Should you buy or subscribe to a kitchen labelling machine?
There are two main ways to pay for kitchen labelling: hand over a lump sum and own the hardware, or pay monthly and essentially rent the device. Most operators default to the first because it feels cheaper, but that isn’t necessarily always the case.
Labl.it is subscription only, there's no option to buy a device outright. We’ve put together this article to talk about the differences between the two options, explain why we use a subscription model, and give you enough information to judge for yourself what works best for your business.
What you're actually comparing
A purchase looks like one number - nice and simple, right? That’s rarely the case.
Buying hardware means the device up front, plus some combination of software licence, annual maintenance, consumables and repairs. A subscription covers a different set of those: with Labl.it specifically, the device, regular updates, most technical repairs and support are covered by the monthly fee, while labels are bought separately and accidental damage repairs are chargeable.
Both models have costs sitting outside the headline figure. The comparison worth doing is total cost across the life of the equipment, and what happens when something breaks.
Five things a purchase price leaves out
Repairs
A commercial kitchen is chaotic: heat, water, grease and teams rushing in and out. Equipment fails in commercial kitchens faster than it does anywhere else. When you own the device, the entire repair bill and arranging repairs and replacements are your responsibility. Under a subscription, ongoing cover is part of the arrangement. With Labl.it, warranty cover is infinite*, running for as long as the subscription is active.
Being without a device
More expensive than the repair itself. A kitchen with no working labelling system either stops labelling or reverts to pen and paper mid-week, and both of these outcomes will create gaps in your records. Labl.it operates a 24-hour hot-swap, so a replacement device reaches you the next working day. If you own the hardware, the length of that gap depends on your supplier's repair queue.
The spare you'll end up buying
Operators who own devices usually buy a backup after their first outage. That's a second purchase nobody budgets for at the point of sale.
Software that stops moving
Owned hardware tends to freeze at the version you bought. Labl.it ships updates and new features monthly, and they arrive on every device in every kitchen. Over a five-year horizon that gap widens considerably, and it’s nice to know you’re using the best version of the software whether you joined Labl.it at the start or you signed up last week.
Regulatory change
Requirements move. Natasha's Law arrived in October 2021 and changed what a compliant PPDS label had to carry. A device bought before a big regulatory change like that is only as useful as its manufacturer's willingness to keep supporting it.
Where buying makes sense
Not every operation should subscribe, and it's worth being clear about that.
Buying tends to suit businesses with predictable, unchanging requirements, low equipment turnover, capital sitting available, and no particular need for the software to develop or improve. If you label a small number of items in a low-pressure environment where it is unlikely to be broken or damaged, your compliance obligations are stable, ownership is reasonable and you'll likely keep the device for a long time, buying makes sense for you.
There's also an accounting dimension. Capital purchases and operating expenses are treated differently, and which suits you depends on your position. That's a conversation for your accountant, but it definitely belongs in the decision.
When it comes to hospitality and commercial kitchens, those conditions rarely all hold at once. Requirements shift when menus change or regulations move. Equipment gets dropped, splashed or left near a hot pass. And "low-pressure environment" isn't a phrase many head chefs would use about a Saturday service.
The five-year sum
Concrete numbers, so you can see for yourself the value.
Labl.it is £34 per month on a rolling monthly plan, or £28 per month on the annual plan, excluding VAT. That's per device rather than per site, so a kitchen running two devices pays for two. At the annual rate, that works out at about 92p a day across the five years.
That figure includes the device, infinite warranty*, monthly software updates, new features, the 24-hour hot-swap, and UK-based support.
Labels are separate under either model, since every system needs consumables. Labl.it labels are £5.41 per 500, cheaper per label than the leading industry equivalent**. When you consider bulk discounts and always free delivery, it is clear that Labl.it is the cheapest option for labels.
When you set that against a purchase, count the whole picture: the hardware, any software or maintenance fee, five years of repairs, the spare device, and the cost of the days a broken machine leaves you unable to label.
Lock-in is the fair objection
The reasonable worry about subscriptions is being trapped in one. So here are the terms plainly.
Labl.it has no mandatory long-term contract. Cancellation takes effect at your renewal date: the end of your current month on a monthly plan, or the end of the paid year on an annual plan. The annual plan is cheaper because you're committing for twelve months, saving you £72 across the year.
Before any of that, there's a 14-day free trial with free delivery and returns and five label rolls included, so you can try the device without making any sort of commitment to a subscription.
Larger estates are handled separately. Enterprise and bulk pricing is arranged through our Enterprise Account Executive rather than the published rates.
What the monthly figure is really buying
The device is the least interesting part of a subscription. What the fee covers is everything that surrounds it: cover that doesn't expire while you're subscribed, a replacement device arriving the next working day, software that keeps developing, and UK-based support on the phone during office hours with live chat outside them.
None of that can be bought retrospectively. A device purchased outright three years ago is exactly as capable today as it was then (translation: it’s outdated), and every problem it develops is yours to solve.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Labl.it cost?
£34 per month on a rolling monthly plan or £28 per month on the annual plan, excluding VAT. Pricing is per device. Labels are charged separately at £1.95 exc VAT per label roll, always with free delivery.
Can I buy a Labl.it device outright?
No. Labl.it is subscription only. The device is included in the monthly cost rather than sold separately.
Is buying a label printer cheaper than subscribing?
On the purchase price alone it can look that way. Across five years the comparison usually narrows or reverses once repairs, replacement devices, software maintenance and downtime are counted.
Am I tied into a long contract?
No. There's no mandatory long-term contract. Cancellation applies from your renewal date, meaning the end of the current month on a monthly plan or the end of the paid year on an annual plan.
Is the device covered if it stops working?
Warranty cover applies for as long as your subscription is active, and a 24-hour hot-swap means a replacement arrives the next working day. Full terms are set out on our pricing page.
Do I pay per site or per device?
Per device. A site running two devices pays for two. Enterprise and bulk pricing is available for larger estates.
What happens if I want to stop?
You cancel at your renewal date and return the device. On a rolling monthly plan that's the end of your current month.
Fourteen days, no purchase
The strongest argument for subscription is that you can test it without buying anything, which is not true of the alternative.
Labl.it comes with a 14-day free trial, including free delivery and returns and five free label rolls to get you started. Use it through a normal week. If it doesn't suit your kitchen, send it back in the prepaid box.
*Warranty excludes accidental damage repairs and loss. Infinite warranty requires active Labl.it subscription.
**Nisbets 500x Labels £6.99, Labl.it 500x Labels £5.41.
