Pay-Per-Tour vs. Subscription Cost Calculator
Enter how many listings you shoot in a typical month. The calculator compares your annual cost on PFRE Tour's pay-per-tour pricing ($8–10 per tour, no subscription) against a monthly subscription platform. For most photographers — whose volume swings month to month — pay-per-tour is cheaper because you pay nothing in slow months. Subscriptions only win at steady high volume, so the tool also shows you the exact crossover point instead of hiding it. It runs entirely in your browser.
A typical month. Leave slow and busy months to average out.
Estimates only. PFRE Tour pricing is exact ($10 single / $9 in a 10-pack / $8 in a 20-pack, two years hosting per credit; white label $14 / $12 / $10). Competitor subscription figures are July 2026 reference prices — verify current pricing on the platform's own site. Comparison covers hosting cost only, not scheduling, invoicing, or CRM features a full platform may add.
How is the annual cost calculated?
The pay-per-tour side multiplies your yearly listing count by PFRE Tour's per-tour price, picking the volume tier you'd actually qualify for: $10 for a single credit, $9 each once you're buying 10-packs, and $8 each in 20-packs — each credit including two years of hosting. The subscription side is simpler and that's the whole point: a flat monthly fee times twelve, the same total whether you shoot one listing that month or thirty. Turn on white label and the PFRE side switches to white-label credit pricing ($14 / $12 / $10), since serving tours from your own domain is something most subscription platforms charge extra for or gate behind a higher tier.
When does a subscription actually become cheaper?
We won't pretend it never does — honesty is the whole brand. A subscription is a fixed cost, so past a certain steady volume its flat fee beats paying per tour. The crossover is just the monthly fee divided by PFRE's best per-tour price ($8 in a 20-pack, or $10 white label). A $99/month platform is beaten by pay-per-tour until roughly 12 listings a month; a $179/month plan until about 22 a month. If you genuinely shoot above your crossover line every month, a subscription platform may cost you less on hosting alone — and the calculator will say so.
Why does pay-per-tour win for most photographers?
Because real estate volume is lumpy. A subscription charges you the same in a dead January as in a peak June; pay-per-tour charges you $0 in the month you don't shoot. Unless your volume is both high and steady, the months you'd overpay a subscription outweigh the months a subscription would have saved you. That's before counting the two years of hosting bundled into every PFRE credit, and the fact that credits don't expire — buy a 20-pack at $8 and draw it down whenever the listings come.
Frequently asked questions
Is pay-per-tour or a subscription cheaper for real estate photographers?
For most photographers, whose listing volume varies month to month, pay-per-tour is cheaper because you pay nothing in slow months. A subscription is a fixed monthly cost whether you shoot one listing or forty. Subscriptions only win once your steady volume is high enough that the per-tour cost would exceed the flat fee — this calculator shows exactly where that line is for the numbers you enter.
At how many listings a month does a subscription beat pay-per-tour?
It depends on the subscription price. Divide the monthly fee by PFRE Tour's best per-tour price ($8 in a 20-pack, or $10 white label). A $99/month subscription is beaten by pay-per-tour until about 12 listings a month; a $179/month plan until about 22 a month. Below that volume, pay-per-tour is cheaper; above it, the subscription's flat fee pencils out.
How much does PFRE Tour cost per tour?
PFRE Tour is pay-per-tour with no subscription: $10 for a single tour credit, $9 each in a 10-pack, and $8 each in a 20-pack. Every credit includes two years of hosting for one listing. White-label credits (your own domain, no PFRE branding) are $14 / $12 / $10 at the same volume tiers.
Does this calculator include white-label pricing?
Yes. Toggle "white-label tours" and the PFRE side uses white-label credit pricing ($14 single, $12 in a 10-pack, $10 in a 20-pack) — tours served from your own domain with no PFRE branding, which most subscription platforms charge extra for or reserve for higher tiers.
Weighing specific platforms? See our head-to-head comparison pages and the full roundup of Aryeo alternatives.
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