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Free tool

What does a smart cooler really cost?

Purchase price, software, cellular and card fees, added up and compared.

Over 3 years, MicroMart Smart Fridge costs $2,254 more than SandStar SRK cooler.

  • SandStar SRK cooler costs less up front and each month, so the gap keeps growing.
  • Fees with no public figure are left out of each total.
Machines pick 2 or 3
Over
$3,000/mo
Fine-tune: average sale $4

SandStar SRK cooler

3 years total$13,221
Monthly fees
$229
Per $100 of sales
$12.24
Warranty
36 mo

Not counted: install and shipping, per-transaction fee.

Fee details
SRK cooler, dealer price. Source, Oct 7, 2026
Per machine per month; covers the SIM and data, telemetry, device management and remote support. Source, Oct 7, 2026
Included in the monthly software fee. Source, Oct 7, 2026
Card processing, per VendHub's help center. Source, Oct 13, 2026
SRK series 3 years (VRK series 5). Source, Oct 7, 2026
  • Price and software fee are from VendBuddy, a SandStar dealer. SandStar publishes no price list.
  • VendHub's help center also lists a $9 terminal fee for SandStar without saying how often it bills, so it is not counted.
  • VendBuddy lists an optional on-site technician at $500 a day, two-day minimum. Not counted.

Sources: vendbuddy.io (Oct 7, 2026), help.vendhubhq.com (Oct 13, 2026)

MicroMart Smart Fridge

3 years total$15,475
Monthly fees
$255
Per $100 of sales
$14.33
Warranty
36 mo

Not counted: install and shipping, cellular fee.

Fee details
Buy 1 unit. Source, Oct 13, 2026
MicroMart Platform, per unit per month. Source, Oct 13, 2026
4% + $0.10 per transaction. Source, Oct 13, 2026
Source, Oct 13, 2026
Parts and labor, all but the compressor. Source, Oct 13, 2026
  • All figures are from MicroMart's own pricing page (one unit; $5,995 each for 3 or more).
  • Freight is billed on top and MicroMart lists no amount. No cellular fee is stated.
  • Warranty: 3 years parts and labor, 5 years on the compressor.

Sources: micromart.com (Oct 13, 2026)

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Every line item for 1, 3 and 5 years, with a printable copy. Free, one email.

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What drives the real cost

Four lines most quotes bury.

  1. The monthly platform fee

    Software, remote support and inventory tools are billed every month, per machine. A $30 difference is $1,800 over five years, which can be more than the gap in sticker price.

  2. Card processing

    Most coolers take only cards, so the processing rate applies to every dollar sold. It scales with your sales, so a busy location feels a high rate more than a slow one. Some machines add a flat fee per transaction on top.

  3. Cellular and telemetry

    Some platform fees include the SIM and data. Others bill connectivity separately. Ask which one your quote is.

  4. Warranty, freight and install

    A short warranty shifts repair risk to you after year one or three. Freight and installation are often quoted separately, so they are easy to miss. Enter them from your quote.

How it works

Three steps. The headline is free.

  1. Pick two or three machines, or add your own quote. Public figures are filled in where we found them.
  2. Slide to your expected sales. Card fees depend on it.
  3. Read the answer. Email yourself the full breakdown to print or share.

Figures are public third-party numbers, not a VendHub price list, and fees change. Confirm each one in a written quote.

Questions

Smart cooler costs, answered.

What does a smart cooler really cost?+
The purchase price is only the first line. Over several years you also pay a monthly software or platform fee, card processing on every sale, sometimes a separate cellular fee, and freight and installation. This tool adds them up for 1, 3 and 5 years so you can compare machines on total cost.
SandStar vs MicroMart: which one costs less?+
It depends on the quote and on how much the machine sells. Compare them side by side here: the headline shows which costs less over the horizon you choose, and the break-even line shows when the machine with the lower sticker price stops being cheaper, if it does.
Where do the numbers come from?+
Public pages: manufacturer pricing where it exists, dealer and reseller listings, and published fee schedules. Each figure lists its source and the date we read it under the machine. Fees change, so confirm everything in a written quote.
Why are some fields empty?+
Where we could not find a public figure, the field says Enter your quote. We would rather leave it blank than guess. Anything left blank is excluded from the total and listed under the machine as not counted.
VendHub sells machines. Is this comparison neutral?+
The math is the same for every machine, every field is editable, and you can add a machine we have not listed. The figures come from public third-party pages, not from a VendHub price list. If a number looks wrong, change it.
What is the break-even year?+
If one machine costs less up front and another costs less per month, the cheaper-up-front machine only stays ahead until the monthly savings add up to the difference in purchase price. That month is the break-even point.
Do the totals include repairs, restocking or location fees?+
No. The totals cover purchase, install and shipping, software, cellular and card fees only. Product cost, restocking labor, commissions to locations, repairs after the warranty and taxes are not included.

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