Compare the cost of your next POS
Use a real statement and a realistic month. This calculator helps you compare the US free-software route with keeping your processor; an estimate is a starting point for a written quote.
Compare your actual total costs
All amounts are USD. Enter eligible card sales per location and the average sale for the same transactions. This model uses one blended percentage and one average fixed fee per option. Hardware and setup cover the whole business: leave unknown costs blank; enter 0 only when confirmed.
Estimate, not a quote. Transactions are estimated as eligible card sales divided by average eligible sale. All locations use the same entered volume and average sale. For mixed card types or channels, obtain a correctly weighted blended quote or calculate categories separately and combine their processing costs; count software and one-time costs once. Include recurring add-ons and merchant charges in the monthly fee field. Taxes, refunds, chargebacks and financing are excluded unless entered. Shopify Pro and Lightspeed annual prices involve annual billing; extra locations may require quotes.
What to enter
Use monthly card sales, not total sales including cash. Enter the number of locations and every recurring POS-related charge you currently pay. For processing, use either a documented effective rate or an itemized rate structure as the tool allows. Do not include the same fee twice. If your statement includes a monthly fee in its effective rate, adding it again would overstate your current cost.
Read the result in two timeframes
The recurring monthly comparison shows the ongoing operating difference. A first-year view should add new hardware and switching expenses once. For example, a hypothetical US$600 equipment purchase adds US$50 per month when spread across twelve months, but it is not a US$50 subscription. Keep that distinction when you discuss cash flow or compare a purchase with a lease.
Change the assumptions before deciding
- Run a quiet month and a busy month; a fixed software fee and a percentage fee react differently.
- Recheck American Express, keyed transactions and any payment type that has a different quoted price.
- Add equipment, optional services and transition costs that your actual quote requires.
What the estimate cannot establish
The US$0 software option requires VoVi’s processor; the own-processor option is US$99 per month per location. Processing and hardware remain separate. The result does not approve a merchant account, guarantee a matched rate or show taxes, chargebacks and every exceptional fee. Take the assumptions and the result to the provider, and ask for a quote that covers your actual payment mix.
Sources & verification
Provider details can change. Confirm your written quote and local requirements before signing.