CooksTime vs MarginEdge

CooksTime is US restaurant bookkeeping software that connects to a restaurant's POS, bank and vendors to automate accounts payable, reconciliation and daily reporting. MarginEdge is back-office software for restaurants that turns supplier invoices into line-item data and combines it with POS sales to show daily food costs and a controllable P&L. Both are listed under Restaurant Accounting & Bookkeeping. The main differences are in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    Starting prices: CooksTime at USD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscription; MarginEdge at USD 350 per location per month. The currency or billing basis differs, so they are not directly comparable.

  • audience

    The audiences they list differ. Listed for one product only, for example: CooksTime: Bars and nightclubs; MarginEdge: Independent restaurants and multi-unit groups.

  • platforms

    Listed platforms: CooksTime: Web, iOS, Android; MarginEdge: Web, iOS.

  • countries covered

    Country coverage differs. CooksTime names 1 country and MarginEdge names 2 countries. 1 country appears in every list.

  • integrations

    On integrations, CooksTime names 10 integrations and MarginEdge names 29 integrations. 5 partners appear in every list.

  • company background

    By headquarters, CooksTime (United States) and MarginEdge (Arlington, United States).

Side by side

CooksTime vs MarginEdge: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldCooksTimeMarginEdge
What it isCooksTime is US restaurant bookkeeping software that connects to a restaurant's POS, bank and vendors to automate accounts payable, reconciliation and daily reporting.MarginEdge is back-office software for restaurants that turns supplier invoices into line-item data and combines it with POS sales to show daily food costs and a controllable P&L.
Best forBars and nightclubs; Full-service restaurants; Family-style and food-only restaurants; Restaurant franchisorsIndependent restaurants and multi-unit groups; Operators who want to stop keying in invoices; Multi-unit and commissary operations; Accounting firms serving restaurants
Pricing modelSubscription per locationSubscription per location
Starting priceUSD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscriptionUSD 350 per location per month
Free planNot publishedNot published
Free trialYesNot published
ContractMonthly, quarterly or annual termsNone on monthly billing; 12 months on annual billing
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS
CountriesUnited StatesCanada, United States
LanguagesNot publishedNot published
Number of integrations1029
CertificationsNot publishedNot published
Security practicesNot publishedHosted on AWS with encrypted communication, bank data encrypted at rest, annual penetration testing (no certification named)
FoundedNot published2015
HeadquartersUnited StatesArlington, United States
OwnerNot publishedNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

Named by both

  • Focus POS
  • Square
  • Tabit
  • Toast
  • TouchBistro

Named only by CooksTime

  • NCR Aloha
  • Future POS
  • Gordon Food Service
  • Stripe
  • US Foods

Named only by MarginEdge

  • 7shifts
  • AccountingEdge
  • Arryved
  • Breadcrumb
  • Clover
  • Comdata
  • Compeat
  • GoTab
  • HungerRush
  • Lightspeed
  • Microsoft Dynamic GP
  • Aloha
and 12 more
  • NetSuite
  • PAR POS
  • POSitouch
  • Intuit QuickBooks
  • Restaurant365
  • Revel Systems
  • Sage Intacct
  • Shift4
  • Shopify
  • Simphony
  • SpotOn
  • Xero

Which to choose

CooksTime

Choose CooksTime if you are in one of these groups: Bars and nightclubs; Full-service restaurants; Family-style and food-only restaurants.

MarginEdge

Choose MarginEdge if you are in one of these groups: Independent restaurants and multi-unit groups; Operators who want to stop keying in invoices; Multi-unit and commissary operations.

Weaker fit: Restaurants outside the U.S. and Canada, and Canadian operators who want bill pay: the pricing page says U.S. restaurants only for now, and the FAQ says bill pay is not offered to Canadian clients.

What we could not confirm

CooksTime

  • Founding year, headquarters, founders, funding and team size
  • What each connection does and whether QuickBooks or other accounting software is supported
  • Customer names
  • Interface languages and security certifications
  • Accuracy of the vendor's claim of up to 95% automated entries

MarginEdge

  • Investors in the Series D and Series B rounds
  • Android app availability
  • Interface languages
  • Formal security certifications (SOC 2, ISO 27001)
  • Full list of POS integrations (the vendor shows logos without names)
  • Onboarding package prices
  • Legal registration details

Go further

CooksTime profileMarginEdge profile

Other comparisons with these products

Sources

Facts on this page come from the pages below. Prices and features change, so confirm with each vendor before you buy.

CooksTime, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepage: positioning and planshttps://www.cookstime.com/
  2. Plan prices by venue type and termhttps://www.cookstime.com/pricing
  3. Partner logoshttps://www.cookstime.com/connections
  4. Inventory and costing featureshttps://www.cookstime.com/restaurantinventory
  5. Tip-out, petty cash, messaginghttps://www.cookstime.com/restaurantmanagement
  6. Scheduling and budgetinghttps://www.cookstime.com/restaurant-scheduling
  7. Franchise set-uphttps://www.cookstime.com/restaurant-franchisee-accounting
  8. Support contacthttps://www.cookstime.com/contact

MarginEdge, reviewed 29 September 2026

  1. Homepagehttps://www.marginedge.com/
  2. Pricing and FAQhttps://www.marginedge.com/pricing/
  3. Platform overviewhttps://www.marginedge.com/how-it-works
  4. Invoice processinghttps://www.marginedge.com/automated-invoice
  5. Bill pay and securityhttps://www.marginedge.com/bill-pay
  6. Cost managementhttps://www.marginedge.com/food-cost
  7. Inventory and orderinghttps://www.marginedge.com/inventory-management
  8. Recipeshttps://www.marginedge.com/menu-analysis
  9. Multi-unithttps://www.marginedge.com/for-multi-units
  10. Accountantshttps://www.marginedge.com/for-accountants
  11. AI featureshttps://www.marginedge.com/ai-for-restaurants
  12. Onboardinghttps://www.marginedge.com/onboarding-and-training
  13. POS integrationshttps://www.marginedge.com/pos-integration
  14. Accounting integrationshttps://www.marginedge.com/accounting-integration
  15. Story, client counthttps://www.marginedge.com/our-story/
  16. Foundershttps://www.marginedge.com/team
  17. Funding coveragehttps://www.marginedge.com/press
  18. iOS apphttps://apps.apple.com/us/app/marginedge/id1591999728
  19. HQ, founding year, sizehttps://www.linkedin.com/company/marginedge