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Cloud PMS vs desktop hotel software
Hotel software comes in two shapes: installed on a computer at the property (desktop, or on-premise), or run over the internet in a browser and on phones (cloud). Nivasik is the second kind. Here is the difference in practice — including where the first kind is better.
Free for 45 days · no card · we do the setup
Cloud hotel software runs in a browser and on phones and keeps the data on the provider's servers, so you can see the property from anywhere, updates arrive by themselves and backups are not your job — but it needs an internet connection.
Desktop software runs on a computer at the property and keeps working when the internet is down, and it keeps the data on your own machine — which also makes that machine, and its backups, your responsibility.
At a glance
| Question | Desktop (on-premise) | Cloud (Nivasik) |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | On a PC or server at the property. | In any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and an Android app. |
| When the internet drops | Keeps working at the property. | Hotel screens need a connection; shop counters keep billing and sync later. |
| Seeing the property from home | Needs remote access set up. | Sign in from anywhere. |
| Where the data is | On your machine. | Managed Postgres in Singapore (AWS ap-southeast-1), encrypted in transit and at rest. |
| Backups | Yours to take, store and test. | Daily, by the provider. |
| Updates | Installed when somebody remembers. | Arrive by themselves. |
| If the front-desk PC dies | The data may go with it. | Sign in on another device. |
| Staff on their phones | Depends on the product. | Staff get requests on the phone they already have. |
| How you pay | Depends on the vendor — ask what updates and support cost after the first year. | One flat monthly price per property, from ₹2,999; no setup fee. |
Not every line is in every plan. The ticket queue and QR requests are in Core (₹2,999); the PMS, GST invoices and Form C in Pro (₹4,999); people and pay, the city ledger, the booking page and channel sync in Group (₹2,499 per property, from three); the POS is ₹1,499 per outlet. All of it is unlocked during the 45-day trial. See what each plan includes.
The real trade-off is the internet
Almost every difference between the two follows from one fact: desktop software lives at the property, cloud software lives on the internet. That is why cloud software can be opened from anywhere, keeps its own backups and updates itself — and why it stops when the connection does.
So the first question is not features. It is: how reliable is the internet at your front desk, and what happens at check-out when it fails? A second connection — a phone's hotspot kept for the purpose — turns most outages into a nuisance rather than a stoppage.
In Nivasik, shop counters keep billing offline, with real bill numbers, and sync when the connection returns. Hotel screens need a connection.
Data, security and who holds the keys
Nivasik follows security best practices. In practice:
- Every property's records are kept apart by the database itself (row-level security), not by a check in the app.
- Passwords are checked on the server, never in the browser.
- The data sits in managed Postgres in Singapore (AWS ap-southeast-1), encrypted in transit and at rest, with daily backups.
- Guests' ID documents are in a private store; every look at one uses a link that expires in two minutes.
- You own your data: it is exported on request, and offboarding deletes it, scanned IDs included. No lock-in period and no exit fee.
Installing nothing
Nivasik runs in a browser on a phone, tablet or computer. The Android app (Android 6.0 and later) is downloaded from nivasik.com; it is not on Google Play yet. On an iPhone or iPad there is nothing to install: open the property's link in Safari and add it to the Home Screen.
When the other option is better
Said plainly, because it is true for some properties and they should know before they buy.
The internet at the property is unreliable
If the desk cannot stop for an outage and a backup connection is not practical, software that lives at the property keeps going.
The data must stay on your premises, or in India
If a policy, a client or your own preference says so, cloud software hosted in Singapore does not meet it.
You would rather own a licence outright
Some vendors sell desktop software that way; a monthly subscription never becomes yours.
The PMS must drive hardware on site
If you need it to work with equipment such as key-card encoders, check what each system supports — Nivasik has no door-lock integration.
When Nivasik is the better choice
The owner is not always at the property
Requests, rooms and money are visible from anywhere.
There is no one to look after a server
Backups, updates and security are handled for you.
Staff work from their phones
Housekeeping, maintenance and the kitchen get their work where they already are.
You run more than one property
One login can hold several properties, and you switch between them. (There is no single screen that adds them together yet.)
What Nivasik does not do
- Hotel screens need an internet connection; offline billing is for shop counters only.
- No app in Apple's App Store: iPhone and iPad use the web app added to the Home Screen.
- The Android app is downloaded from nivasik.com and is not on Google Play yet.
- No door-lock or key-card integration.
- The data is hosted in Singapore, not in India.
Questions people ask
Where is Nivasik's data stored?
In managed Postgres in Singapore (AWS ap-southeast-1), encrypted in transit and at rest, with daily backups.
What happens if the internet goes down?
Hotel screens need a connection. Shop counters keep billing with real bill numbers and sync when the connection is back.
Can we get our data out if we leave?
Yes. You own your data and it is exported on request. Offboarding deletes it, including scanned ID documents, and there is no lock-in period or exit fee.
Do we need to install anything?
No. It runs in a browser. There is an Android app for Android 6.0 and later, downloaded from nivasik.com; on iPhone and iPad you add the property's link to the Home Screen from Safari.
Try it on your own place, free for 45 days.
We set it up for you — your rooms, menu or stock list, your staff and your prices — and walk it end to end on your phone. No card, and we invoice only if you stay.