CooksTime vs MarginEdge vs Shoebooks

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. Shoebooks is an Australian bookkeeping and payroll service that also sells its own cloud accounting software as a stand-alone product. All three are listed under Restaurant Accounting & Bookkeeping. They differ in price, audience and platforms.

Key differences

  • price

    The vendors price on different terms. CooksTime at USD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscription; MarginEdge at USD 350 per location per month; Shoebooks at $39 (currency not stated) per month. The amounts cannot be compared directly.

  • audience

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

  • platforms

    They do not run on the same platforms. CooksTime: Web, iOS, Android; MarginEdge: Web, iOS; Shoebooks: Web.

  • countries covered

    CooksTime names 1 country, MarginEdge names 2 countries and Shoebooks names 1 country. No country appears in every list.

  • company background

    Headquarters: CooksTime, United States; MarginEdge, Arlington, United States; Shoebooks, Richmond, Victoria, Australia.

Side by side

CooksTime vs MarginEdge vs Shoebooks: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldCooksTimeMarginEdgeShoebooks
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.Shoebooks is an Australian bookkeeping and payroll service that also sells its own cloud accounting software as a stand-alone product.
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 restaurantsRestaurants, pubs, clubs and nightclubs in Australia; Venues with several divisions or cost centres
Pricing modelSubscription per locationSubscription per locationSubscription (software) plus hourly services
Starting priceUSD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscriptionUSD 350 per location per month$39 (currency not stated) per month
Free planNot publishedNot publishedNo
Free trialYesNot publishedYes
ContractMonthly, quarterly or annual termsNone on monthly billing; 12 months on annual billingNot published
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOSWeb
CountriesUnited StatesCanada, United StatesAustralia
LanguagesNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Number of integrations1029Not published
CertificationsNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Security practicesNot publishedHosted on AWS with encrypted communication, bank data encrypted at rest, annual penetration testing (no certification named)Data hosted in Australia with frequent backups
FoundedNot published20152002
HeadquartersUnited StatesArlington, United StatesRichmond, Victoria, Australia
OwnerNot publishedNot publishedNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

No partner appears in every list.

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

Named only by Shoebooks

Shoebooks does not name any integrations in the material we reviewed.

Which to choose

CooksTime

Choose CooksTime if your business matches one of the audiences it is listed for: Bars and nightclubs; Full-service restaurants; Family-style and food-only restaurants.

MarginEdge

Choose MarginEdge if you fit its listed audience: Independent restaurants and multi-unit groups; Operators who want to stop keying in invoices; Multi-unit and commissary operations.

Our profile lists a 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.

Shoebooks

Choose Shoebooks if you fit its listed audience: Restaurants, pubs, clubs and nightclubs in Australia; Venues with several divisions or cost centres.

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

Shoebooks

  • Named integrations (none listed on the site)
  • Mobile apps and hardware requirements
  • Security certifications
  • Employee count and funding
  • Interface languages

Go further

CooksTime profileMarginEdge profileShoebooks 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