CMMS Pricing: Per User vs Per Location for 12 Sites

CMMS pricing per location vs per user comes down to one question. Either you pay for each person who logs in, or you pay for each site you run. Which is cheaper depends on a number most buyers never write down: how many people will actually touch the system.

This post works through the arithmetic for a 12-location operator. Some numbers in this post are real and some are made up, so here is the labelling up front:

• Real: Concoct's published prices, in USD, as of November 2026. Check the pricing page for current rates before you decide anything.
• Illustrative: Everything about per-seat pricing. We use one made-up round number to show how the math behaves. It is not any named vendor's price. Plug in a real quote.

Concoct's published prices

Concoct is priced per location per month, in USD, in three tiers. Users are unlimited on every tier. Rates drop as you add locations, in bands of 1-5, 6-20, 21-50 and 51 or more.

Bands are graduated: each rate applies only to the locations inside that band, the way tax brackets work. Per location per month:

• Starter: $15 for locations 1-5 and $14 for locations 6-20 on annual billing; $19 and $17 on monthly billing.
• Growth: $35 and $32 on annual billing; $42 and $38 on monthly billing.
• Professional: $59 and $53 on annual billing; $72 and $65 on monthly billing.

Annual-billing rates are still quoted per location per month; they are billed for the year. Rates for 21-50 and 51 or more locations are lower again.

What the tiers include, briefly:

• Starter: work orders, contractor dispatch and recurring preventive maintenance schedules. No in-house technicians. If every repair goes to an outside contractor, Starter covers you.
• Growth: adds a technician roster and the technician mobile app (available in Canada), checklists and inventory.
• Professional: adds RFQ and bids, estimates and invoicing, budgets and spend reporting, projects, reliability reporting and AI features.

For 12 sites, the first 5 are billed at the first rate and the other 7 at the second.

12 sites on Concoct

All figures USD, per month unless stated.

• Starter: 5 x $15 + 7 x $14 = $173 a month on annual billing ($2,076 a year). On monthly billing: 5 x $19 + 7 x $17 = $214 a month.
• Growth: 5 x $35 + 7 x $32 = $399 a month on annual billing ($4,788 a year). On monthly billing: 5 x $42 + 7 x $38 = $476 a month.
• Professional: 5 x $59 + 7 x $53 = $666 a month on annual billing ($7,992 a year). On monthly billing: 5 x $72 + 7 x $65 = $815 a month.

These totals do not change if you add a user. They change when you add or close a location. Areas inside a site, such as a kitchen or a back room, are not billed separately.

Counting seats honestly

Now the part that decides everything. For a 12-site restaurant or convenience-store operator, who needs a login? It depends on your policy, so here are three illustrative headcounts:

• Lean: 14 people. 12 store managers and 2 office staff. Only managers log in; clerks and shift staff tell the manager.
• Typical: 24 people. 12 store managers, 4 regional or district managers, 2 office staff and 6 in-house technicians.
• Wide-open: 48 people. The typical group plus 12 assistant managers and 12 shift leads who report problems directly.

Notice how the number depends on a policy choice: do you let every shift lead report problems directly, or do managers relay them? Per-seat pricing quietly pushes you toward relaying, which is the version where problems get lost between the walk-in cooler and the person with a login.

One more thing to check. Some per-seat tools include free or discounted request-only users. If yours does, count only the paid roles, usually admins, dispatchers and technicians. That can move the break-even a long way, so ask about it before you compare.

Illustrative per-seat math

Per-seat prices vary widely, and some come with tier minimums and annual commitments. To keep the comparison consistent, we use one made-up round number: $40 per user per month. It is an assumption, not a competitor quote. Concoct figures below use annual billing.

• Lean, 14 seats: $560 a month ($6,720 a year). With no in-house technicians, compare it with Starter at $173 a month.
• Typical, 24 seats: $960 a month ($11,520 a year). This group has technicians, so compare it with Growth at $399 a month.
• Wide-open, 48 seats: $1,920 a month ($23,040 a year), against Growth at $399 a month.

Now apply the free request-only check. If only the regional managers, office staff and technicians in the typical group are paid seats, that is 12 seats, or $480 a month at $40: close to Growth at $399. In the lean group, paying only for the 2 office seats would be $80 a month, which is less than Starter. Per-location pricing wins clearly only when many people need full access.

The break-even number

A more useful way to compare: how many paid seats equal a 12-location bill? Divide the monthly per-location total by the per-seat price. At an assumed $40 per seat per month:

• Starter at $173 a month equals about 4 seats.
• Growth at $399 a month equals about 10 seats.
• Professional at $666 a month equals about 17 seats.

Above those numbers of paid users, per-location costs less. Below them, per-seat pricing can be cheaper or equal. Use your real per-seat quote in place of $40, and be honest about the count. A 12-site operation where one office person dispatches everything may sit below the line.

How pricing changes who gets a login

The money is not the only effect. Pricing structure changes how people use the system.

Per-seat pricing discourages access. The first thing a cost-conscious operator does is limit logins. Managers share a login or relay requests by text. The system then holds a partial record, which defeats the purpose.

Per-location pricing encourages access. If an extra user is free, you give logins to every shift lead who sees the broken equipment first. Requests arrive earlier and with better detail.

Per-seat pricing grows when you hire. Per-location pricing grows when you open. You can usually predict your site count a year ahead. Headcount in a high-turnover business is usually much less predictable, and seat licences need tidying as people come and go.

Vendors. Off-platform contractors can be a seat cost under some per-seat plans. In Concoct, vendors use a passwordless link and never need an account, so they are not a cost line either way.

Where per-location is worse

Per-location pricing is not always better, and here is where it falls short:

• A small team across many sites. If three people run 30 sites, per-seat looks cheap.
• Free request-only users. If your per-seat tool lets store staff report problems for free, your paid seat count may be small. See the math above.
• Very small sites. If a location is a kiosk with one piece of equipment, a flat per-location fee may feel heavy for what you get.
• Tier fit. Starter excludes in-house technicians. If you employ maintenance staff, you are looking at Growth or Professional, so price that tier, not the headline number.
• Add-ons. Fleet vehicles are priced separately, at $5 per vehicle per month for the first 50 and less above that (USD, same on every tier). If you track a fleet, add it in.

For Canadian buyers

Concoct bills in US dollars. Your card or bank converts at its own rate, and some cards add a foreign-transaction fee, so check yours. Any sales tax that applies to your billing address is shown at checkout.

The short version

For a 12-site operator where many people need full access, per-location pricing is likely to come out lower and more predictable, and it removes the incentive to ration logins. For a lean team, or a per-seat tool with free request-only users, the math can go the other way. Do the count before you believe either answer.

You can check the figures yourself against the full table on the pricing page. If you would rather we run them for your site count and tier, book a demo and bring your headcount. We will show you the total and tell you plainly if another model fits you better. Pricing shown is in USD and was current when this was written.

FAQ

Is Concoct priced per user?

No. It is priced per location per month, in USD, with unlimited users on every tier.

Are the per-seat figures in this post real competitor prices?

No. The $40 per seat is an illustrative round number chosen to show how the math behaves. Use actual quotes for any decision.

Which Concoct tier does a 12-site operator need?

If every repair goes to outside contractors, Starter covers work orders, dispatch and preventive maintenance schedules. If you employ in-house technicians or want checklists and inventory, you need Growth. Professional adds bids, estimating, invoicing, budgets and more.

Do all my sites have to be on the same tier?

Yes. The tier applies to your whole account, so price every site at the tier you need.

Does the price drop as I add sites?

Yes. Rates fall across the bands: 1-5, 6-20, 21-50, and 51 or more locations. See the pricing page for the current table.

What does annual billing commit me to?

Annual billing gives a lower rate per location in exchange for paying for the year. Before you choose it, read the terms for what happens if you close a site mid-term, or ask us. Monthly billing costs more per location but is more flexible.

Do I pay in Canadian dollars?

No. Prices and billing are in USD. Your card or bank handles the conversion.