As listed on shiftos.app in October 2026, Multitap costs less than ShiftOS Operate plus Launch at every sim count. For 6 sims it is $210 vs $350 per month; for 10 sims, $325 vs $450; for 20 sims, $325 vs $700. ShiftOS includes booking and payments, so the services are different.
As listed in October 2026, ShiftOS pricing is $200 per venue per month for required Operate, plus $25 per sim per month for Launch. Operate includes booking, payments, memberships, waivers and kiosk. Service is month to month. Launch is listed for Assetto Corsa. The pricing page offers a demo; it does not list a free trial.
Sim racing venue software is almost always priced per sim, per month. That makes a per-sim rate look straightforward on a quote sheet. But you don't run one sim. You run six, eight, ten. Multiply the per-sim number across your floor and across twelve months, and the difference between platforms turns into real money: the kind that buys another rig, a marketing budget, or a part-time staffer.
In this guide we break down what the leading options actually cost in 2026. We use ShiftOS (the platform made by California-based Shift Arcade, which runs its own sim racing venues) and Multitap as the two reference points, and we work through the costs so you can decide what you're really paying for.
The Headline Numbers
Here's where the two platforms land on price. Both are legitimate, both are US-based, and both have real customers. The question isn't who's cheaper for the sake of it. It's what each dollar buys.
| Multitap | ShiftOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Per sim / month (cloud subscription) | $35 per sim, per month. Running 10 or more sims? $325 a month covers your whole venue. | $200 per venue + $25 per sim/month |
| Discounts | $325 a month for the whole venue with 10 or more sims | Annual term: pay 10 months (2 free, ~17% off) |
| Deployment | ✓ Multitap Cloud, available now | Hosted service |
ShiftOS Operate plus Launch costs $350/month for 6 sims, $450 for 10 sims and $700 for 20 sims. Its booking and payments bundle is part of those totals.
What ShiftOS Includes
This is the honest part: ShiftOS is not overpriced for what it is. It's a full front-desk bundle with booking, payments, memberships, waivers and kiosk. Out of the box it includes bookings, payments, kiosk check-in, race control, memberships, leagues, leaderboards and subscriptions, with a CRM available as the optional Engage module ($100 per venue per month as listed in October 2026).
If you're opening a brand-new venue with no existing systems, that all-in-one bundle is genuinely convenient: one login for the whole operation. For a group running several standardized locations, it makes a lot of sense.
The Catch for Independents
Most independent sim racing venues are not starting from zero. They already take payments through Square, Stripe, or a card reader they're comfortable with. They already have a booking flow, a way to check people in, and a customer list. So a chunk of that $200 per venue + $25 per sim/month is paying again for capabilities you've already covered.
That's the core trade-off. A bundled front-desk platform charges you for the whole stack whether or not you use all of it. Here's how the two approaches line up on what's actually included:
| Capability | Multitap | ShiftOS |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings | ~ Planned for late October 2026 | ✓ Yes |
| Payments | ~ Use your own (Square, etc.) | ✓ Built in |
| Kiosk check-in | ✗ Not included | ✓ Yes |
| Memberships / gift cards | ✗ Not included | ✓ Yes |
| Leagues & leaderboards | ✓ VenueLaps global leaderboards and leagues | ✓ Yes |
| Marketing automation | ✓ Auto email on every lap | Check current modules with ShiftOS |
| Discord bot | ✓ Full bot | Check current modules with ShiftOS |
| Traffic dodging | ✓ Yes | Check current modules with ShiftOS |
Be clear-eyed here: Multitap does not include payments, kiosk check-in, memberships, or gift cards. If you need a single system to run all of those, ShiftOS gives you that and the price reflects it. But if you already have those bases covered (and most independents do), Multitap spends the price difference somewhere else entirely: on a retention engine.
Paying Twice vs. Paying for Growth
The features that grow a sim racing venue's revenue are the ones that get people to come back. Multitap leans hard into that: an automated email fires on every lap, lap-record challenges nudge drivers to return and reclaim their time, traffic dodging keeps beginners from getting frustrated, a Discord bot keeps your community engaged between visits, and VenueLaps global leaderboards give regulars something to chase.
ShiftOS does include leagues and leaderboards too. It's not only a front desk. The difference is emphasis. One platform's premium goes toward front-desk completeness; the other's savings free up budget that you can point at retention.
The ROI Math (Illustrative, Your Numbers Will Vary)
An 8-sim comparison. ShiftOS Operate plus Launch is $400/month. Multitap is $280/month, saving $120/month or $1,440/year for 8 sims. Optional services change the total.
The earn-back. Assume a $50 average session. If automated marketing (the auto-email-on-every-lap and lap-record challenges) brings back just 3 to 4 extra customers a month, that's $150 to $200 in revenue you weren't capturing. Across a year that's $1,800 to $2,400, which on its own offsets part of the subscription cost; compare it with your own monthly total.
These are illustrative assumptions to show how the math works, not a guarantee of results. Plug in your own session price, sim count, and repeat-visit rate.
See the Retention Engine in Action
Run the live self-serve demo, or explore the product guide to see auto-email-on-every-lap, lap-record challenges, and VenueLaps leaderboards for yourself.
Open the Live Demo →What About Trailers and Events?
Multitap Cloud is the product for venues, and it's available now. If you run a mobile sim racing trailer or race events where there's no reliable internet, Multitap is also building Multitap Event, an offline, LAN-only edition made to make events pop without an internet connection. It's coming soon, and it leaves out the online pieces like bookings, leagues, Discord, email and VenueLaps global leaderboards. If that's your setup, send an inquiry.
How to Read Any Per-Sim Quote
Whatever platform you're evaluating, run the same checklist before you sign:
- Multiply the per-sim rate by your actual sim count, then by 12. That's the real annual number, not the sticker.
- List the features you already pay for elsewhere (POS, bookings, check-in). Subtract their value. That's the part of the bundle you'd be double-paying.
- Ask what's truly included vs. what's an add-on or higher tier.
- Check for setup fees and what the annual commitment actually discounts to.
- Ask what the rate becomes after any intro period ends, so you budget for the real long-term number.
- Separate "front-desk completeness" features from "revenue growth" features, and decide which you actually need more of.
The Bottom Line
ShiftOS at $200 per venue + $25 per sim/month is a fair price for a complete front-desk bundle, if you need all of it. For a multi-location group or a brand-new venue with no existing systems, that convenience is worth paying for.
But most independent venues already have a POS and a booking flow. For them, ShiftOS's premium pays largely for capabilities they've already covered. Multitap works alongside your payment stack and focuses on rig management and driver retention: marketing automation, global leaderboards and leagues.
Run the numbers on your own sim count. Then run the live demo and see what the savings are actually buying.