The $49-per-person tax on visibility
You find a scheduling tool that looks right for your shop. Clean interface. Handles multi-step jobs. Conflict detection. You’re ready to sign up.
Then you see the pricing: $49 per user per month (a common rate for tools like MRPeasy).
You do the math. You need access for yourself, the office manager, the floor lead, and three machinists. That’s 6 users. $294 per month. $3,528 per year. For a scheduling tool.
So you make a compromise. You buy 2 seats. One for you, one for the floor lead. The three machinists don’t get access. They’ll just ask the floor lead what’s on the schedule.
And just like that, the software that was supposed to give everyone visibility into the schedule has recreated the exact problem you were trying to solve. The floor lead becomes the human router again. The machinists are back to guessing. The schedule lives behind a paywall that only two people can see.
This is what per-user pricing does to small manufacturers. It turns a visibility tool into a visibility bottleneck.
How per-user pricing works (and who it works for)
Per-user pricing makes sense for some types of software.
Email. Each user sends and receives their own messages. More users means more value. Charging per user makes sense because each seat does independent work.
CRM. Each salesperson manages their own deals, their own contacts, their own pipeline. More salespeople, more seats, more value. Per-user pricing aligns with how the tool creates value.
Design tools. Each designer creates their own files. More designers, more seats.
The pattern: per-user pricing works when each user generates independent value.
Now look at a production schedule.
A production schedule is one shared view. Everyone looks at the same machines, the same jobs, the same timeline. The machinist checking what’s next on the CNC isn’t generating new value. They’re reading information that already exists. The value of the schedule increases when more people can see it, not when fewer people pay for it.
Charging per user for a shared schedule is like charging per viewer for a whiteboard. The whiteboard doesn’t get more valuable because fewer people can see it. It gets less valuable.
The real cost at different team sizes
Let’s look at what per-user pricing does at common small-shop sizes.
5-person shop
Owner, office manager, floor lead, 2 machinists.
At $49/user/month (MRPeasy’s starting rate): $245/month. $2,940/year.
Most shops at this size try to get by with 2 to 3 seats and lock out the rest of the team. The machinists never see the schedule directly.
10-person shop
Owner, office manager, 2 floor leads, 6 machinists.
At $49/user/month: $490/month. $5,880/year.
At this price, most shops buy seats only for leads and managers. The 6 machinists have no access. They ask the floor lead. The floor lead answers the same question 20 times a day.
15-person shop
Owner, 2 office staff, 3 floor leads, 9 machinists.
At $49/user/month: $735/month. $8,820/year.
At this point, the scheduling software costs more than some of the machines in the shop. No small manufacturer we’ve talked to is paying nearly $9,000 per year for scheduling. So they either don’t use the tool or they use it with 3 to 4 seats and keep most of the team in the dark.
The compromise pattern
Here’s what actually happens in most shops with per-user pricing:
- They buy 2 to 3 seats
- Managers get access, floor workers don’t
- Floor workers ask managers about the schedule
- Managers spend time answering questions instead of managing
- The tool that was supposed to save time creates a new bottleneck
The software works. The pricing doesn’t. Read more on what small manufacturers actually need from their tools.
What this really costs you
The financial cost is obvious. But the hidden cost is worse.
Lost visibility
The whole point of scheduling software is that everyone sees the same schedule. Per-user pricing makes that too expensive, so you restrict access. Now most of your team can’t see the schedule. You’re back to the whiteboard problem with a monthly bill attached.
More interruptions
Every person who can’t see the schedule becomes an interruption. “What machine am I on today?” “When is the Wilson job due?” “Is the CNC free after lunch?” These questions have answers in the software. But the person asking can’t see the software because you didn’t buy them a seat.
Slower decisions on the floor
An operator finishes a job. What’s next? If they can see the schedule, they check and start the next job. If they can’t, they find the floor lead, wait for an answer, and then start. That’s 5 to 10 minutes of idle time per transition. Multiply by 5 operators, 3 transitions per day, and you’re losing over an hour of production time daily.
Resistance to adoption
When half the team can’t use the tool, the other half questions why they should bother. “Why am I updating the schedule if Mike can’t even see it?” Adoption requires the whole team. Per-user pricing makes whole-team adoption too expensive.
Why software companies do it anyway
Per-user pricing is the standard SaaS model. It’s simple to implement, predictable for revenue forecasting, and it scales. As your customer grows, revenue grows automatically.
For the software company, per-user pricing is great. For a manufacturing shop where 10 people need to see the same data, it’s a tax on access.
Some vendors know this. They’ve introduced “viewer” seats that are cheaper but limited. $10/month for someone who can see the schedule but not change it. That’s better, but it’s still charging you money so your machinist can read a screen. Katana tried a different approach with SKU-based free tiers, but their paid plans still start at $299/month and scale with usage.
The alternative: per-machine pricing
Per-machine pricing charges based on the number of machines you schedule. Not the number of people who look at the schedule.
A 5-machine shop pays the same whether 3 people use the tool or 15. Everyone gets access. The owner, the office staff, the floor leads, the machinists, the part-timer who comes in on weekends. Same schedule, same access, same price.
This model aligns with how a production schedule creates value. The value is in the machines being scheduled well, not in the number of humans reading the screen.
How it changes behavior
When access is free, everyone uses the tool. The machinist checks the schedule from a phone at the machine. The floor lead updates job statuses as they happen. The owner checks from home in the evening.
Nobody asks “what’s on the CNC?” because they can check themselves. Nobody waits for an answer because the answer is on their screen. The human router problem disappears because the information is available to everyone.
This is how a scheduling tool is supposed to work. Universal access. One source of truth. No gatekeeping based on who has a paid seat.
What it costs
Per-machine pricing for scheduling software typically runs $10 to $40 per month for a small shop. Not per user. Total.
A 5-person shop with 8 machines: $12/month* instead of $245/month.
A 10-person shop with 8 machines: $12/month* instead of $490/month.
A 15-person shop with 8 machines: $12/month* instead of $735/month.
For a full comparison of tools and their pricing models, see my guide to production scheduling software for small manufacturers.
The price stays the same regardless of team size. Add operators, add office staff, add a weekend shift. The bill doesn’t change.
How to evaluate pricing models
When you’re comparing scheduling tools, ask these questions:
- What happens when I add my 6th person? If the price goes up, it’s per-user pricing. If it stays the same, it’s per-machine or flat.
- Can my floor workers see the schedule without a paid seat? If not, you’ll end up restricting access.
- What’s the total cost for my full team? Don’t compare per-seat prices. Compare total monthly costs with your actual team size.
- Is the pricing on the website? If you have to talk to sales to find out, the tool probably isn’t priced for a small shop.
Key takeaways
- Per-user pricing charges you for every person who needs to see the schedule, turning a visibility tool into a visibility bottleneck
- Most small shops respond by limiting access to 2 to 3 seats, which recreates the exact problem the software was supposed to solve
- A 5-person shop at $49/user/month pays $245/month. A 10-person shop pays $490/month. For scheduling
- Per-machine or flat pricing lets your whole team access the schedule for one price, typically $10 to $40/month total
- When everyone can see the schedule, interruptions drop, floor decisions speed up, and the tool actually gets adopted
- Always compare total monthly cost for your full team, not per-seat price
Frequently asked questions
Why is per-user pricing bad for manufacturers?
Manufacturing shops need everyone on the floor to see the schedule. Per-user pricing charges you for every person who needs access, which means most shops either limit access or pay hundreds per month for basic scheduling.
How much does per-user pricing actually cost a small shop?
At $49/user/month, a 5-person shop pays $245/month. A 10-person shop pays $490/month. Add floor workers who just need to view the schedule and it climbs fast. That’s $2,940 to $5,880 per year for scheduling software.
What’s the alternative to per-user pricing for manufacturing software?
Per-machine pricing or flat pricing. You pay based on the number of machines you schedule, not the number of people who look at the schedule. Everyone on your team gets access without increasing the bill.
Why do software companies use per-user pricing?
It scales revenue with the customer’s growth. It works well for software where each user generates independent value (like email or CRM). It works poorly for tools where the value comes from everyone seeing the same data (like a production schedule).
A pricing model should match how the tool creates value
The value of a production schedule comes from everyone seeing the same plan. Not from restricting who can view it. A pricing model that charges per viewer works against the tool’s own purpose.
When you’re comparing scheduling tools, look past the per-seat number. Calculate the total cost for your whole team. That’s the real price. And if the real price means half your team can’t see the schedule, the tool isn’t solving your problem. It’s creating a new one. Here’s my buyer’s guide to machine scheduling software with more on what to look for.
*All Machestra prices shown in USD. Actual price may vary based on your location.