Our Methodology

How we rate, and why you can trust it

MarginCompare exists to help Australian venue owners protect their margins. That only works if our rankings are genuinely independent. Here is exactly how we score products, what each rating means, and how we keep commercial relationships from influencing the results.

The MarginCompare Score

Every product we list gets an overall score out of 10, built from four weighted criteria. We research each product using public pricing, product documentation, integration lists, and feedback from real Australian venue operators.

40%

Value for money

Total cost of ownership for a typical venue, including fees, lock-in, hidden costs and what you actually keep.

30%

Features & capability

Depth of functionality, integrations, and how well it fits real hospitality workflows.

20%

Australian support

Local support quality, award and compliance handling, and how well it serves the AU market specifically.

10%

Ease of use

Setup, day-to-day usability, and how quickly a venue can get value from it.

What the scores mean

9.0 and above is exceptional, a category leader we would recommend to most venues. 8.0 to 8.9 is strong, an excellent choice for the right venue. 7.0 to 7.9 is solid with clear trade-offs. Below 7.0 means there are better options for most operators, though it may still suit a specific niche.

How we make money, and how we stay independent

We earn referral fees from some of the suppliers listed on MarginCompare. This is how we keep the service free for venue owners. We are upfront about it because transparency is the whole point.

Our independence pledge

Rankings are based on our scoring criteria, never on what a supplier pays us.
A product cannot buy a higher rating or position. Ever.
Where a supplier is a commercial partner, we say so clearly on the listing.
We list and rate products we earn nothing from, including direct competitors to our partners.
If we ever get something wrong, we fix it. Tell us and we will review it.

How often we update

Pricing and products change constantly in hospitality tech. We review each comparison regularly and show a last-updated date on every page so you know how current the information is. If you spot something out of date, let us know at info@scalenex.com.au.

Who we are

MarginCompare is an independent Australian comparison platform focused entirely on hospitality. We are not owned by any POS company, payment provider or supplier. We are part of the Scalenex group. Our only goal is to help venue owners pay less and keep more of what they earn.

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