Journal

Notes from the studio.

What we've learned building software for restaurants and small businesses in Laos — written plainly, from experience, for owners who have to make these decisions with real money.

Websites · Pricing

How much does a website cost in Laos? Real numbers for 2026

Quotes in Vientiane range from $150 to $15,000 for what sounds like the same thing. Here's what actually drives the price, what you get at each level, and the hidden costs nobody mentions.

7 min read · July 2026
Restaurants · POS

Choosing a POS system for your restaurant in Vientiane — what actually matters

We run food businesses in Vientiane and we build POS software. Most POS comparisons are written by people who have never closed a till at midnight. This one isn't.

8 min read · July 2026
Websites · Strategy

Your customers are on Facebook. So why do you still need a website in Laos?

Facebook built Lao commerce, and it's still where your customers are. But there are four situations where a page can't help you — and they happen to be the moments that decide whether you grow.

6 min read · July 2026
Engineering · Case Study

We built a POS that survives Lao internet outages. Here's how.

Rainy season taught us more about software architecture than any textbook. The story of taking a cloud POS offline-first — queues, sync conflicts, and printing when the router is dead.

9 min read · July 2026
Software · Strategy

Custom software vs off-the-shelf: an honest guide for Southeast Asian SMEs

Sometimes a spreadsheet is the right answer. Sometimes a $30/month SaaS is. And sometimes custom software pays for itself in a season. How to tell which one you are — in an afternoon.

7 min read · July 2026