Solink pricing: how much does Solink really cost in 2026

Solink pricing: how much does Solink really cost in 2026

Solink prices its cloud video security platform per location, per month, rather than per camera, and third-party software marketplaces list a starting figure of about $175 per month per location. That starting number is not a full quote. Solink's own pricing page is a request form, so the complete price for a real fleet, with your camera count, retention, and integrations, is set by sales and is not published.

For a retail or convenience operator, the honest answer to "how much does Solink cost" is a model plus a range of unknowns, not a sticker. This guide separates what is documented from what is not publicly specified, shows the factors that move a Solink quote, flags the indirect costs that a demo rarely surfaces, and frames the comparison most buyers are really running. Getting the number right matters because retail shrink reached $112.1 billion in 2022 at an average rate of 1.6% of sales, so the tools that address it are judged hard on cost (Source: National Retail Federation).

The table below sets the two cost models side by side so you can see where each vendor's number comes from before reading the detail. Competitor cells reflect only what Solink documents; anything Solink does not publish is marked as not publicly specified.

What Solink costs in 2026: the short answer

Solink sells a subscription to a hybrid video platform: an on-site recording appliance, the Solink Recording Device, records locally and streams video securely to the cloud, where footage is tied to point-of-sale transactions for exception-based review. The billing unit is the location, charged monthly, with no separate per-camera license.

The only public dollar figure is a starting price of roughly $175 per month per location, published on third-party software marketplaces rather than by Solink itself. Treat it as a floor for a small, single-site setup, not as the price you will pay across a chain. Full list pricing, tier names, per-site ceilings, and add-on rates are not publicly specified; Solink directs buyers to a custom quote. That is normal for this category, and it is exactly why the model and the cost factors matter more than any single number.

How Solink's per-location pricing model works

Because Solink bills per location, your fleet size is the main multiplier. A ten-store convenience chain is priced on ten locations, and adding a camera inside a store does not add a license line the way it would on a per-camera platform. That keeps a single site's cost predictable, and it can favor sites that run many cameras.

Per Solink's own messaging, a subscription typically bundles four things into the per-location fee:

1. The on-site recording appliance that stores video locally and backs it up to the cloud.
2. Software licensing for the cloud platform and its exception-reporting tools.
3. Product upgrades over the life of the subscription.
4. Support, including 24/7 coverage and a dedicated Customer Success Manager.

On contract terms, Solink documents two paths: month-to-month with no cancellation fees, or a longer multi-year agreement. It also offers fixed 30, 60, and 90-day pilots so a buyer can validate impact before committing. The depth of any multi-year discount, and whether a public self-serve free trial exists, are not publicly specified, so confirm both in writing.

The cost factors that move a Solink quote

Six variables do most of the work in turning the starting figure into your real number. The table shows each factor, why it matters, and whether Solink documents it.

The costs that rarely show up in a Solink quote

The quote covers the platform. The total cost of running it includes several line items that live outside the subscription and that buyers routinely underestimate. None of these are unique to Solink; they apply to most cloud video platforms, so weigh them for every option on your list.

1. Bandwidth. A cloud-first design streams video off-site, so stores with thin or metered connections may need network upgrades to keep footage flowing reliably.
2. Retention creep. Case work, disputes, and compliance push retention windows longer, and longer retention means more storage cost over time.
3. Add-on modules. Extra analytics, alarm features, or integrations can extend the base scope, and their pricing is not publicly specified.
4. Your own cameras. You already own and keep maintaining the cameras Solink connects to, including the cost to repair, upgrade, or replace failing units.
5. Internal labor. Building a prosecutable case from clips and transaction exceptions still takes staff time, which is a real cost even when the software speeds it up.
6. Contract lock-in. A multi-year term can lower the rate, but it also fixes your spend before your store count or camera mix changes.

What buyers actually compare Solink against

Most operators evaluating Solink are also weighing a per-camera video AI subscription, and the comparison is only fair when the scope matches. Solink's core strength is video paired with POS exception reporting, anchored to transaction events at the register. That is a strong fit for register fraud in a single-format store. The question for a growing operator is whether the same spend also buys outdoor coverage, real-time action, and unified case work across the whole property.

This is where a per-camera model like Spot AI frames the math differently. Spot AI is camera-agnostic and works with the cameras you already own, so the subscription covers the IVR and software rather than a rip-and-replace. Its AI Security Guard runs a Detect, Secure, Deter flow: agents detect events in context, trigger protective actions, and deter in real time with active deterrence such as strobes and natural-conversation talkdown, then hand back case-ready, timestamped evidence. Because Spot AI ties video to point-of-sale data as well, exception review and register cases sit in the same system. For a full side-by-side, see Spot AI compared with Solink and the deeper look at retail POS and video integration.

The reason scope matters shows up in results. Internal and external theft together account for nearly two-thirds of retailers' shrink, so a platform that only reviews the till after the fact leaves the lot, the aisles, and the back room out of the picture (Source: National Retail Federation). All Star Elite, a retailer running 80 sports apparel stores, moved case work and shrink onto one platform and reported cutting cash shrink from about 6% to about 1%, cutting merchandise shrink from a 10 to 15% range to about 6%, and improving investigation efficiency by more than 50%, results the company attributes to unifying cameras, cases, and analytics.

"When you consider the financial impact of the losses we've prevented, we're saving the company money with Spot AI."

Timothy Divers, Director of IT, Tidewater Fleet Supply

Those figures are customer-reported, not a guarantee, and your outcome depends on your stores and how you use the tools. The point for a pricing decision is that comparing only the monthly rate hides the difference in what each rate buys.

How to evaluate and negotiate a video security quote

You can turn an opaque quote into a comparable one with a short, disciplined ask. Bring the same checklist to every vendor so the numbers line up.

1. Ask for the price modeled on your actual location list, with camera counts per site, not a single sample store.
2. Get retention length and any bandwidth requirements in writing, since both drive cost and neither is usually in the headline rate.
3. List every add-on and integration you need, including POS exception reporting, and confirm which are in the base fee and which are extra.
4. Run a pilot with success criteria agreed up front, and use Solink's 30, 60, or 90-day pilot windows to test on your own stores.
5. Compare total cost across the same coverage, indoor and outdoor, and the same case workflow, rather than comparing a per-location rate to a per-camera rate directly.
6. Clarify exit terms and mid-contract changes before signing a multi-year deal, so a change in store count does not strand your budget.

For the wider buying context, the enterprise video security buyer's guide covers how to structure an evaluation, and exception-based reporting explains the POS-linked review that sits at the center of Solink's value. Operators in high-shrink formats can also review convenience store camera systems and tactics for reducing curbside and pickup fraud.

If you want to see how a per-camera video AI subscription would price and perform against your current setup, book a demo on the Spot AI platform. The team can model the comparison on your existing video, so you evaluate cost and coverage together. Book a demo to get a scoped quote for your locations.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Solink cost per month?

Third-party software marketplaces list a starting price of about $175 per month per location for Solink. That figure is a starting point for a small setup, not a full quote. The complete monthly cost for a multi-site fleet depends on your locations, cameras, retention, and integrations, and Solink sets it through a custom quote rather than a public price sheet.

Does Solink charge per camera or per location?

Solink charges per location, per month, with no per-camera licensing fees. Adding cameras inside a store does not add a license line the way it would on a per-camera platform. That can keep a camera-heavy single site predictable, while fleet size becomes the main driver of total cost.

What is included in a Solink subscription?

Per Solink's messaging, the per-location fee bundles the on-site recording appliance, software licensing, product upgrades, and support with a dedicated Customer Success Manager. Storage and retention specifics, tier names, and add-on pricing are not publicly specified, so confirm exactly what your quote covers before comparing it to another vendor.

Does Solink have hidden costs?

The subscription covers the platform, but the total cost also includes items outside it. Common ones are bandwidth for streaming video off-site, longer retention, add-on modules, and the cameras you already own and keep maintaining. These apply to most cloud video platforms, so account for them for every option you evaluate.

How does Solink pricing compare to Spot AI?

Solink prices per location and centers on video plus POS exception reporting. Spot AI prices per camera, is camera-agnostic, and adds real-time action and unified case work indoors and outdoors through its AI Security Guard. Compare the same scope and total cost, not just the headline rate. See the full Spot AI and Solink comparison for the detail.

About the author

Sud Bhatija is COO and Co-founder at Spot AI, where he scales operations and go-to-market strategy to deliver video AI that helps operations, safety, and security teams boost productivity and reduce incidents across industries.