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

Key differences

  • price

    On price, CooksTime at USD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscription; Shoebooks at $39 (currency not stated) per month. These figures are not directly comparable because the currency or billing basis is not the same.

  • audience

    Audience differs between the profiles. Listed by one product alone: CooksTime: Bars and nightclubs; Shoebooks: Restaurants, pubs, clubs and nightclubs in Australia.

  • platforms

    Platform support differs. CooksTime: Web, iOS, Android; Shoebooks: Web.

  • countries covered

    Country coverage differs. CooksTime names 1 country and Shoebooks names 1 country. No country appears in every list.

  • company background

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

Side by side

CooksTime vs Shoebooks: side-by-side comparison from published vendor information
FieldCooksTimeShoebooks
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.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 franchisorsRestaurants, pubs, clubs and nightclubs in Australia; Venues with several divisions or cost centres
Pricing modelSubscription per locationSubscription (software) plus hourly services
Starting priceUSD 149 per month, billed monthly on an annual subscription$39 (currency not stated) per month
Free planNot publishedNo
Free trialYesYes
ContractMonthly, quarterly or annual termsNot published
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
CountriesUnited StatesAustralia
LanguagesNot publishedNot published
Number of integrations10Not published
CertificationsNot publishedNot published
Security practicesNot publishedData hosted in Australia with frequent backups
FoundedNot published2002
HeadquartersUnited StatesRichmond, Victoria, Australia
OwnerNot publishedNot published
Last reviewed29 September 202629 September 2026

Integrations

No partner appears in every list.

Named only by CooksTime

  • NCR Aloha
  • Focus POS
  • Future POS
  • Gordon Food Service
  • Square
  • Stripe
  • Tabit
  • Toast
  • TouchBistro
  • US Foods

Named only by Shoebooks

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

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.

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

Shoebooks

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

Go further

CooksTime 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