Apicbase vs MarketMan (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Apicbase if

• Fits if you run five or more outlets and want recipes and counts in one place
• Works for caterers and hotels that cost food by recipe

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you run one restaurant, since plans start at 5 outlets
• Skip it if you want a price on the page, as none is published
• Watch out: forecasting, BOM ordering and SSO come only with Professional or above
• Watch out: HACCP, traceability and production planning cost extra

Pick MarketMan if

• Fits if you run a restaurant and want recipe costs tied to ordering
• Works for kitchens on Toast, Square or Lightspeed

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you run one small site, as the cheapest plan is $249 a month
• Skip it if you want to try free, since no trial or free plan is listed
• Watch out: API access is Enterprise only, or $25 to $199 a month on other plans
• Watch out: a commissary add-on costs $499 or $749 a month
• Not for you if you are outside the US, Canada and the UK and need vendor EDI

Apicbase

• No prices are published; every plan is quoted through the sales team.
• The Growth plan starts at 5 outlets, so single-site restaurants are not the target.
• Demand forecasting, BOM ordering and SSO come only with Professional or above.
• HACCP, traceability and production planning cost extra as add-ons.

MarketMan

• The pricing page does not state a billing basis or whether prices are per location.
• API access is Enterprise only, or a paid add-on on other plans: $25 a month for 1 to 3 locations, up to $199 for 31 or more.
• A commissary add-on costs $499 a month for a kitchen supplying your own units, or $749 a month for one selling to outside businesses.
• Vendor EDI integrations work in the US, Canada and the UK only.

Apicbase

Stock counts and waste logs

Count stock per site, log food waste and see stock levels, values and movements across every location.

Barcode scanning

The mobile app scans barcodes for counts and for taking in orders. The plan comparison lists both as plan features.

Order to par and forecasts

Reorder suggestions to par levels or to a forecast, creating one purchase order per supplier.

Theoretical vs actual food cost

Compares the cost a recipe predicts with the cost your stock movements show, by site, recipe and menu.

Sub-recipes and batch prep

Prep batches deduct raw ingredients and log the finished batch back into stock.

Add-on modules

HACCP and tasks, internal ordering, production planning, traceability, menu planning and carbon tracking are sold as add-ons.

MarketMan

Counts and transfers

Counts on-hand inventory and tracks movement between locations on every plan.

Recipe costing

Costs each dish in real time and tracks changes over time; a digital cookbook holds recipes and allergens.

Invoice scanning

Reads invoices from a photo or upload: 50 scans a month on Starter and unlimited on Growth and Enterprise.

Ordering and vendor EDI

Smart ordering and order by recipe on Growth and above, with vendor EDI integrations limited to the US, Canada and UK.

POS and accounting links

Sends POS sales to MarketMan for actual vs theoretical variance and syncs invoices with accounting software.

Apicbase

Pricing could not be confirmed. See get.apicbase.com.

MarketMan

• Starter$249

  per month, billing basis not stated

  Recipe costing, actual vs theoretical reporting, waste management, 1 vendor EDI integration and 50 AI invoice scans a month.

• Growth$299

  per month, billing basis not stated

  Adds smart ordering, order by recipe, AI recipe suggestions, 2 vendor EDI integrations and unlimited invoice scanning.

• Enterprise$449

  per month and up, billing basis not stated

  Adds email invoice scanning, advanced reports, unlimited vendor EDI integrations and read-only API access with 5,000 calls a month.