We're often asked: what does LS Central actually cost for a multi-store retailer in Saudi Arabia? Here's the breakdown in SAR for license, add-ons, implementation, and ongoing support.
LS Central licence model in SAR
LS Central is licensed two ways: per named user (back office) and per POS lane (store). Pricing in SAR for 2026:
- LS Central Standard back-office user: approx SAR 350/user/month
- LS Central POS lane: approx SAR 470/lane/month
- LS Central Hospitality POS lane: approx SAR 510/lane/month
- LS Central for Pharmacy: standard pricing + Pharmacy extension SAR 180/store/month
- Underlying Business Central: SAR 270 Essentials or SAR 385 Premium per back-office user
Cloud vs on-premise — when each wins on cost
Cloud (SaaS) is recommended for almost every Saudi retailer in 2026. The only on-premise scenarios that still make economic sense:
- Strict regulator-driven data-residency requirements (rare; Azure has KSA-North region)
- Existing massive investment in on-prem infrastructure with 4+ years of useful life
Cloud avoids hardware capex, 24/7 monitoring labour, and patch-management overhead. Over 3 years the cloud TCO is typically 15–25% lower than on-premise for mid-size chains.
Add-on pricing in SAR
- Loyalty: SAR 8k–18k/year per chain
- KDS (Kitchen Display) for F&B: SAR 280/screen/month
- eCommerce connector (Shopify/Magento): SAR 60k–95k one-time + SAR 12k/year support
- ZATCA Phase 2 extension (Novasoft): SAR 18k one-time + SAR 4k/year
- UAE FTA e-Invoicing (if you operate cross-border): SAR 22k one-time
- Self-checkout module: SAR 1,400/lane/month
Sample 5-store, 10-POS deployment quote (Riyadh chain)
For a 5-store retail chain in Riyadh with 10 POS lanes, 8 back-office users, and standard inventory + loyalty:
- LS Central back-office users: SAR 33k/year
- POS lanes (10 × SAR 470): SAR 56k/year
- BC Essentials underlying: SAR 26k/year
- Loyalty: SAR 12k/year
- ZATCA Phase 2 extension: SAR 18k one-time + 4k/year
- Implementation: SAR 380k–540k one-time
- NovaCare AMC: SAR 105k/year
Year 1 total: ~SAR 660k–820k. Year 2+ ongoing: ~SAR 220k/year.
How to budget realistically
Three rules of thumb for Saudi retailers:
- Software licence ≈ 30% of year-1 cost
- Implementation ≈ 50% of year-1 cost (one-time)
- Ongoing AMC + add-ons ≈ 20% of year-1 cost, recurring
By year 3, total cost is roughly 1.7x year-1. Plan it against the multi-store productivity gain — typically 15–30% inventory turn improvement and 30–40% faster end-of-day close.
Frequently asked questions
Does ZATCA Phase 2 add a lot to the cost?
No — the Novasoft KSA e-Invoicing extension is SAR 18k one-time plus SAR 4k/year. Compared to fines for non-compliance, this is trivial.
What's the minimum viable LS Central deployment in KSA?
1 store, 2 POS lanes, 3 back-office users, BC Essentials. Around SAR 95k/year licences + SAR 180k–230k one-time implementation.
Can we negotiate the LS Central licence price?
Yes for 3+ year commitments and large multi-store chains. LS Retail offers volume discounts at 10/25/50+ POS thresholds.
Are there annual or multi-year discounts?
Yes. Microsoft EA discount on BC + LS Retail volume discount on POS lanes. Combined, 15–25% saving is typical for 3-year commitments.
What's the cheapest path to ZATCA compliance for a small retailer?
Tiny single-store retailer: a standalone ZATCA-certified POS may cost less than full BC+LS Central. For 2+ stores, the integrated solution pays back quickly.
Does Novasoft handle ZATCA registration as well?
Yes, as part of our KSA implementation package. We register the cryptographic identifier with FATOORA on your behalf.
Where to go next
Read the full overview of LS Central practice. For a deeper dive into related capability, see KSA Microsoft Dynamics 365 Partner. When you're ready to talk specifics, book a 30-minute call with a Novasoft consultant.