Software is one line on the bill.
The subscription is the number vendors put on the website. Processing, hardware, implementation, users, locations and add-ons are where the real cost lives.
The six lines that matter
Software. Monthly or annual, usually per location and sometimes per user or terminal. Watch for features that only unlock at higher tiers.
Payment processing. For most businesses this is the largest line, and it scales with revenue rather than seats. A quarter-point difference in the effective rate on $1.5M of card volume is $3,750 a year. Ask whether you can bring your own processor and what the software costs if you do.
Hardware. Terminals, printers, scanners, scales, cash drawers and handhelds. Leased hardware is the single most common source of complaints in our index; buying outright is almost always cheaper over three years.
Implementation. Data migration, menu or catalog build, training and go-live support. Enterprise platforms charge for it; simpler systems push it onto you.
Add-ons. Online ordering, loyalty, marketing, payroll, advanced reporting and integrations are frequently separate subscriptions.
Exit. Contract length, auto-renewal, early-termination fees and whether your data comes with you.
Typical share of three-year cost
Illustrative split for a single-location business processing card payments through the POS vendor
Run your own numbers
Put your card volume, locations and hardware into the calculator and compare the three-year cost of the systems on your shortlist.
Open the True Cost CalculatorThe starting price is not the price.
Most advertised prices are a trial, an intro rate, an annual-billing rate or a bare plan with the features you need sold separately. This table shows what each one turns into.
How the number on the website turns into the number on your invoice
Intro rates expire. A $29 or $1-a-month promotion renews at the full rate, usually within one to three months and often on annual billing.
"Free" moves the cost into processing. A $0 plan is paid for through a higher rate on every card transaction; on real volume that is the largest line on the bill.
The plan you were quoted is rarely the plan you need. Online ordering, KDS, loyalty, extra users, extra registers and extra locations are frequently separate charges.
| System | Advertised | Trial or intro | What it becomes | Typical monthly software |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlpacaBOSS | $99 / seat | No teaser rate. The published price is the price | It goes down, not up. Annual billing earns a volume discount on every seat: 10% off for 1–2 seats, 25% off for 3–10 seats, 30% off for 11 or more. POS drops from $99 to as low as $69.30 per seat; Business Operations and Field Service drop from $199 to as low as $139.30 per seat | POS $99 / seat · BOS and FSM $199 / seat, less your volume discount. Nothing else to add on |
| KORONA POS | $59 / terminal | Free trial, no card required | $59 per terminal (Core) or $79 (Retail) monthly; no processing contract | $59–$99 per terminal |
| Mangomint | $165 / mo | 21-day free trial, no card required | Essentials $165 (up to 10 staff), Standard $245, Unlimited $375; no contract, no setup fee | $165–$375 |
| Jobber | $39–49 / mo | Free trial; Core often promoted at $29–39/mo on annual prepay | Core renews at ~$49 monthly; Connect ~$129–149; Grow ~$249–299; extra users $19–29 each | $49–$299 plus users |
| Housecall Pro | $59–79 / mo | Free trial; intro pricing often shown at $59 | Basic renews at ~$79/mo; Essentials ~$189; MAX ~$329 monthly | $79–$329 plus per-user fees above the plan cap |
| Square | $0 / mo | Free forever plan; no trial needed | $0 stays $0, but every sale pays 2.6%+ processing; Plus $49 and Premium $149 per location if you need the features | $0–$149 plus processing on every transaction |
| Vagaro | $30 / mo | Free trial | ~$30 for one bookable staff member; rises with each additional staff account; forms, marketing and payroll are add-ons | $30–$100+ depending on staff |
| Tekmetric | $179–199 / mo | Demo only; no free trial | $179–$199 entry tier, unlimited users; up to ~$409; month-to-month available | $199–$409 |
| Shopmonkey | $239 / mo | Free trial available | Basic $239, Clever $399, Genius $499; $20/mo per extra user | $239–$499 plus users |
| Shopify POS | $39 + $89 / location | Trial promos as low as $1/mo for the first months | Basic renews at $39/mo; POS Pro is $89 per location on top; app subscriptions extra | $128+ per location plus apps |
| Phorest | Quote | Demo only | Quote-based subscription on a contract term | Quote |
| TouchBistro | $69 / mo | No free trial | $69 per terminal monthly on an annual contract; KDS, online ordering, reservations, loyalty and inventory are quoted add-ons | $69 per terminal plus add-ons; contracts auto-renew |
| Fishbowl | $349 / mo | Free trial | Drive $349 (2 users); Growth ~$429; support plans and upgrades extra | $349–$429 plus support plan |
| Lightspeed Retail | $89 / mo | Free trial; $89 is the annual-billing rate | $109/mo on monthly billing; Core $179; Plus $339; extra registers and locations billed separately; a fee applies if you do not use Lightspeed Payments | $109–$339 plus add-ons |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | $69 / mo | Free trial; $69 is the entry plan | Standard ~$179; Premium ~$319–399; KDS ~$40 per screen; payments terms apply | $69–$399 plus add-ons |
| Toast | $0–69 / mo | Starter Kit at $0/mo software | The $0 plan charges ~2.99–3.69% + 15¢ processing instead; Point of Sale plan $69; Build Your Own from ~$110; online ordering, KDS, loyalty, payroll and marketing are separate modules | $200–$400 once the modules most restaurants use are added |
| Boulevard | $176 / mo | Demo only | Essentials $176 monthly ($158 annual); Premier $293; Prestige $410; SMS credits capped | $176–$410 |
| ECRS CATAPULT | Quote | Demo only | Enterprise license, hardware and support contract | Quote |
| Cin7 | $349 / mo | Free trial | Core Standard $349 (5 users), Pro $599, Advanced $999; onboarding fees; POS and B2B portal are add-ons | $349–$999 plus add-ons |
| ServiceTitan | Quote | Demo only; no trial | Quote-based, multi-year contract plus onboarding fees | Several hundred to several thousand per month depending on size |
| Zenoti | Quote | Demo only | Enterprise quote, commonly cited from ~$200/mo per location | Quote |
| Lightspeed DMS | Quote | Demo only | DMS license on a multi-year contract | Quote |
| Clover | $14.95 / mo | 90-day software trial via some resellers; $14.95 is software-only after buying hardware outright | Retail plans to ~$105/mo; bundles with leased hardware $130–$240/mo on 36-month non-cancellable terms; processing set by reseller | $60–$240 for 36 months |
"Typical monthly software" is a single-location estimate before payment processing and hardware, based on published pricing checked September 2026. AlpacaBOSS is the only system in the table whose price goes down after you sign: annual billing earns 10%, 25% or 30% off every seat depending on team size, there is no intro rate to expire, and there are no add-on modules, because everything in the tier is included.
How every system charges.
All 23 systems on the same columns, with published starting prices checked September 2026. Value score is our editorial rating of pricing clarity, contract fairness and total cost. Prices change; verify current terms directly.
| System | Starts at | Model | Entry | Processing | Hardware | Contract | Add-ons | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlpacaBOSS | $99 / seat | Per seat, volume discounts | Low to Mid | Integrated, options available | Buy ours or keep your own | Annual, clear exit | None — all included | 93 |
| KORONA POS | $59 / terminal | Published subscription | Low to Mid | Any processor | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Few | 88 |
| Mangomint | $165 / mo | Published plans | Mid | Integrated, clear rates | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Few | 86 |
| Jobber | $39–49 / mo | Published plans | Low | Integrated | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Few | 84 |
| Housecall Pro | $59–79 / mo | Published plans | Low | Integrated | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Some | 82 |
| Square | $0 / mo | Free tier + paid plans | Low | Integrated, required | Buy outright | Month-to-month | Many | 78 |
| Vagaro | $30 / mo | Published plans | Low | Integrated | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Many | 78 |
| Tekmetric | $179–199 / mo | Tiered subscription | Mid | Integrated | Bring your own | Month-to-month | Some | 78 |
| Shopmonkey | $239 / mo | Tiered subscription | Mid | Integrated | Bring your own | Annual | Some | 76 |
| Shopify POS | $39 + $89 / location | Plan + POS per location | Mid | Integrated, fee if not | Buy outright | Month-to-month | Many | 74 |
| Phorest | Quote | Quote-based subscription | Mid | Integrated | Bring your own | Annual | Some | 74 |
| TouchBistro | $69 / mo | Per-terminal subscription | Mid | Integrated, options | Buy outright | Annual | Some | 72 |
| Fishbowl | $349 / mo | License or subscription | Mid | Via integrations | Bring your own | Annual | Some | 70 |
| Lightspeed Retail | $89 / mo | Published plans | Mid | Integrated encouraged | Buy outright | Annual | Many | 68 |
| Lightspeed Restaurant | $69 / mo | Published plans | Mid | Integrated encouraged | Buy outright | Annual | Many | 68 |
| Toast | $0–69 / mo | Tiered + processing | Low entry, scales up | Integrated, required | Buy outright | Multi-year common | Many | 66 |
| Boulevard | $176 / mo | Tiered subscription | Premium | Integrated | Bring your own | Annual | Some | 66 |
| ECRS CATAPULT | Quote | Quote-based | Enterprise | Integrated, options | Buy outright | Multi-year | Some | 64 |
| Cin7 | $349 / mo | Tiered subscription | Mid to Premium | Via integrations | Bring your own | Annual | Some | 64 |
| ServiceTitan | Quote | Quote-based | Enterprise | Integrated | Buy outright | Multi-year | Some | 62 |
| Zenoti | Quote | Quote-based | Enterprise | Integrated | Bring your own | Multi-year | Some | 58 |
| Lightspeed DMS | Quote | Quote-based | Enterprise | Integrated | Buy outright | Multi-year | Some | 56 |
| Clover | $14.95 / mo | Set by reseller | Low to Mid | Set by reseller | Buy or lease | Multi-year common | Some | 48 |
Published starting price
Lowest advertised software price per month, September 2026 · quote-only systems excluded · lower bar is cheaper
Tiers and what they include
Published plan structure by system
Value score
Editorial rating of pricing clarity, contract fairness and total cost, out of 100 · top twelve
Reading the grid
- 1Model is how the software is sold: published plans you can read, quotes you must request, or terms set by a reseller.
- 2Entry is where the cheapest realistic plan sits for a business that will actually use the system.
- 3Processing tells you whether you can choose your processor. "Required" means the vendor's rates are the rates.
- 4Hardware flags whether leases are common; "buy outright" is almost always cheaper over three years.
- 5Contract is the typical commitment and how hard it is to leave.
- 6Add-ons is how much of the real feature set sits outside the base price.
AlpacaBOSS volume pricing
No add-ons, no intro rate and no hardware lock-in. Every feature in the tier is included in the seat price, with nothing sold as a separate module, and you can buy AlpacaBOSS terminals or keep the hardware you already own. It is also the only system in the grid whose per-seat price falls as you add people: 10% off on annual billing for 1–2 seats, 25% for 3–10, 30% for 11 or more. A ten-seat Business Operations team pays $149.25 per seat per month instead of $199.
See the seat calculator ↗Cheapest is rarely lowest-cost
The systems with the lowest entry price often carry required processing and long add-on lists. Over three years a mid-priced subscription with clear terms frequently costs less. Run the calculator with your own numbers.
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