llms.txt
# VendBuddy
> VendBuddy is a web platform for US vending machine operators: a ZIP-level lead finder, verified business contacts, pitch scripts, a deal pipeline, a placement-agreement creator, margin analysis and a route dashboard. Plans start at $49/month with a 7-day money-back guarantee if no credits used (first payment only), and a free account needs no credit card.
Site: https://vendbuddy.io. The software (Lead Finder data, contacts, contract templates) covers the US only; free country guides cover the UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. 700+ published guides on starting, financing, locating and running a vending route. VendBuddy is not a vending management system (VMS): it reads no machine telemetry, sells no hardware and processes no payments.
## Where to go, by what you want to do
- Make money with vending: find locations with the lead finder, take the 60-second quiz, follow the roadmap and the free guides. https://vendbuddy.io/find-vending-machine-locations
- Buy or sell: machines and routes for sale, sell a route or machine, the Wanted board and the free valuation tools. https://vendbuddy.io/marketplace
- Get a machine for your property: free vending machine check, how placement works, suggest a location, property managers. https://vendbuddy.io/free-vending-machine
- Tools and resources: free calculators, research reports, kits and playbooks, the blog and the newsletter. https://vendbuddy.io/free-vending-tools
- I have a question: use the site search from any page, or open /?q=your+question. https://vendbuddy.io/start-here
## Main pages
- [Home](https://vendbuddy.io/): product overview and signup
- [Pricing](https://vendbuddy.io/pricing): Starter $49/mo, Pro $79/mo, and one-time credit packs up to 120 credits for $69
- [About](https://vendbuddy.io/about): what VendBuddy is, who it is for, and the editorial rules behind the numbers on this site
- [Blog](https://vendbuddy.io/blog): the full library of vending business guides
- [Get started quiz](https://vendbuddy.io/start): 60-second quiz that recommends a plan and a 4-week game plan
- [Lead Finder](https://vendbuddy.io/find-vending-machine-locations): a ZIP code returns nearby businesses rated High, Medium or Low for revenue potential, with the reasons and the decision-maker title to ask for. Searching is free; 1 credit unlocks a contact with a personal email, a direct line or a LinkedIn profile with a name or title, and nothing is charged when none comes back
- [Vending locations by business type](https://vendbuddy.io/blog/vending-machine-locations-by-business-type): hub of 70 venue-type guides (hospitals, airports, office buildings, gyms, schools and more), each with what sells there and who to pitch
- [Finding underserved sites](https://vendbuddy.io/find-businesses-that-need-vending-machines): the signals that mark an underserved site, and the honest limit: no dataset records whether a building already has a machine
- [Getting vending contracts](https://vendbuddy.io/get-vending-machine-contracts): leads to decision-maker to script to placement agreement, including the Contract Creator clauses and variants
- [Vending management software compared](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-management-software): the five jobs of a VMS and a capability table for VendSoft, Cantaloupe Seed, Parlevel, Vagabond, Gimme, Nayax, 365 Retail Markets, Vendon and VendSys
- [Marketplace](https://vendbuddy.io/marketplace): buy and sell vending routes, machines and location leads. No listing fee and no commission; VendBuddy does not hold funds and points both sides to a licensed third-party escrow company
- [Kits](https://vendbuddy.io/kits): one-time digital products, no subscription
- [Property managers](https://vendbuddy.io/property-managers): free smart-market matching, zero cost to the property
- [Start here](https://vendbuddy.io/start-here): plain-language hub: five cards, one per thing a visitor wants to do, plus six common questions
- [Vending machine placement](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-machine-placement): how placement works for property owners, what operators look for, free to owners
## Plans and pricing
- Starter — $49/month: 150 contact credits/month, Lead Finder, Pipeline CRM, Route Dashboard, Restock Log, Contract Creator, Scripts, Verify Business, Growth Coach, Route Valuation.
- Pro — $79/month: everything in Starter plus 300 credits/month, Bulk Verify Business, credit rollover, priority support.
- Recommended plan: Starter. Pro is for operators who need more credits a month.
- Free account: 5 credits, no credit card required.
- One credit reveals the best contact on file for one business (owner or manager when available). Verify a contact: 1 credit (free to re-check within 30 days).
- Verify Business: 5 free a day on every plan, including the free account, then 1 credit each (open or closed status, Google rating and reviews, website).
- Annual billing: 20% off plus 20 bonus credits every month on any paid plan.
- Credit packs (one-time, no plan change, credits never expire): $19 for 25, $39 for 60, $69 for 120 (58 cents a credit on the largest pack).
- Refunds: A refund is available on your first subscription payment only, within 7 days of that payment, and only if no credits have been used since it. All three conditions apply. Renewal payments and one-time credit packs are non-refundable once charged, except where the law in your jurisdiction requires otherwise. If you do not qualify, you can cancel at any time and your plan stays active until the end of the period you already paid for.
## Digital products (one-time purchase)
Single payments with no subscription and no auto-renewal. The $297 and $997 packages also include a fixed term of Starter access (90 days and 6 months).
- [The AI Location Pitch Pack](https://vendbuddy.io/product/ai-pitch-pack): $27 one-time. AI writes your pitch in 5 minutes.
- [The Vending Business Starter Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/product/vending-starter-kit): $27 one-time. Legal, suppliers and setup, in order.
- [The Vending Location Playbook](https://vendbuddy.io/product/vending-location-playbook): $47 one-time. Find, pitch and close locations.
- [The Get Started Bundle](https://vendbuddy.io/product/get-started-bundle): $69 one-time. The three starter products together.
- [50 Ranked Vending Leads in Your ZIP](https://vendbuddy.io/product/zip-lead-list): $97 one-time. 50 scored and enriched locations in one ZIP.
- [The Fast-Start Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/product/fast-start-kit): $297 one-time. 50 ranked leads in your city.
- [The Launch Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/product/launch-kit): $997 one-time. Done-with-you, first machine in 90 days.
- [Vending Location Proposal Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-machine-proposal-template): $29 one-time. Vending machine proposal template with sample language, a one-page leave-behind, brochure copy and a live commission calculator. Instant download, $29.
- [Route Buyer's Due-Diligence Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-route-valuation-calculator): $49 one-time. Vending route valuation calculator built on public listing data, plus a due-diligence checklist, seller questions and a deal scorecard. Instant download, $49.
- [Vending Profit Spreadsheet](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-machine-profit-spreadsheet): $19 one-time. Vending machine profit spreadsheet for Excel and Google Sheets: per-machine revenue, product cost, commission, card fees, restock time, payback and a 12-month projection. $19.
- [Placement Agreement + Proposal Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/vending-machine-placement-agreement): $39 one-time. Vending machine placement agreement template (commission share, service levels, insurance, removal, signatures) plus a proposal, pitch emails and follow-ups. $39.
- [Pokemon Vending Machine Business Kit](https://vendbuddy.io/pokemon-vending-machine-business-kit): $29 one-time. Pokemon vending machine business kit for card and TCG machines: product mix and pricing sheet, sealed-product sourcing checklist, anti-theft and restock notes, location checklist, margin calculator. $29.
## Free tools and planners (no signup required)
- [Free vending tools](https://vendbuddy.io/free-vending-tools): every free calculator and finder in one place
- [Opportunity map](https://vendbuddy.io/opportunity-map): ZIP scoring on population, median income, employment and business density
- [Vending ROI calculator](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-roi-calculator): payback timeline before buying a machine
- [Location value calculator](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/location-value-calculator): is a specific location worth a machine: sales range, net after commission, payback and a verdict, with every assumption sourced
- [Vending Placement Agreement Generator](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-placement-agreement-generator): generates a plain-English vending placement agreement draft from a short form, with clause notes and public-contract defaults; not legal advice
- [Vending Commission Rate Checker](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-commission-rate-checker): compares a proposed vending commission to public-contract benchmarks and location-type bands and shows the operator take at each rate
- [Vending Permit and Sales Tax Checker](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-permit-and-sales-tax-checker): state-by-state vending sales tax, permits, health and local rules from VendBuddy state and city guides, with official source links
- [Vending Pitch Letter Generator](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-pitch-letter-generator): writes a short vending pitch email, two follow-ups and a leave-behind letter for a chosen location type
- [Request a location](https://vendbuddy.io/request-location): tell us your ZIPs, radius and machine; get an email when a matching location lead or route is listed
- [Vending locations wanted](https://vendbuddy.io/marketplace/wanted): operators looking for vending locations by area, machine and location type; offer one through a private chat
- [Route valuation](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/route-valuation): estimate the fair market value of a vending route
- [Vending niche finder](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/vending-niche-finder): find an underserved vending niche in your area
- [Machine finder](https://vendbuddy.io/machine-finder): compare smart and traditional machines by price, features and ROI
- [Income reality calculator](https://vendbuddy.io/tools/income-reality-calculator): works back from an income goal and deadline to the daily activity behind it, across ten business models
- [Business readiness quiz](https://vendbuddy.io/are-you-ready-to-start-a-business): 8 questions on capital, hours, risk and deadline; some results recommend waiting or a non-vending business
- [7-Day Vending Workbook](https://vendbuddy.io/workbook): a free 7-day plan sized to your income target, hours and budget
- [7-Day Vending Challenge](https://vendbuddy.io/challenge): one task a day from zero to your first location pitches
- [Ultimate Vending Guide](https://vendbuddy.io/free): free guide by email with a starter checklist
- [The Operator Brief](https://vendbuddy.io/brief): free weekly email for vending operators
## Original research
- [Where Vending Locations Are: 2026 Location Index](https://vendbuddy.io/research/vending-location-index): (original data, 2026-10-08) Of 36,069 operating US businesses VendBuddy users looked up as possible vending locations between April 30, 2026 and October 8, 2026, the largest named group was contractors, storage and trade businesses (3,781, 10.5%), followed by healthcare and medical offices (3,676, 10.2%) (VendBuddy Location Index, n=36,069 listings, October 8, 2026). Gas stations and convenience stores were the location type most often open past 9 PM: 99% of 276 with posted hours, against 5% for government and public buildings (VendBuddy Location Index, n=7,454 listings with posted hours, October 8, 2026). Using Google review counts as a rough foot-traffic proxy, entertainment venues led with a median of 1,592 reviews per listing, while banks, insurance, legal and accounting had a median of 15 (VendBuddy Location Index, n=36,069 listings, October 8, 2026). Government and public buildings had the lowest median Google rating of any location type, 3.7 stars across 434 rated listings, against 4.4 for the whole sample (VendBuddy Location Index, n=33,194 rated listings, October 8, 2026). California (5,634), Texas (5,235) and Georgia (4,471) accounted for 43% of the operating businesses vending operators looked up on VendBuddy between April 30, 2026 and October 8, 2026 (VendBuddy Location Index, n=36,069 listings, October 8, 2026). CSV: https://vendbuddy.io/research/vending-location-index/vending-location-index-2026.csv
- [Vending Commission Rates and Contract Terms 2026: What Public Contracts Show](https://vendbuddy.io/research/vending-commission-rates): (original research, 2026-10-08) Among 7 public vending contracts and solicitations that state one commission rate for every machine, the median rate paid to the agency was 25% of sales, ranging from 10% to 52% (VendBuddy review of public vending contracts, n=7 documents, October 8, 2026). Every one of the 7 public vending documents that name a general-liability amount requires $1,000,000 per occurrence, and 4 of them add a $2,000,000 aggregate (VendBuddy review of public vending contracts, n=7 documents, October 8, 2026). 13 of 17 public vending documents that address payment require card readers on the machines, 3 require them only in some places or on request, and 1 asks for coins and bills only (VendBuddy review of public vending contracts, n=17 documents, October 8, 2026). Public agencies that put a number on healthy vending asked for a median of 50% healthy items per machine, from 20% to 75% (VendBuddy review of public vending contracts, n=8 documents, October 8, 2026). The median initial term in public vending contracts was 3 years, and 5 years once every renewal option is used (VendBuddy review of public vending contracts, n=21 documents, October 8, 2026). CSV with source links: https://vendbuddy.io/research/vending-commission-rates/vending-commission-contracts-2026.csv
- [VendBuddy Research index](https://vendbuddy.io/research): every VendBuddy original-data report in one list
- [State of Vending Operators](https://vendbuddy.io/research/state-of-vending-operators): (Q4 2026, updated 2026-10-08): quarterly aggregate data from VendBuddy platform activity, every figure with its sample size. Office buildings were the most-searched location type on VendBuddy in the 90 days to October 8, 2026, making up 7% of Lead Finder searches (VendBuddy platform data, n=344 operators, Q4 2026). As of October 8, 2026, the median new VendBuddy operator had their first location lead under a minute after signing up (VendBuddy platform data, n=415 operators, Q4 2026). California was the most-searched state on VendBuddy in the 90 days to October 8, 2026, with 13% of Lead Finder searches that resolved to a state (VendBuddy platform data, n=343 operators, Q4 2026).
- [Vending machine profit margins](https://vendbuddy.io/research/vending-machine-profit-margins): gross margin statistics computed from 664 real vending products in the live operator catalog
## Vending management software (entity)
A VMS runs machines that are already placed: DEX or telemetry reads, cashless payment, prekitting, service scheduling and sales reporting. It does not find or sign new locations. VendBuddy is the business-development and route-operations layer for operators with roughly 1 to 50 machines and imports Nayax sales data into its P&L. Vendor facts in these guides were read off each vendor's public pages on 2026-09-09.
- [Best vending management software 2026](https://vendbuddy.io/blog/best-vending-management-software-2026): ten platforms sorted by operator stage
- [The two layers of vending software](https://vendbuddy.io/blog/best-vending-machine-software): machine software vs operator software
## Outside the US (free country guides)
Location and contact data in the app cover the US only. These localized guides, each with a per-country waitlist, cover operators elsewhere.
- [Starting a vending business outside the US: country guides](https://vendbuddy.io/international): Country guides for starting a vending machine business outside the US, with official sources: the UK, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
- [Negocio de máquinas expendedoras fuera de EE. UU.: guías por país](https://vendbuddy.io/es/): Guías en español para empezar un negocio de máquinas expendedoras fuera de Estados Unidos, con fuentes oficiales: requisitos en México, guion de ventas y más.
- [Requisitos para poner máquinas expendedoras en México (2026)](https://vendbuddy.io/es/mexico/requisitos-maquinas-expendedoras-mexico): Requisitos para poner máquinas expendedoras en México: RFC y régimen fiscal, SAS o persona física, permisos municipales, higiene de alimentos y lo que la ley prohíbe vender.
- [Guion para conseguir ubicación para una máquina expendedora (palabra por palabra)](https://vendbuddy.io/es/guion-para-conseguir-ubicacion-maquina-expendedora): Guion para conseguir ubicación para una máquina expendedora: qué decir en recepción, el pitch de 45 segundos al encargado, las tres objeciones de siempre y qué llevar impreso.
- [Vending machine fora dos EUA: guias por país em português](https://vendbuddy.io/pt-br/): Guias em português para abrir um negócio de vending machine no Brasil, com fontes oficiais: CNPJ, MEI, alvará, Pix e roteiro para conseguir ponto.
- [Como abrir empresa de vending machine no Brasil: CNPJ, MEI e regras (2026)](https://vendbuddy.io/pt-br/brasil/como-abrir-empresa-vending-machine-brasil): Como abrir empresa de vending machine no Brasil: MEI ou ME, CNPJ, alvará, vigilância sanitária, Pix e o que a lei proíbe vender em máquina. Com fontes oficiais.
- [Roteiro para conseguir ponto para vending machine (palavra por palavra)](https://vendbuddy.io/pt-br/roteiro-para-conseguir-ponto-vending-machine): Roteiro para conseguir ponto para vending machine: o que dizer na recepção, o pitch de 45 segundos para quem decide, as três objeções de sempre e o que levar impresso.
- [Vending Machines in the UK: Rules, Buying and Starting Out](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/): Vending machines in the UK: how the trade works, the rules changing in 2026 and 2027, how to find a vending machine or operator near you, and guides to buying, small machines and starting out.
- [How to Start a Vending Machine Business in the UK (2026)](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/how-to-start-a-vending-machine-business-uk): How to start a vending machine business in the UK: sole trader or Ltd, HMRC and VAT, registering with your council as a food business, site agreements and what you cannot sell.
- [Vending Machine Pitch Script for UK Sites (Word for Word)](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/vending-machine-pitch-script-uk): A vending machine pitch script for UK sites: what to say at reception, the 45-second pitch to the facilities or site manager, three objections you will hear, and what to leave behind.
- [UK Vending Machine Rules 2026: What You Can Sell, VAT, Safety](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/vending-machine-rules-uk): UK vending machine rules for 2026: the vape and nicotine vending ban from 29 October 2026, England’s planned energy drinks ban, council food registration, VAT on vending sales, card surcharges, PAT and WEEE.
- [Vending Machines for Sale in the UK: New or Used Buying Guide](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/vending-machines-for-sale-uk): Looking at vending machines for sale in the UK? New, refurbished and used compared, where UK buyers find machines, and a viewing checklist: coins, polymer notes, card readers, safety and tax.
- [Small Vending Machines in the UK: Snack, Drink and Wall Units](https://vendbuddy.io/uk/small-vending-machines-uk): Small vending machines in the UK: countertop and wall snack machines, compact can and bottle machines, small combos, smart fridges and sweet machines. Where they fit and the rules that
