POS priced per location vs per user: what 5, 10 and 25 staff really cost
Short answer: Per-user tools add up with every hire. NexusCom.ai Core is $249 a month for 1 location whatever the headcount. With one CRM seat, one phone seat and one AI seat per person, the per-user stack costs less at 5 staff and more from 6 staff on.
Prices: vendor pricing pages, month-to-month, checked Oct 30 2026. Nexus side: nexuscom.ai/commerce-pricing (always wins).
The math
Per-user stack, per person per month (list prices): HubSpot Sales Hub Starter $20, Quo Starter (phone/text) $19, ChatGPT Plus $20. Total: $59 per person.
| Staff | Per-user stack | NexusCom.ai Core + Nexus AI + Nexus Connect |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 5 x $59 = $295 | $249 + $39 + $39 = $327 |
| 6 | 6 x $59 = $354 | $327 |
| 10 | 10 x $59 = $590 | $327 |
| 25 | 25 x $59 = $1,475 | $327 |
Connect tiers are by volume (Connect $39: 2,500 call minutes, 3,000 texts; Pro $59; Teams $79: 8,000 minutes, 10,000 texts), not by seat. Heavy-volume teams may need Pro or Teams: $249 + $39 + $79 = $367, still flat across 5, 10 and 25 staff.
Per location (POS side)
- Lightspeed Retail Core: $179 per location, 1 register included, extra register $59.
- Shopify POS Pro: $89 per location (on top of a Shopify plan).
- NexusCom.ai: Core $249 (1 location), Growth $449 (2), Enterprise/White Label $799 (3 locations, +$39 per extra location, unlimited registers).
- Lightspeed Core is cheaper up to 4 locations; NexusCom.ai from 5 locations, and the gap grows $140 a month per store.
Who should pick which
- 1 to 5 people, one store, only need a till: a per-location POS is the cheaper line.
- 6+ people who all need CRM, phone and AI: flat pricing wins.
- Not counted: tools with no published month-to-month price (e.g. Pipedrive, Dialpad).
FAQ
- Does Nexus Commerce charge per seat?
- No. Pricing is per location, never per seat.
- Is a per-user stack ever cheaper?
- Yes, at 5 staff or fewer in the example above.
- Which prices did you use?
- Vendor list prices, month-to-month, checked Oct 30 2026; no promos.
- Where can I run my own numbers?
- nexuscom.ai/cost-calculator.