One-time licence vs subscription
A low monthly fee is not automatically cheaper. A low one-time price is not automatically cheaper either. The difference is who owns the code, who pays for maintenance, and what happens in year three.
| One-time licence | Subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $299 (Foodomaa) | Low or none |
| Monthly | VPS + services only | $99–$499+ |
| 3-year software cost | ~$299 + server (illustrative) | ~$3,600–$18,000+ (illustrative) |
| Ownership | Code and data yours | outlet's platform |
| Updates | You apply them | outlet applies them |
| Support | 30 days included, then optional | Included, SLA varies |
| Exit | Take the code and data | Export and migrate |
| Best for | Long-term ownership and margin | Speed and low ops burden |
Illustrative only. Excludes payment fees, SMS, maps, custom development, support plans and your time. Get current quotes before deciding.
When a one-time licence wins
- You plan to operate for more than a year.
- You want the software cost to stop scaling with order volume.
- You need to customise or integrate beyond an supplier roadmap.
- You want to own the customer data and the code.
When a subscription wins
- You are testing a market and may shut down in three months.
- You do not want to manage hosting, patches or upgrades.
- You need an supplier SLA and 24/7 support.
- The monthly fee is genuinely smaller than your ops cost.
The break-even question
Divide the one-time licence plus first-year hosting by the monthly subscription. That is the rough break-even point in months, before customisation and support. If you expect to run longer than that, the licence usually wins on software cost; the trade-off is operational responsibility.
Read the self-hosted vs SaaS comparison or read the Foodomaa review.
One-time vs subscription questions
Is a one-time licence really cheaper?
Over multiple years, usually, if you exclude your time and developer costs. At low volume or short timelines, a subscription can be cheaper.
What happens after the 30-day support window?
The software keeps running. You can maintain it yourself, use a developer, or take an optional care plan.
Can I cancel a subscription and keep the software?
Usually not. A subscription rents access; a one-time licence gives you the code. Check the exit/export terms before you commit.