Why Pro plans skip the payment take-rate

Most landscaping CRMs add a small percentage to every payment processed through their platform. They call it a "platform fee." On PoweredQuip's Classic Pro and AI Pro plans, we don't charge one. Here's the math on what that's worth — and why Starter is the exception.

A 3-truck operation, doing the math

Three trucks, weekly mows from April through October at $65 per stop, plus seasonal cleanups in spring and fall. A typical 3-truck operation processes somewhere around $380,000 a year through their CRM.

A 0.75% platform fee on $380,000 is $2,850 per year. That's a mid-tier mower replacement. Or two months of insurance. Or the margin on every single estimate you wrote in October.

On Classic Pro, that $2,850 stays in your account. You pay $35/mo or $299/year for the subscription, and standard Stripe rates (2.9% + 30¢) on payments — that's it. No platform skim on top.

So why does Starter charge 0.5%?

Starter is built for very small operations — think $20,000 a year in payments, 25 clients or fewer, solo or side-hustle. At $49 a year (about $4 a month), the subscription alone doesn't cover what we spend keeping the platform running for an active operator. The 0.5% take-rate on payments is how Starter stays sustainable at that price point.

For a $20,000/year solo operator, 0.5% is $100. Add the $49 subscription and you're at $149 a year, all-in. The math breakeven against Classic Pro happens around $50,000/year in payments — past that, Pro ($299/year) is the cheaper plan and removes the 0.5% entirely. Most operators feel the upgrade coming naturally as their book grows.

Why the line is drawn here

Solo landscapers and small crews already operate on margins that get eaten by every "small fee." We could squeeze more revenue out of an across-the-board take-rate. We chose not to, because the operators who scale past Starter are the ones who feel a percentage skim the most — and they're who Pro is built for.

On Pro, what you charge a customer is what hits your bank account, minus standard Stripe fees. On Starter, there's a 0.5% line item, plainly listed. No skim hidden in the fine print either way.