Lifetime licence or subscription: the real arithmetic
“Pay once, it is yours forever” is an appealing argument. It deserves a close look, because the cost of installed software is not in its purchase price, it is in what happens next.
| Criterion | Installed software | POSNEX |
|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | MAD 3,000 to 10,000 once, per seat | MAD 0 to 299/month, per business not per seat |
| Updates | Often paid, sometimes a new licence | Included, applied automatically |
| Second seat | One more licence | Included in the plan |
| Backup | Your responsibility, on the shop PC | Automatic, off-site |
| Stolen or dead PC | Data lost if the backup was missing | Sign in again from another device |
| Remote access | Rare, or through a technical setup | From any browser |
| Multi-store | One install per shop, manual consolidation | Consolidated view built in |
| Without Internet | Works — that is its strong point | Works too: sales sync afterwards |
You have no connection at all, not even mobile, and will not have one.
Your trade requires a specific regulated software that SaaS does not cover.
You already own a written-off licence that suits you, with a single point of sale.
Export your products and customers from your current software: a CSV is enough.
Run both in parallel for a week — POSNEX is free during that time.
Nothing to install: your staff open a browser, there is no workstation to prepare.
Installed software keeps one real advantage: it depends on nobody. But its historic strength, working without Internet, POSNEX has too. What remains is backups, the second seat and updates, where the subscription clearly wins.
If I stop the subscription, do I lose my data?
No. You export your sales, stock and invoices to CSV and PDF at any time, including before leaving. The free plan also stays available with no time limit.
Is an online register less secure?
Data is encrypted in transit, isolated per business and backed up off-site. A counter PC with no backup is the riskier of the two.
Over ten years, isn't a subscription more expensive?
Compare full cost: licence, extra licences, updates, backups and replacing the PC. On a single seat with no growth, the licence can stay ahead; from two seats or two stores, the subscription moves ahead.
Do I need to install anything?
No. POSNEX opens in a browser and can be added to the home screen like an app. Nothing to install, no update to launch.