--- title: "PDI CStore Essentials Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra" description: "With the help of Capterra, learn about PDI CStore Essentials Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Retail Management Systems products and more." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/145882/PDI-Retail-Suite/" page_type: "product" language: "en" --- # PDI CStore Essentials Software Review 2026: Features, Reviews, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on September 16, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[FAQs](#faqs)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) PDI CStore Essentials ## What is PDI CStore Essentials? Convenience store system that offers computer-assisted ordering, merchandise receiving, item verification, and automated store audit. ## What is PDI CStore Essentials used for? [Convenience Store](https://www.capterra.com/convenience-store-software/)[Retail Management Systems](https://www.capterra.com/retail-management-systems-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 3 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive \- Neutral \- Negative \- ### Starting price Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for PDI CStore Essentials?[Manage this product listing](https://www.g2.com/products/pdi-cstore-essentials/claim_requests/new?auto=true) ## PDI CStore Essentials Overview Updated September 2026 AI summary PDI CStore Essentials offers cloud-based software designed for small and midsize businesses using convenience store management solutions. It covers key functions such as inventory tracking, lottery and loyalty program administration, mobile access, payment processing, and pricing control. Optional features include commission, employee, and order management, giving businesses flexibility in tailoring operations to their needs. ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### PDI CStore Essentials 2.0 (3) VS. [3.8 (728)](https://www.capterra.com/p/152638/Epos-Now/reviews/) Starting Price Contact vendor Starting Price $349 Flat Rate, One Time Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 2.0 (3) Ease Of Use 3.8 (85) Value For Money 2.5 (2) Value For Money 3.6 (84) Customer Service 2.0 (3) Customer Service 3.6 (85) ## PDI CStore Essentials alternatives [Alterdata Shop](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006100/Alterdata-Shop/) [4.6 (85)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006100/Alterdata-Shop/reviews/) Starting price $0.01 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 93% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/10006100/Alterdata-Shop/) [PayPal](https://www.capterra.com/p/207944/PayPal/) [4.6 (26,663)](https://www.capterra.com/p/207944/PayPal/reviews/) Starting price $0.29 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/207944/PayPal/) [Bman](https://www.capterra.com/p/199764/Bman/) [4.8 (34)](https://www.capterra.com/p/199764/Bman/#reviews) Starting price $20.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/199764/Bman/) Highest Rated [Kladi](https://www.capterra.com/p/10019281/Kladi/) [5.0 (12)](https://www.capterra.com/p/10019281/Kladi/#reviews) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 100% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/10019281/Kladi/) ## FAQs about PDI CStore Essentials Features and Usability ### What are the key features of PDI CStore Essentials? PDI CStore Essentials offers retail management tools including inventory management, order management, and price/margin management. It also includes payment processing and electronic payments, plus customer database, loyalty program, commission management, employee management, lottery management, mobile access, and an activity dashboard for tracking store operations. Getting Started and Support ### What training and onboarding options does PDI CStore Essentials offer? PDI CStore Essentials provides documentation for teams that need written reference material during setup and early use. This format supports self-paced review of product steps, feature details, and procedures without relying on live instruction or video-based training. Getting Started and Support ### What customer support options does PDI CStore Essentials offer? PDI CStore Essentials provides email/help desk, phone support, and chat. No reviewer feedback about support experience is available in the catalog data, so user sentiment on response times, helpfulness, or common frustrations cannot be summarized here. ## Features Activity Dashboard Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities Commission Management Tracking, calculating, and paying commissions and earnings to employees Customer Database A collection of customer information such as contact details, demographics, previous interactions, etc. Electronic Payments Electronically collect payments for goods or services Employee Management Track employee schedules, availability, and performance across projects and tasks Inventory Management Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply PDI CStore Essentials 12 features ### All Features - Activity Dashboard: Dashboard to view the status of ongoing processes, identify current incidents and track past activities - Commission Management: Tracking, calculating, and paying commissions and earnings to employees - Customer Database: A collection of customer information such as contact details, demographics, previous interactions, etc. - Electronic Payments: Electronically collect payments for goods or services - Employee Management: Track employee schedules, availability, and performance across projects and tasks - Inventory Management: Track and manage inventory levels to maintain proper supply - Lottery Management: Track and manage the sale of lottery tickets - Loyalty Program: Offer prizes, discounts, and other incentives for customers to earn reward points on purchases and redeem them for future purchases - Mobile Access: Access software remotely via mobile devices - Order Management: Manage and track customer orders for goods, investments, or any other purchases - Payment Processing: Accept, record, and reconcile financial transactions - Price/Margin Management: Track and manage the profit margin between the cost of a product and its selling price. --- Get Advice We can help you find the software with the features you need. Features 2.5 (2) 2.5 Based on 2 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 2.5 (2) ### Starting price Free trial not available Value for money 2.5 (2) 2.5 Based on 2 reviews Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs. ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 2.0 (3) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 2.0 (3) 2.0 Based on 3 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 2.0 Based on 3 reviews Filter by rating 5(0) 4(1) 3(0) 2(0) 1(2) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent JR Jose' R. Director of PriceBook ### "PDI/Retail Suite PriceBook User" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 4.0 4.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 September 5, 2017 Pros The software is a fully integrated solution that supports multiple POS Systems in stores. We currently have over 2700 stores in one PDI Instance and looking to grow. Cons As a multi-business unit user the functionality to handle mix & match promotions needs improvements for reporting the current active lists and associated promotions Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. ME Michael E. Store manager Retail ### "Horrible system" 1.0 Overall Rating 1.0 1.0 Ease of Use 1.0 1.0 Features 1.0 1.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 January 24, 2017 First, this system is not even close to being user friendly. Everything has to be put in to the decimal, you have to go to several different menus to get what you need and the system takes forever to load anything. Second, there are too many places you have to go to navigate this system. The overall look makes it hard to find anything. Third, if there are any mistakes from more than 24 hours ago then you cannot go back to fix them. This system has added at least an hour of work to my plate everyday and we can never find anything that we need. Pros Importing vendors into the receiving menu from outside the store. Cons Everything else. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JH Jay H. Store manager ### "Pass on this software" 1.0 Overall Rating 1.0 1.0 Ease of Use 1.0 1.0 Features 0.0 0.0 Customer Service 1.0 1.0 Likelihood to Recommend 0/10 November 10, 2015 I run a busy c-store with this system. First , it is very non- user friendly. You have to go to several different places to check your sales or any reports. Second, it is extremely time consuming. Just to get an order off your handheld can take up to ten minutes per vendor. Third, audits are painful. You cannot see your inventory while counting and then to find your audit and a several step process and reading it is very hard as well. Fourth, any backloads can take a day or a week to do. Your inventory numbers are never right and any time. I am very unhappy that we have this software and would never recommend it to anyone. 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