Softwr

Accounting · head to head

Polar vs Shiji

Polar logo

Polar

Accounting

Billing and revenue platform for AI and infrastructure companies

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shiji logo

Shiji

Travel

Enterprise hospitality platform covering PMS, point of sale and payments, owned by a Chinese listed group

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Polar has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Polar percentage-based fees higher than some specialized processors for high-volume transactions; Shiji chinese ownership and a Shenzhen listing raise data residency and supply chain questions that must be settled during procurement, and in United States government or defence-adjacent accounts they can end the evaluation outright.
  • They diverge on capability: Polar covers Usage Billing, Shiji covers Daylight PMS.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Polar and Shiji actually diverge.

Attributes where Polar and Shiji differ
AttributePolarShiji
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPercentage of transaction plus per-transaction feequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, APIWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryAccountingTravel

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Polar

  • Usage Billing
  • Subscriptions
  • Seat Management
  • Prepaid Credits
  • Hosted Checkout
  • Cost Insights
  • Merchant of Record

Only in Shiji

  • Daylight PMS
  • Infrasys POS
  • Payments
  • Distribution
  • Guest engagement
  • Open API access
  • Regional data centres
  • Multi-language and multi-currency

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Polar

  • Billing for token and API call consumption by LLM applicationsnot Shiji
  • Managing tiered pricing for infrastructure usage-based servicesnot Shiji
  • Handling subscription and usage hybrid modelsnot Shiji
  • Monetizing AI APIs with usage metering and creditsnot Shiji

Shiji

  • An international luxury group replacing Opera across dozens of properties without moving to a small cloud vendornot Polar
  • A resort with a dozen restaurants and bars needing one point of sale across all outletsnot Polar
  • An Asia Pacific group requiring native multi-currency, multi-language operation across marketsnot Polar
  • A hotel company consolidating PMS, POS and payment onto a single vendor contractnot Polar

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Polar

  • Percentage-based fees higher than some specialized processors for high-volume transactions
  • Merchant of record model may not suit companies preferring direct payment control
  • Free Starter tier limited with 5% fees reducing appeal for production use
  • Setup and integration effort required despite API simplicity

Shiji

  • Chinese ownership and a Shenzhen listing raise data residency and supply chain questions that must be settled during procurement, and in United States government or defence-adjacent accounts they can end the evaluation outright.
  • Pricing is entirely quoted with no published figures at any product level, so comparing Shiji against Oracle or Mews on cost requires a full sales engagement.
  • The portfolio is partly assembled from acquisitions, and the degree of integration between products varies, so a group buying several Shiji modules should test the joins rather than assume them.
  • Implementation timelines at enterprise scale run to many months and require interface development that is charged on top of licence, which is a substantial hidden budget line.
  • It is not a realistic option below roughly the mid-scale group level; a single independent hotel will not get sensible pricing or attention.

Pricing, plan by plan

Polar

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 5% + $0.50 per transaction
    • Free tier for testing
    • Basic features
  • Pro$20/month
    • 3.8% + $0.40 per transaction
    • Full platform access
    • Cost insights
  • Growth$100/month
    • 3.6% + $0.35 per transaction
    • Priority support
    • Volume benefits
  • Scale$400/month
    • 3.4% + $0.30 per transaction
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom integration

Shiji

On request
  • Shiji Enterprise Platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted per property and per portfolio
    • PMS, POS and payments priced as separate lines
    • Implementation and interface development charged separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Polar if

  • You need usage billing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want subscriptions.
Polar review

Choose Shiji if

  • You need daylight pms.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want infrasys pos.
Shiji review

Questions people ask

Is Polar or Shiji better?
Neither clearly leads. Polar starts at Free and Shiji at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Polar or Shiji?
Polar has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Polar and On request for Shiji.
Does Polar or Shiji run on more platforms?
Polar runs on Web, API. Shiji runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Polar for free?
Yes. Polar has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Shiji starts at On request.
What is Polar best used for?
Polar is most often used for billing for token and api call consumption by llm applications, managing tiered pricing for infrastructure usage-based services, handling subscription and usage hybrid models, monetizing ai apis with usage metering and credits. Of those, billing for token and api call consumption by llm applications and managing tiered pricing for infrastructure usage-based services are not what Shiji is typically brought in for.
What can Polar do that Shiji cannot?
Polar covers Usage Billing, Subscriptions, Seat Management, Prepaid Credits. Shiji covers Daylight PMS, Infrasys POS, Payments, Distribution.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Polar: Do you handle international payments and taxes?

Yes, Polar acts as merchant of record in 100+ markets, handling payment processing, tax collection, and compliance automatically.

Source
Shiji: What do you actually buy from Shiji?

Most commonly Daylight PMS, Infrasys point of sale, or both, plus payments. The group name covers a wider portfolio than any one hotel purchases.

Polar: Is there a free tier?

Yes, the Starter plan is free and charges 5% + $0.50 per transaction, ideal for testing and early-stage development.

Source
Shiji: Does Chinese ownership matter?

It can. For United States government-adjacent business and some corporate accounts it triggers data residency and supply chain review, so raise it at the start of procurement rather than at contract stage.

Polar: Do you offer discounts for startups?

Yes, the Startup Program provides the Scale plan free for 12 months for early-stage AI companies.

Source
Shiji: Is Shiji an alternative to Oracle Hospitality?

Yes, and that is largely its positioning at the enterprise end, particularly in international luxury groups where Infrasys already has deployment.

Shiji: Can a single hotel buy it?

In principle, but the commercial model, implementation cost and support structure assume a group, and small properties are better served elsewhere.

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