A modern alternative to SmartLaunch.
Everything included for $7 per device a month. No local server to run, no separate installers to keep in sync, no setup fee.
No credit card, no setup fee
LANBear, all-in
$5.00 per device / month
LANBear Monthly plan
- No setup fee
- 30-day free trial
- Everything included: POS, F&B, reporting, multi-location
SmartLaunch, all-in
$15 per PC / month
- Plus a Startup Package setup fee. Not published on their pricing page, contact required.
- 4-week free trial
Pricing sourced from SmartLaunch's own public pricing page.
Sound familiar?
What operators run into with SmartLaunch.
Multi-center support is an afterthought
In SmartLaunch, a second location is a branch bolted onto one shared setup. In LANBear it's just the default. One owner account, any number of centers, one bill.
No native cloud features
No online booking. No way for a customer to check if a machine's free without walking in. Both come standard in LANBear.
Still running on .NET Framework 4.7.2
SmartLaunch still runs on .NET Framework 4.7.2, released in 2018. LANBear runs on current .NET, and the dashboard opens in a browser on any device, not just the PC at the counter.
Reporting needs a separate download
Crystal Reports isn't bundled. You download it yourself from SmartLaunch's file server before your first report will even run. Reporting is just built into LANBear.
15 years of bolted-on features
SmartLaunch's employee-permission system ran out of room, and needed a second field bolted on just to keep adding rights. LANBear hasn't had 15 years to build up that kind of scar tissue.
Pricing setup has its own learning curve
To charge a simple hourly rate, you're configuring periods, fixed-price blocks, offers, and a discount priority order. In LANBear, it's one number, per device.
Under the hood
Two different generations of software.
Hosting
A server you run yourself, usually with a local MySQL or SQLite database you're responsible for backing up and keeping online.
Cloud SaaS. Nothing to host or patch, and it's reachable from any browser.
Install footprint
Three separate installers, Server, Admin, and Client, to deploy and keep in sync across every PC.
The Agent on every PC, and Vault (one installer with a role picker) if you want shared game delivery.