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How we make money

RestaurantTech Compare is free for you. Here's how the site makes money, who handles price requests, and the rules that keep money out of our rankings.

Updated Oct 5, 2026

Some providers pay when a restaurant becomes their customer through this site. Today that is Shift4 POS: price requests for Shift4 POS are handled by SAM Payments, an authorized Shift4 reseller with the same owners as RestaurantTech Compare, and SAM Payments earns money when the business signs. Links to every other provider are direct and unpaid. None of this changes a score or a ranking. The "Get my quote" and "Review my result" buttons also send your request to SAM Payments, which quotes Shift4 POS.

Where your request goes: to SAM Payments when you ask about Shift4 POS, and to the provider's own website for every other product.You ask for a price, or for a review of your result. From a review, a comparison or the cost calculator. Shift4 POS price links, "Get my quote", and "Review my result": Your request goes to SAM Payments. The form's permission text names SAM Payments, next to a box that starts unchecked. Your request goes only there. Authorized reseller of Shift4 POS, Same owners as RestaurantTech Compare, and Earns money when the business signs. Price links for every other product: They open that provider's own website. Where a price isn't published, every product shows the same link in the same place. Direct and unpaid. None of this changes a score or a ranking.Where your request goesYou ask for a price,or for a review ofyour resultFrom a review, a comparisonor the cost calculator.SAM PaymentsGoes to SAM PaymentsOpens the provider'sown websiteSAM PaymentsShift4 POS price links"Get my quote""Review my result"Your request goes to SAM PaymentsThe form's permission text names SAMPayments, next to a box that startsunchecked. Your request goes only there.Authorized reseller of Shift4 POSSame owners as RestaurantTech CompareEarns money when the business signsPrice links for every other productThey open that provider's own websiteWhere a price isn't published, every productshows the same link in the same place.Direct and unpaidNone of this changesa score or a ranking.
Where your request goes: to SAM Payments when you ask about Shift4 POS, and to the provider's own website for every other product.You ask for a price, or for a review of your result. From a review, a comparison or the cost calculator. Shift4 POS price links, "Get my quote", and "Review my result": Your request goes to SAM Payments. The form's permission text names SAM Payments, next to a box that starts unchecked. Your request goes only there. Authorized reseller of Shift4 POS, Same owners as RestaurantTech Compare, and Earns money when the business signs. Price links for every other product: They open that provider's own website. Where a price isn't published, every product shows the same link in the same place. Direct and unpaid. None of this changes a score or a ranking.Where your request goesYou ask for a price, or for a reviewof your resultFrom a review, a comparison or the cost calculator.Shift4 POS price links"Get my quote""Review my result"Price links for every other productYour request goes to SAM PaymentsThe form's permission text names SAMPayments, next to a box that startsunchecked. Your request goes onlythere.SAM PaymentsSAM PaymentsAuthorized reseller of Shift4POSSame owners asRestaurantTech CompareEarns money when thebusiness signsThey open that provider's own websiteWhere a price isn't published, every product shows the same linkin the same place.Direct and unpaidGoes to SAM PaymentsOpens the provider's own websiteNone of this changes a score or a ranking.
This figure goes with the note above it and does not replace it. The sections below explain each part.

Where your request goes

You ask for a price, or for a review of your result. From a review, a comparison or the cost calculator.

  • Shift4 POS price links · "Get my quote" · "Review my result"Your request goes to SAM PaymentsThe form's permission text names SAM Payments, next to a box that starts unchecked. Your request goes only there.Authorized reseller of Shift4 POS · Same owners as RestaurantTech Compare · Earns money when the business signsGoes to SAM Payments
  • Price links for every other productThey open that provider's own websiteWhere a price isn't published, every product shows the same link in the same place.Direct and unpaidOpens the provider's own website

None of this changes a score or a ranking.

Free for you

RestaurantTech Compare is free. You don't pay to use it, and you can see every published price, score and result without signing up or leaving your contact details. We ask for your contact details only if you choose to request a price.

How the site makes money

Some providers pay when a restaurant becomes their customer through this site. The note at the top of this page names who that is today.

When you request a price for one of those products, your request goes to SAM Payments, an authorized reseller of that product. SAM Payments has the same owners as RestaurantTech Compare and earns money when the business signs. The form names SAM Payments before you send anything.

The quote and review buttons on our comparison pages work the same way: they open a form whose permission text names SAM Payments, next to a box that starts unchecked, and your request goes only there.

Where a price isn't published, every product shows the same link in the same place. For every other product it takes you to that provider's own website, and those links are direct and unpaid.

The rules we keep

The rules we keep, drawn as a wall between money and our scoring engine.Your contact details leave only if you ask. Money never changes the order. The ranking is not for sale. Our scoring engine can't see money. Same page for everyone. Badges come from the data. Sponsorships, if we ever have them, are labeled and kept outside the rankings.The rules we keepYour contact detailsleave only if you ask.Money never changes the order.The ranking is not for sale.Our scoring enginecan't see money.Same page for everyone.Badges come from the data.Sponsorships, if we everhave them, are labeled andkept outside the rankings.
The rules we keep, drawn as a wall between money and our scoring engine.Your contact details leave only if you ask. Money never changes the order. The ranking is not for sale. Our scoring engine can't see money. Same page for everyone. Badges come from the data. Sponsorships, if we ever have them, are labeled and kept outside the rankings.The rules we keepYour contact details leave only if you ask.Money never changes the order.The ranking is not for sale.Our scoring engine can't see money.Same page for everyone.Badges come from the data.Sponsorships, if we ever have them, are labeledand kept outside the rankings.
  • Your contact details leave only if you ask. We send them only when you submit the form and check the consent box, which starts unchecked. They go to the company named in the form and to no one else.
  • Money never changes the order. The ranking comes from the score, and the score comes from our public methodology.
  • The ranking is not for sale. No company can pay for a better position, a higher score or a spot on a "best" list.
  • Our scoring engine can't see money. The code that calculates scores has no access to payment, partnership or price request data. That separation is built into the software and checked by automated tests.
  • Same page for everyone. Every product gets the same template, the same rows and the same button, whether its provider pays or not.
  • Badges come from the data. A badge goes to whichever product has the best published value. We never assign one by hand.
  • Sponsorships, if we ever have them, are labeled and kept outside the rankings.

What vendors can and can't do

What vendors can and can't do, drawn as one open window and two closed ones.Vendors can: Send us corrections with evidence, like anyone else. Vendors can't: Pay to change a score, a ranking or a data point; Pay to get a correction reviewed faster.What vendors can and can't doVendors canSend us corrections withevidence, like anyone elseVendors can'tPay to change ascore, a rankingor a data pointPay to get acorrectionreviewed faster
What vendors can and can't do, drawn as one open window and two closed ones.Vendors can: Send us corrections with evidence, like anyone else. Vendors can't: Pay to change a score, a ranking or a data point; Pay to get a correction reviewed faster.What vendors can and can't doVendors canVendors can'tSend us corrections withevidence, like anyone elsePay to change a score, aranking or a data pointPay to get a correctionreviewed faster

Vendors can send us corrections with evidence, like anyone else. They can't pay to change a score, a ranking or a data point, and they can't pay to get a correction reviewed faster. Our editorial policy explains how corrections work.