ShelfCount vs QuickStok: when free is enough

The price, side by side

QuickStok figures from quickstok.ai, checked 2026-10-13. Prices change, so check both before you sign anything.

We can’t beat free, and I won’t pretend otherwise. On paid terms, QuickStok Pro is $19 a month against our $50, which is $31 a month, or $372 a year, less. Over a year, Pro at $159 against $600 for twelve months of ours is a gap of $441. Our trial runs 14 days, and QuickStok’s free plan has no time limit. Our demo needs no signup at all, if you want to look first.

What each one does

QuickStok cells come only from their public pages and release notes, checked 2026-10-13. "Not published" means we didn't find it, not that it doesn't exist.

Where QuickStok wins

Price comes first. The free plan covers one cafe with real limits: 250 items, 25 recipes and 15 receipt scans a month. Plenty of small cafes never need more. Pro removes every cap for $19 a month.

It’s also more than a count sheet. QuickStok reads Square, costs recipes with modifier groups, scans receipts, generates order sheets from your usage and has an AI assistant, Hopper, for questions about your numbers. We have no assistant. Its release notes show it shipping quickly, with AI-proposed purchase orders added in August 2026.

And it’s simple to start. The free plan has no clock running.

Where we went the other way

First, the POS. ShelfCount reads Square and Clover today, and Toast is built and waiting on partner approval. QuickStok’s site names Square only. If you’re on Clover, that settles it.

Second, the order. ShelfCount drafts the purchase order from your count and emails it to the vendor when you send it, for vendors set up for email; otherwise it’s a PDF you send yourself. QuickStok makes order sheets, and we couldn’t find a statement that it sends them for you.

Third, checking the numbers. A usage variance report sets what your sales said you used against what you counted, which is how you find the milk that went missing. Price history shows what each item has cost you over time, with alerts if you turn them on, and approved receipts can go to QuickBooks Online as bills. QuickStok publishes none of those that we found.

Fourth, the bill. One price covers every feature and every person on the team, with no caps to hit. If a free plan’s limits start to bite, the question becomes $19 a month against $50, and the list above is what the difference buys.

Who QuickStok is right for

• One cafe on Square, and you don’t want to pay anything yet
• Fewer than 250 items, 25 recipes, and a handful of receipts a month
• You place orders yourself and an order sheet is enough
• You don’t need an accounting connection or a variance report
• You’d use an AI assistant for questions about your numbers

Who ShelfCount is right for

• Clover on the counter, or Toast once Toast approves our partner application
• You want purchase orders drafted from your count and emailed to the vendor
• You want a usage variance report, and QuickBooks Online bills from approved receipts
• You’re past the free limits and want one price with no caps
• You want the order, the invoice and the count in one place

If you’re on Square and choosing

Both read your Square sales, so the POS question drops out. Start on the free plan if you can. It costs nothing, and you’ll find out within a few weeks whether its limits and its order sheets are enough. If you outgrow it, or you were never going to place orders by hand, try ours. The demo opens without a signup. And if Square’s own tools might be enough, read what Square tracks by itself first.

Questions people actually ask

Is QuickStok really free?

Yes, for one cafe. Its pricing page, read on 2026-10-13, says the Free plan is $0 forever for one cafe location, with up to 250 items, 25 recipes, 3 staff PINs and 15 AI receipt scans a month. Pro is $19 a month, or $159 a year, and adds $9 a month for each extra location.

Does QuickStok work with Toast or Clover?

Not as far as its public pages say. On 2026-10-13 its homepage named only Square as a POS connection, and neither Toast nor Clover appeared on its homepage or pricing page. ShelfCount reads Square and Clover today, and Toast is built and waiting on partner approval.

Does QuickStok scan receipts and cost recipes like ShelfCount does?

It does both. QuickStok reads receipts with AI and matches the lines to your inventory, and it costs recipes from your latest receipt prices. Its release notes say Square sync counts modifiers in ingredient usage. Where it doesn't match us is on what it doesn't publish: sending an order to the vendor, a QuickBooks connection, and a usage variance report. We checked on 2026-10-13.

When is free enough?

If you're one cafe on Square, count on a phone, and want to cost your recipes and read receipts without paying, QuickStok's free plan covers that, within its limits of 250 items, 25 recipes and 15 receipt scans a month. Use it and keep your $50. The point to move is when you hit those limits, run Clover, or want the order sent and the usage checked against the count.

Is ShelfCount worth $50 a month over free?

Only if you'd use what the money adds. Pro on QuickStok is $19 a month, which is $31 a month less than ShelfCount, or $372 a year. If the difference is Clover support, an order emailed to the vendor, and a variance report, that's what the extra $31 buys. If it isn't, don't pay it.

Compare something else

• Square's own inventory vs the MarketMan add-on vs ShelfCount
• ShelfCount vs MarketMan
• ShelfCount vs a spreadsheet
• ShelfCount for coffee shops
• ShelfCount pricing

Sources

Every figure above about another company came from its own public pages on the date listed. Prices move; if one of these is stale, email us and we’ll fix the page.

• QuickStok pricing page — https://www.quickstok.ai/pricing (opens in a new window) (checked 2026-10-13)
• QuickStok homepage (features, POS, billing terms) — https://www.quickstok.ai (opens in a new window) (checked 2026-10-13)
• QuickStok release notes — https://www.quickstok.ai/changelog (opens in a new window) (checked 2026-10-13)