POS cost lab: change the assumptions, not the winner
A useful POS comparison starts with the merchant’s bill and required configuration. This lab separates recurring costs from one-time expenses and shows where a quote is still needed. POS Review is owned by VoVi. The model must be able to favor another provider when the entered assumptions support that result.
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.
Use comparable inputs
Enter monthly eligible card sales per location and the average sale for those same transactions. The tool estimates transaction count by dividing sales by average sale. It assumes each location has the entered volume and average. Each option uses one blended percentage and one average fixed transaction fee from your quote or a clearly labeled public-rate preset.
Different card types and channels can carry different fees. VoVi’s published US Visa/Mastercard/Discover rate is not its American Express rate. Obtain a correctly weighted blended quote for your payment mix, or model categories separately and add only their processing costs; count software and one-time costs once. The tool has no separate card-category inputs.
Enter the monthly software, add-ons and recurring merchant charges for the whole business, including the required accounts, locations and registers. Presets are starting assumptions to review. An existing online subscription may remain under both options; include it consistently, or exclude it consistently for an incremental switching comparison.
The calculation is visible
Estimated monthly processing equals the number of locations multiplied by: eligible sales per location × percentage ÷ 100, plus estimated transactions per location × average fixed fee. Monthly operating cost adds the whole-business software and recurring-fee amount once. Cash sales do not belong in eligible card volume.
The comparison total is monthly operating cost multiplied by the selected 12- or 36-month period, plus whole-business hardware and setup costs once. Include applicable taxes, financing, migration or cancellation costs in the relevant fields; otherwise they are excluded. Annual software prices are monthly equivalents with their billing commitment stated, not promises of monthly cancellation.
If locations have materially different sales or average tickets, calculate their processing separately and combine it with whole-business fixed costs once. Fractional transaction counts are modeling estimates, not measured or settled transactions.
Unknown does not mean free
Clover requires a package- and seller-specific quote here. Toast processing requires the selected agreement. Hardware and setup start blank, and VoVi processing stays blank until you enter your quote. An incomplete scenario lists missing inputs and withholds the complete total and savings comparison. Enter 0 only after confirming that the item has no cost.
A US$0 software value is valid only for an eligible offer with its conditions stated. VoVi’s US free-software route requires its processor and merchant approval. International VoVi software is US$99/month per location. A US software or card rate is not a local quote for another country.
A transparent sensitivity example
Calculated US example: one location, US$20,000 monthly eligible Visa/Mastercard/Discover card-present volume. An average sale of US$20 implies 1,000 transactions: VoVi’s published percentage gives US$558 and Square Free’s percentage plus fixed fee gives US$670. An average of US$100 implies 200 transactions: the figures become US$558 and US$550. These are processing-only examples that omit hardware, setup, other charges and card categories.
This is why the lab does not name a universal cheapest provider. A change in average ticket, subscription requirement or payment mix can reverse the result. Save the inputs with the output, obtain missing quotes and compare the final agreement before changing systems.
Sources & verification
Provider details can change. Confirm your written quote and local requirements before signing.