Free Venue Software: Where Is the Catch?

The short answer: when software costs nothing to subscribe to, look in three places: the card rate on every online payment, the extras you will need later, and what it takes to leave. None of that is wrong if it is clear. Get the card rate, the price list for extras and the exit terms in writing before you move a single customer across.

This article is published by PLAI, which charges businesses no subscription. We answer the same questions about PLAI below.

Where the catch usually hides

A vendor has to pay for its servers, its support and its team. If you are not paying a subscription, look at these:

The card rate. No software makes card payments free: the card networks and the payment provider charge on every online payment. The question is who sets your rate, and how far it sits above the provider's own.
Paid extras: a branded app, SMS, integrations, hardware, premium support.
A trial, after which the subscription starts. Playtomic Manager, for example, states that its first two weeks are free before its paid plans (source: Playtomic Manager help: pricing and subscription plans, read 4 November 2026).
The exit: a contract, a notice period, or a customer list you cannot take with you.
The marketplace: the vendor brings players and members to you, and sometimes shows them other businesses too.

Check who sets your card rate

Many booking tools take card payments through Stripe Connect, which links your business to the software's own Stripe platform. How that link is set up decides who sets your rate:

With a Standard account, Stripe bills you its published rate (in France, from 1.5% + €0.25 per standard European card) and the software pays Stripe nothing extra.
With an Express or Custom account, the software sets your card rate, and pays Stripe €2 per active account a month plus a fee on each payout.

Sources: Stripe Connect pricing for France and Stripe pricing for France, both read 4 November 2026. Neither set-up is a catch in itself, but with Express or Custom the rate is the software's to choose, so ask for it in writing and compare it with the provider's own published rate.

Seven questions to ask

Tick them off as you get each answer in writing:

What do I pay each month, and from when? A trial or a "free" starter plan is not the same as free.
What is the card rate on each online payment, and who is the payment provider?
Who sets that rate: the payment provider or the software? If it is Stripe, ask whether your account is Standard or Express.
What happens to each fee on a refund? Card providers rarely give their fee back.
What is extra? App, messages, door access, hardware, onboarding.
Is there a contract or a notice period?
Can I take my customers and history with me if I leave?

PLAI's answers

PLAI's line is "Pay nothing. Get everything." Here is what is behind it:

Monthly cost: €0 subscription and €0 setup.
Card fees: about three times lower than Stripe's standard rate in France of 1.5% + €0.25 per standard European card (source: Stripe pricing for France, read 4 November 2026).
Refunds: your cancellation policy decides how much players and members get back.
Extras: none to buy. Booking, packs and memberships, privileges, split bills, tournaments, the till, messages and the app for players and members are all included.
Contract: none.
Players and members: your business has a public page on plai.live and a place in the PLAI app, where players and members find courts, classes and open games near them.

See plai.live/business.

When free is the right choice

A model with no subscription suits a business at every stage, starting, seasonal or growing: in a quiet month there is no fixed fee to cover, and in a busy one there is no plan to upgrade. Our article How much does venue management software cost? works through the numbers, and Best padel club booking software in 2026 compares seven tools with their published prices.

FAQ

Is PLAI really free for businesses?

There is no subscription, setup fee or contract. Card fees are about three times lower than Stripe's standard rate in France of 1.5% + €0.25 per standard European card (source: Stripe pricing for France, read 4 November 2026).

What is the difference between a Stripe Standard and an Express account?

With a Standard account, Stripe bills you its published rate and the software pays Stripe nothing extra. With an Express account, the software sets your card rate and pays Stripe €2 per active account a month plus a fee on each payout (source: Stripe Connect pricing for France, read 4 November 2026).

Do card fees come back when I refund a booking?

Not with Stripe: its processing fee is not refunded (source: Stripe pricing for France, read 4 November 2026). Ask your vendor about its own fees too.

Where do players and members book my venue on PLAI?

In the PLAI app, on iPhone, Android and the web, and on your own page on plai.live.

Sources

Playtomic Manager help: pricing and subscription plans, read 4 November 2026
Stripe pricing for France, read 4 November 2026
Stripe Connect pricing for France, read 4 November 2026