to pick one card machine over the other. Both sets of terms are reasonable, and neither will offer it on day one.
The hardware, briefly, because it shouldn't decide this
Neither company will leave you short here. Both sell modern card machines that take a tap from a card, phone or smartwatch as well as a chip, and run on Wi-Fi or a mobile network out of the box.
Both also sell a version with a printer built in, the accessories that go around a till, and a full point-of-sale setup above that.
The two R699 starting machines are at the top of this page. If your counter hands out slips, these are the printing versions, and the prices shown include an extra discount through our link on top of each company's own sale price.
Keeps the free data
Yoco Khumo Print 2
The Khumo 2 with a thermal printer, and the data still comes at no extra cost.
may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Prints the vouchers too
iKhokha iK Flyer
The iK Flyer Lite with a printer, and it prints the prepaid vouchers too.
may earn a commission at no cost to you.
Same price on both sides. Only buy one if customers actually ask you for a slip, because the printer is the whole difference.
Checked 24 Sep 2026
Above the printers, each goes its own way. Yoco sells the Counter at R2 999, a screen with a card machine attached, for a till that's the whole business, running the free Yoco POS app. iKhokha sells the iK POS at R7 499, plus a monthly software subscription. Both also sell the ordinary things around a till: cash drawers, receipt rolls, stands and chargers.
Yoco Counter
A countertop screen with a Neo Touch card machine in the box, on the free Yoco POS app and nothing monthly on the free Core plan.
Quick review · Yoco Counter
If you run one counter (a café, a bakery, a small shop with up to four staff) and want a proper till without a monthly bill, start here. You pay R2 999 once, the card machine comes in the box, and each person gets their own PIN, so you can see who rang up what. It's the cheapest way we've found to get all three in one box.
Where it stands out
- The Yoco POS software is free, so there's no monthly licence
- The Neo Touch card machine is in the box, with a SIM in case the Wi-Fi drops
- Staff PINs, with permissions on refunds and discounts
- Yoco's setup team builds your menu or product list before it arrives
Buy it if
- You run one shop or café with a fixed checkout and one to four staff
- You want staff accountability without a monthly bill
Skip it if
- You have no backup power: the tablet has no battery
- You need receipts but won't add the printer
- You run several branches or a full-service restaurant, where Yoco asks you to talk to its sales team
Next to the iK POS It costs R4 500 less to buy, has no R660 monthly licence, and the card machine comes in the box. The iK POS has a printer built in and deeper stock, loyalty and payroll tools.
The packages
- Yoco Counter12" touchscreen, weighted stand, Neo Touch card machineR2 999
R4 999Every bundle starts here - Counter + Printeradds the Yoco Printer for receipts and order slipsR4 948
R7 898Saves R650 against buying the pieces today - Counter + 2 Printersa printer at the till and one in the kitchenR6 898
R10 748Saves R1 299 against buying the pieces today - Counter + Barcode Scanneradds the wireless scanner for retail checkoutR4 198
R6 348Same price as buying the pieces today - Complete Counter Bundleprinter and barcode scannerR5 999
R9 248Saves R798 against buying the pieces today
Prices from yoco.com's shop on 2 Oct 2026; the struck price is Yoco's own. Savings compare each bundle with buying the same pieces separately at today's prices (Printer R2 599, Barcode Scanner R1 199).
iKhokha iK POS
Deep inventory, staff and payroll tools and a printer built in. It takes no cards itself, so it sits beside an iKhokha machine, and the software is R660 a month excluding VAT.
Quick review · iKhokha iK POS
This is the till for a shop or restaurant that counts stock every day and wants staff and payroll in the same system. It's the deeper of the two and has a printer built in, but it costs more to run: about R16 118 in the first year before card fees. That's the R7 499 till, an R699 iK Flyer Lite to take cards (the iK POS doesn't take cards itself) and R660 a month for the Business package, excluding VAT.
Where it stands out
- A built-in receipt printer that prints even without internet
- Up to 3 000 products on Business, 15 000 on Pro, with inventory checks
- Loyalty, promotions, payroll calculation and staff hours in the till
- Restaurant tools: dish modifiers, table layout and ingredients
- R2 500 off its R9 999 list price today, with free delivery
Buy it if
- You run a shop or restaurant with a lot of stock or menu items to manage
- You want payroll and staff tracking in the same system as your sales
Skip it if
- You want a till without a monthly bill
- You only need to take cards: the iK POS takes none itself, so it needs an iKhokha card machine beside it
Next to the Yoco Counter It costs R4 500 more to buy and R660 a month more to run, with no card machine in the box. In return you get a built-in printer and far deeper stock, loyalty and staff tools.
The packages
- iK POStouchscreen till, built-in printer, 3G/4G SIM, Wi-Fi and BluetoothR7 499
R9 999R2 500 off iKhokha's list price, free delivery - Business package1 software licence, up to 3 000 products or 300 dishes, inventory, loyalty, payrollR660/moExcludes VAT; paid by debit order
- Pro package2 software licences, up to 15 000 products or 1 500 dishes, butchery toolsR960/moExcludes VAT; for more than one till
- A card machine to pairiK Flyer Lite (R699, was R999) or iK Flyer with a printer (R1 499); R75 a month for SIM datafrom R699The iK POS takes no cards itself
Prices from ikhokha.com on 2 Oct 2026. iKhokha's FAQ says the iK POS doesn't accept card payments and recommends using it alongside an iKhokha card machine.
Neither company traps you inside its own till, and neither charges you to grow, so expansion is not a reason to pick one over the other.
If you'd like either range machine by machine, the Yoco review and the iKhokha review go through each one.
So which one should you buy?
Take Yoco if your shop takes cards for what it sells and can wait a day or two for the money. It charges less on every sale, nothing monthly, the data comes at no extra cost, and anyone can pull their money forward on any day from R17.25 a payout. For most businesses reading this, that's the answer.
Take iKhokha if customers come to you for airtime, electricity or vouchers. On a counter that gets those requests all day, that income is worth more than the fee difference, and Yoco can't do it at any price. The spaza guide works the numbers.
It's also the one to pick if you'd rather phone support than message it, and the cheaper one if you draw your money every day and qualify for its same-day payout. Tick the box on the fee tool to see by how much.
And if you cannot decide because both sound right, that usually means your counter has walk-up demand and you are worried about the fees. In that case I would buy the Yoco Khumo 2 for the card side and add iK Tap on Phone, free on an Android or Huawei handset, for the prepaid side. It costs you nothing extra and you get both bets.
Still not sure? Answer four quick questions about how your shop runs, and the tool gives you a recommendation with the reasoning behind it.
Interactive · 30 seconds
Not sure? Answer four questions
Answer for how your business actually runs, and the recommendation updates as you go.
1What does your shop take on card in a month?
2Do people ask you for airtime, electricity or vouchers?
3When do you need the money?
4When something breaks, what do you reach for?
Before you answer
There's no single winner here, and that's the finding
They split cleanly. Yoco wins on the transaction fee, the data at no extra cost and the free standard payout. iKhokha wins on airtime income and a phone line. Which one's right for you comes down to how your month runs.
The trade-off: you own the machine either way and there's no contract, so if you pick wrong, the most it costs you is a second machine.
All rates and settlement terms come from each company's own website, checked 24 September 2026.
Questions people actually ask
Costs & fees
Is Yoco or iKhokha cheaper?
Yoco is, whatever your turnover.Its fee is 2.30% excluding VAT, falling to 1.35% on local debit cards above roughly R50 000 a month. iKhokha starts at 2.75%, and its best standard rate is 2.50%, which it reaches above R80 000 a month. On top of that, iKhokha charges R2.50 per payout and R75 a month for its SIMs, while Yoco's data costs nothing extra. Checked on both price lists on 24 September 2026.
Day to day
Which one pays out faster, Yoco or iKhokha?
That depends on whether you qualify for iKhokha's same-day payout.Yoco settles in one to two business days for free, and sells Instant Payout to anyone for R17.25 a payout up to R1 000 and 1% above that, any day, into the major banks. iKhokha pays FNB and Absa customers on the next business day and Nedbank customers twice on the same day, at R2.50 per settlement. Sole traders can also get same-day money on its iK Debit Card. For a shop that draws every day, iKhokha works out cheaper below about R26 000 a month and above about R37 000, and Yoco in between.
Which is better for a spaza shop?
iKhokha, in most cases.Its card machines sell airtime, data, electricity, DStv and vouchers, and you earn a commission on each sale. That's extra money from a machine you needed anyway, and one more reason for people to stop at your shop. Yoco doesn't sell prepaid at all. If nobody asks you for airtime, though, Yoco charges less on every sale.
Getting started
Can I use both Yoco and iKhokha?
Yes, and it's a sensible setup.Buy the Yoco Khumo 2 at R699 for the card side, which has the lower transaction fee, then sign up with iKhokha and run iK Tap on Phone free on an Android or Huawei handset for the prepaid side. You get the lower rate and the airtime income without buying two card machines.
Do I need a business bank account for either?
No. Both Yoco and iKhokha onboard sole proprietors and pay into a personal bank account, with no registered company required.Only the iK Debit Card, for same-day money, asks for more, because it pays into a GoTyme Bank EveryDay account you open separately. A Nedbank account gets same-day payouts without it.
