Blog · Software · May 18, 2026 · 7 min read
Per-User vs Yearly Fleet Pricing for Inventory Software
Inventory software that charges per user is priced against the one behavior that makes it work: putting it on every tech’s phone.
Seats create a false economy
A shop buys three seats for the office and two seniors. Helpers stay on paper. Helpers use a lot of parts. The database is then a partial memoir. Management wonders why the software “didn’t work.”
The software worked. The price trained you to starve it.
Do the ten-tech math out loud
At $49 per user per month, ten people are $5,880 a year before tax. At $29, still $3,480. FleetStock Unlimited is $249 once a year. That is not a rounding error. That is a second set of tires you did not buy.
See the compare page for a side-by-side with Sortly-style seating. Bring it to the owner meeting. The number usually ends the meeting.
Yearly is how service shops already buy
Insurance, licenses, some vendor programs — shops think in years. A monthly drip is easy to ignore until it is a stack of drips. One invoice you can argue with once is healthier.
FleetStock is intentionally one charge per year after a 14-day trial. Starter $129. Pro $197. Unlimited $249. No per-tech surprise.
The hidden cost of “free” seats
Some suites include inventory in a giant per-user FSM bill. The inventory is not free. You are paying for dispatch, marketing, and a dozen modules you may not want — and you still might not get a decent van count.
Buy the FSM for dispatch if it earns its keep. Buy parts software for parts. Bundles are convenient until they are a hostage situation.
Price should follow the asset, not the human
You are tracking vans and parts. Charging by human is a leftover SaaS habit. Prefer vendors who price the company or the year. You will make better adoption decisions.
If a vendor cannot explain the bill in one sentence, the bill will grow in the dark.
FAQ
Is yearly prepaid a trap?
Ask about refunds and export. FleetStock is cancel-anytime after the year you already bought. Export your items and jobs before you go.
What if we only have one user?
Starter exists. You still get the scanner. You are not forced onto Unlimited.
Do extra techs cost more later?
Not on Unlimited. That is the point. Put the app on the new hire’s phone the first morning.
See what is on every truck this week
14-day free trial. Then one yearly invoice — $129, $197, or $249.