Charging software is rarely priced as one number. Platforms charge by shape — per port, per site per month, per session, or as a share of the revenue the charger takes — and the same platform can cost a growing network very differently under each shape. No fee amount appears here — amounts live in each platform’s current pricing document; what this piece compares is what each shape does as ports, sites and sessions grow. EVDANCE operates no platform; it sells the hardware the platform runs.
Key Takeaways
- Software is priced by shape — per port, per site, per session, or revenue share — and the shapes cross over as you grow.
- Cost each shape on your own port counts and session records; no published benchmark price exists.
- Pin the lines around the fee: payment processing, onboarding and exit, escalation, feature tiers.
- Fees presume a working pairing: a stated OCPP version is evidence; “OCPP-ready” is a question to close in writing.
The Four Shapes, Compared
| Fee shape | How the cost behaves | The contract line to pin down |
|---|---|---|
| Per port, per month | Grows with every connector you add, whether or not it is used; a seasonal or idle port bills all year | What counts as a port — a dual-connector station is two connectors on one unit — and when billing starts for a new port |
| Per site, per month (flat) | Predictable while the site stays inside its tier; adding ports is free until the tier ceiling, then the price steps | The tier limits — ports, sites, features — and the price of the next tier, stated now, not at renewal |
| Per session | Tracks usage: quiet months cost little, busy months cost more; forecast from your own session counts, not the platform’s examples | What counts as a session, minimum monthly charges, and whether failed or guest sessions bill |
| Share of session revenue | Scales with income rather than hardware; the platform’s cut applies to the tariff you set, so it interacts with your pricing | The percentage’s base — gross or net of payment processing and taxes — and who carries refunds and chargebacks |
Run each shape against your own numbers first: ports today and in two years, sessions per port in peak and off-season months. A shape that is cheapest at ten quiet ports can be the most expensive at fifty busy ones, and the crossover is arithmetic on your records — not a property of the platform. How commercial charging stations work sets out where the platform sits between the charger, the driver and the money.
The Lines Around the Fee
- Payment processing. Card and app payment costs may sit inside the platform fee or on top of it. Ask which, and against contactless duties where they apply — U.S. NEVI-funded stations, for example, must accept contactless payment with no membership required.
- Onboarding and re-pointing. Connecting existing chargers, and moving them to another platform later, may be charged per unit. The exit export of your session history belongs in the same clause.
- Escalation. Whether the fee can rise inside the term, by how much notice, and what your remedy is — the line that decides a three-year cost from a one-year quote.
- Feature tiers. Reporting depth, roaming access and driver-app branding often sit in higher tiers; price the tier your operation actually uses.
The Hardware Side of a Fee Decision
Fees only attach where a platform can actually run the charger. EVDANCE’s EV-AC03201T station and EV-RHDC30K-L DC charger state OCPP 1.6J — a named version a platform can confirm support for. The EV-ACS3210E states “OCPP-ready”: before a fee plan assumes that model, close the version and a tested pairing in writing, as the OCPP explainer sets out. EVDANCE charges no subscription of its own and its 3-year standard warranty covers the hardware, not any platform service. Pairing questions run through our commercial charging page or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should charging software cost per port?
There is no sourced standard figure, and any quoted “typical” per-port price is a sales number, not a benchmark. Read the platform’s current pricing document, then cost each shape against your own port and session counts — the comparison, not the headline, is the answer.
Is payment processing included in the platform fee?
Only if the contract says so. Processing may be bundled, passed through at cost, or marked up — three different totals under the same headline fee. Pin it as a written line before comparing platforms.
Can the fee change during the contract?
That is decided by the escalation clause: whether rises are allowed inside the term, the notice required, and whether you may leave if they land. A low first-year fee with an open escalation clause is not a low fee.
Related Reading
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
- RFID and User Management for Shared EV Chargers
