Comparison · Restaurants
Custom POS vs monthly-license POS
When each makes sense for your restaurant in Costa Rica, when monthly cost exceeds one-time, and why offline matters.
Commercial POS systems in CR (Square, Toast, local ones) charge USD 50–150/month per terminal — easy to hit USD 1,800/year with 3 registers. A custom POS (USD 1,200–4,500 one-time) eliminates the license. The right question isn't "which is cheaper" — it's "when do the curves cross".
Commercial POS (monthly)
Option ASquare, Toast, SaaS-style local POS. Zero setup, pay forever.
- Setup in hours, not weeks
- 24/7 support included in license
- Automatic software updates
- Optional integrated hardware (Square terminal, printer)
- Works on day 1 with no learning curve
- USD 50–150/mo per terminal — scales poorly
- If you stop paying, you lose access (data is hostage)
- Customization limited to vendor's feature set
- Offline mode limited or nonexistent (problem in CR)
- Per-transaction commission on some plans
- No native CR e-invoicing (need separate module)
Custom POS (one-time)
Option BBespoke web system — pay once, infra and code are yours.
- No monthly fee — payback in 12–24 months by register count
- Robust offline mode (critical in CR)
- Multi-terminal at no extra per-register cost
- E-invoicing integrated at checkout
- Daily reports to owner's WhatsApp
- You own the code and data
- Online reservations + optional Uber Eats/Rappi integration
- Upfront investment USD 1,200–4,500 vs USD 0 commercial
- Takes 4–6 weeks to be ready
- Maintenance is yours (patches, hosting USD 20/mo)
- No app store of pre-built features
Side-by-side comparison
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Commercial POS (monthly) | Custom POS (one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial investment | 0 | USD 1,200 – 4,500 |
| Monthly cost / terminal | USD 50 – 150 | USD 20 hosting total |
| Per-transaction commission | 0–2.6% by vendor | 0% (only Stripe/BAC) |
| Offline mode | Limited | Robust (sync on return) |
| Hacienda e-invoicing | Separate module | Integrated at checkout |
| Multi-terminal | USD 50–150/mo each | No extra cost |
| Data ownership | Vendor (API access) | You (in your DB) |
| Payback | N/A — always paying | 12–24 months |
The honest verdict
The curve crosses around 18 months for 2 registers, 12 months for 3+ registers. If your restaurant will operate 5+ years (most do), a custom POS saves USD 4,000–8,000 accumulated in that timeframe, plus gives you real offline mode (critical when ICE drops mid-sale on weekend nights). For a very small eatery with 1 register and < USD 15,000/mo in sales, the commercial POS does win on total cost.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
If I stop paying the monthly license, what happens to my data?▾
Depends on the vendor. Some give you 30 days to export (Square, Toast). Others retain them and you need to reactivate to access. This is the biggest SaaS trap: your data can be held hostage.
Does custom work without internet?▾
When properly built, yes. Saves orders locally (IndexedDB or similar) and syncs when connection returns. This is critical in Costa Rica where connectivity can be intermittent — especially weekends.
Can I add e-invoicing to commercial POS?▾
Yes, via a separate module (USD 1,500–4,500 one-time + possibly custom integration). Commercial POS does NOT bring this native in CR. If you add this, custom POS usually ends up similar or cheaper overall.
Is commercial POS hardware better?▾
Not necessarily. Square terminals look nice but a USD 350 iPad with custom POS works just as well. For kitchen printer, a generic USD 80 thermal + custom = same as Square's integrated USD 200. You pay more for branding, not functionality.
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