How MiterCut stacks up against the framing software shops use today: what it costs, where your records live, and what your customers get to do.
Every fact about another company comes from its own website, checked November 12, 2026. Prices and features change, so check their sites before you decide. Where a site doesn’t say, we say so rather than guess.
Swipe the table sideways to see the others.
| MiterCut | LifeSaver | Framing POS | Virtual Framer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $495, once, for 2 shop computers. Each extra computer $195. | Startup: $79, billed annually. Core and Plus: price on request. | $35 a month. The frame preview is $20 a month more. | $125 a month, or $1,375 a year. |
| How you pay | Buy it once. It keeps working for good. 12 months of updates included; after that, new versions are $195 if you want them. | Yearly subscription | Monthly subscription, no contract | Monthly or yearly subscription |
| Where it runs | On a Windows PC in your shop | In the cloud | In a web browser; hosted on Amazon Web Services | An iPad app (or an Apple-silicon Mac), with a web back office |
| Where your records live | On your shop’s own computer | On the company’s servers | On the company’s servers (Amazon Web Services) | On the company’s servers |
| Works when the internet is down | Yes. Only card payments, emails and updates need it. | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Frame preview at the counter | Included: mats and frame drawn around the customer’s art, from your own catalog | Included (FrameVue) | $20 a month add-on | Included; it’s built around it |
| Customers design it themselves, in your shop | The customer station, on a touch screen or tablet (Framescape, $200 more) | Not listed | Not listed | The iPad app, used with your customers |
| A design page on your own website | Customers design and send you the order (Framescape, $200 more) | Not listed | Not listed | A preview you can put on your site, with quotes, orders and payment |
| Card payments | Your choice: Square, Stripe or Helcim, or keep the reader you have | Built in, on the Core plan and up | Square | Stripe, for online payments |
| Free trial | 14 days, everything included | Yes (length not stated) | 30 days; a card is needed to start | Not stated |
Five years, side by side
What each one costs over five years for one shop, at today’s published prices:
- MiterCut: $495. With Framescape, $695. Add $195 for any year you want the newest version.
- Framing POS: $2,100, or $3,300 with the frame preview ($35 or $55 a month, for 60 months).
- Virtual Framer: $6,875 paying yearly ($1,375 a year, for 5 years).
LifeSaver isn’t in this list: its Core and Plus prices aren’t published, and its page doesn’t say whether Startup’s $79 is a month or a year.
Other names you’ll hear
- FrameReady was discontinued on August 1, 2026. Its shops are being moved to LifeSaver’s cloud. MiterCut brings your records with you either way.
- SpecialtySoft doesn’t publish its prices or features on its website, so we can’t compare it fairly.
Where these facts come from
- LifeSaver: pricing, features, FrameReady notice
- Framing POS: home page, pricing
- Virtual Framer: home page
- SpecialtySoft: home page
LifeSaver, Framing POS, Virtual Framer, SpecialtySoft and FrameReady are trademarks of their owners. MiterCut isn’t connected with any of them. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.