How to compare per-user and per-order inventory pricing

Per-user, per-order and quote-based software can all be reasonable. The useful comparison is a transparent model built from your own requirements and current written vendor terms.

This article provides a worksheet. It does not claim a typical saving or a universal lower-cost model.

Inputs to collect

For each vendor, record:

• base subscription by month and year;
• included users and additional-user price;
• included orders and overage;
• included warehouses, channels and modules;
• standard onboarding;
• migration, custom integration and training charges;
• renewal assumptions and minimum term; and
• required third-party subscriptions.

Date every source. If a vendor uses quote-based pricing, use the written quote rather than an estimated market figure.

The formulas

For a per-user plan:

annual cost = 12 × (base monthly price + additional users × user price) + annual extras

For a per-order plan:

annual cost = 12 × base monthly price + annual overage + annual extras

For either model, add one-off implementation costs separately so they are not mistaken for recurring subscription charges.

MaxInvent inputs

The current published MaxInvent launch prices are:

• Starter: £99.99/month with 1,000 orders/month included;
• Growth: £299.99/month with 5,000 orders/month included; and
• Scale: from £499/month with up to 15,000 orders/month included.

Published overage is 5p/order on Starter and Growth; Scale volume overage starts from 5p/order. Current tiers include users. Standard Starter and Growth onboarding is included; complex Scale or Enterprise migration is quoted after discovery.

These are MaxInvent inputs only. Enter each alternative vendor's current price, allowance and add-ons from its own documentation or quote.

Build scenarios, not forecasts

Create at least three user-entered scenarios:

1. current users and current monthly orders;
2. a higher-order scenario with unchanged headcount; and
3. a higher-headcount scenario with unchanged orders.

This shows which variable drives each commercial model. It does not predict that your company will follow any particular growth path.

Compare fit as well as price

A cheaper model is not better if it lacks a required connector, control or workflow. Add a requirements column beside the cost model and mark each item as verified, conditional or unavailable.

Examples include:

• required marketplace records and directions;
• warehouse, zone and location tracking;
• parcel splitting versus warehouse allocation;
• implemented carrier workflows;
• accounting record types;
• hosting and disaster-recovery regions; and
• migration evidence and rollback controls.

Use the MaxInvent pricing page for current MaxInvent inputs and the inventory software selection guide for the operational checklist.