How Much Does Tech on Toast Cost for Tech Partners and Operators?
Understand Tech on Toast pricing for both operators and tech partners, including marketplace listings, approved status, and retained partnerships.
Tech on Toast is free to browse for operators. Tech partners pay from £99/month for a basic marketplace listing, £1,000/month for Approved status, or £3,500/month for a Retained partnership.
Key Facts
In Detail
Tech on Toast operates a freemium model for hospitality operators - browsing the marketplace, using the tech health check tool, and accessing some content is free. The platform generates revenue from technology providers who pay for visibility and promotion through a tiered partner programme. The entry-level Marketplace tier costs £99 per month and includes a profile on the marketplace, quarterly analytics, and content channel advertising. The Approved Status tier at £1,000 per month (with a three-month minimum commitment) adds an industry validation badge, direct introductions to operators, inclusion in curated tech stacks and reviews, podcast and content opportunities, and newsletter and event promotion. The top-tier Retained Partnership at £3,500 per month (twelve-month minimum) includes everything above plus two custom events for 30 operators each, two video case studies, four yearly ads in "The Spread" (reaching 45,000 digital subscribers and 5,000 print venues), and two custom white papers. For context, Paddl - a complete compliance and operations platform - costs £69 per location per month with every feature included. Rather than paying a marketplace for visibility, the software itself delivers value directly to operators.
What Do Operators Get for Free?
Hospitality operators can browse the Tech on Toast marketplace, use the tech health check assessment tool, and access selected blog posts and podcast episodes without paying. The platform is designed to attract operators as an audience, which in turn makes the partner programme attractive to technology providers. Some events and webinars may also be free for operators to attend, though premium events and deeper engagement opportunities may be reserved for partner-sponsored activities.
What Do Tech Partners Pay For?
Technology providers pay for visibility, credibility signals, and access to Tech on Toast's operator audience. The Marketplace tier (£99/month) provides basic presence. The Approved Status tier (£1,000/month) adds significant promotional benefits including direct introductions - essentially warm leads from the community. The Retained tier (£3,500/month) is a full marketing partnership with events, case studies, and print advertising. Annually, a Retained Partnership costs £42,000 - a significant marketing investment that ultimately gets factored into the partner's own pricing.
How Does This Compare to Going Direct?
When evaluating hospitality technology, it's worth considering the cost of discovery versus the cost of the software itself. A marketplace helps you find options, but the software is what actually solves your problems. Paddl, for example, costs £69 per location per month and includes SFBB digital packs, AI-powered HACCP plans, allergen management, team training, equipment tracking, risk assessments, COSHH management, complaints handling, and an EHO preparation dashboard - all in one platform. You can start a free trial directly without needing a marketplace introduction, and there are no hidden modules or features locked behind higher tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tech on Toast worth the money for tech providers?
It depends on your marketing strategy. For providers targeting hospitality operators at scale, the audience of 65,000+ operators can be valuable. For niche compliance software, direct marketing and SEO may be more cost-effective than a marketplace listing.
Do operators pay anything to use Tech on Toast?
No. Browsing the marketplace and using basic tools like the tech health check is free for hospitality operators. The platform is funded by technology provider partnerships.
How much does hospitality compliance software cost?
Paddl costs £69 per location per month with all features included - SFBB, HACCP, allergens, training, equipment, risk assessments, COSHH, and more. There are no per-user fees, no hidden modules, and you can start with a free trial.
Simplify food safety compliance
Paddl automates temperature logs, HACCP plans, SFBB records, and more - so you always have the answer when an inspector asks.