Online store, stock, POS, bookings: the monthly cost
In a software price list every part looks cheap. A monthly fee of 39, then 89, then another 9 per employee. The total comes to considerably more, and that's before transaction fees and the time spent retyping data.
Short answer: compare the total cost, not the monthly fee of one application. Add up monthly fees, transaction fees, add-on modules and working hours. Payment provider, shipping, SMS and hosting costs don't disappear completely with any solution.
Prices come from vendors' public pages as of 1 November 2026, excluding VAT where the vendor shows them that way. Check again before deciding, because they change.
Example: a shop, an online store and three service staff
The business has one shop, an online store and three employees who provide appointment-based services. Online turnover is €5,000 a month and the online store uses an external payment provider.
| Cost item | Example product | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Online store | Shopify Basic, monthly billing | $39 |
| POS | POS Pro, one location | $89 |
| Transaction fee with an external payment provider | 2% × €5,000 | €100 |
| Bookings | Fresha Team, 3 × €8.95 | €26.85 |
Total: $128 + €126.85 a month. The payment provider's own fees come on top.
This isn't a claim that these products are bad. For a smaller business, Shopify's simpler POS may be entirely sufficient and POS Pro can be dropped. With annual billing Shopify Basic is $29 a month; on the Grow plan the transaction fee is 1%, but the plan costs $105 a month. What matters is the model: each system adds its own line.
Fees that don't stick in the mind from the price list
- New client fee. A booking platform may charge a one-off fee for the first visit of a client from its marketplace. See Fresha, Booksy or your own booking system for details.
- Add-on modules. Product filters, translations, invoices, parcel lockers and subscriptions may be charged separately.
- Integration. If there is an integration between systems, it may have a monthly fee or need development work.
- Extra users and locations. The price often grows with the number of staff and shops.
- Migration. Leaving is only cheap if you can get your data out.
The biggest cost is often work
Calculate the working time too. The formula is simple:
hours per week × hourly cost × 4.3 = work cost per month
If an employee transfers quantities, corrects stock levels and compares reports for three hours a week, at an hourly cost of €15, that's about €194 a month. That doesn't include refunds for goods already sold or customers who never come back.
What remains with NUNDINAE too
With NUNDINAE there is one application: no separate monthly fees for the online store, POS, stock and bookings, and no integration to maintain. But I'm not claiming the costs disappear. These remain:
- Web hosting. An ordinary hosting plan with PHP and MySQL will do; no separate server is needed.
- Montonio. The monthly fee is €11.99 (Starter) or €14.99 (Core). A bank payment costs €0.20 or €0.05 respectively, and a European consumer card payment 1.49% + €0.25 or 1.29% + €0.20.
- Shipping. Through Montonio, a parcel starts from €1.99. You can also use your own carrier contract.
- SMS. Charged per message through Messente. Emails are free. If you don't need SMS, you leave it off.
- AI. The cost depends on use and a monthly budget keeps it in check. If you don't want AI, there's no cost.
- The price of NUNDINAE itself. I send a written quote, because it depends on the modules, the design and the amount of data to migrate.
So I can't put a single comparison figure here. Ask for a quote and put it in the same table with your current costs. If the calculation doesn't favour NUNDINAE, I'll say so myself.
How to calculate your own cost
- Take the last three months' bills and write down each software's monthly fee.
- Add payment and transaction fees based on your average monthly turnover.
- Add annual payments (modules, licences) divided by 12.
- Estimate the working hours spent moving data around.
- Add losses, such as refunds for goods already sold.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cheapest solution always the best?
No. A low monthly fee doesn't help if the solution doesn't do the job you need or you can't leave it with your data.
Are the prices excluding VAT?
B2B software prices are mostly excluding VAT, but check each vendor's site. Fresha and Montonio show prices excluding VAT.
How do I compare dollar and euro prices?
Convert at the rate on the invoice date, or check which currency the vendor will invoice you in.
Which solution suits my business?
Start with the comparison of five setups.
Let's compare your real numbers
Send me a list of the software you use now. Order NUNDINAE or ask for a demo, and you'll get a written quote to compare with your costs.
