Where each number comes from when you compare software
Every number in the build, buy or rent calculator has a source. Here is where to find each one, and how sure we are of it.
We give every number one of four labels:
- Quote. A price someone gave you.
- Pricing page. A price a seller published.
- Own records. Something you can count or look up yourself.
- Estimate. A guess. Estimates are normal. Hiding them is not.
Sources checked 19 October 2026. Prices and indexes move, so check the date.
Subscription price per person
Use the price on the vendor's own pricing page, for the plan you would really need, not the cheapest one shown. Check whether the price shown is billed yearly. Prices change, so look on the day you compare and never use a number from memory.
Source type: pricing page
Is it billed yearly?
A low monthly price can assume you pay for a full year. Find the line that says billed annually or billed monthly, and use the one you would choose. Priced by usage? Use a busy month.
Which plan do you need?
List the features you will use every week. Find the cheapest plan that has all of them. If a feature is on a higher plan only, that plan's price is your price.
Example (invented numbers): $12 per person a month, for 5 people, is $60 a month and $720 a year.
Number of users
Count everyone who needs their own login, plus anyone you plan to hire in the next year or two. Per-person pricing grows with your team, so a price that looks cheap for five people can look different for seven. Count from your own records, such as your payroll or team list.
Source type: own records
Example (invented numbers): 5 people today and 2 hires within two years makes 7. At $12 each that is $84 a month, or $1,008 a year, not $720.
Price rises
Subscription prices can rise after you sign. Vertice's SaaS inflation index put SaaS price inflation at 16.4% in June 2026. Vertice sells procurement software, publishes no method, and its figure moves each month. The calculator's worst case adds 10% a year to subscriptions and yearly fees. That 10% is our assumption, not a forecast.
Source type: estimate
Source: Vertice SaaS inflation index.
Example (invented numbers): $720 a year with a 10% rise each year is $720, then $792, then $871. That is $2,383 over three years, against $2,160 if the price never moved.
Ready-made template: price and yearly fee
Find the one-time price and any yearly fee on the seller's product page. Search for your type of business plus the words management template. If you find nothing, mark the option as having no price yet and leave it out. Put 0 for the yearly fee only if the seller charges none.
Source type: pricing page
Also ask whether it needs a paid app to run in. If it does, add that app's price for a year.
Example (invented numbers): $300 once and $120 a year is $300 + 3 × $120 = $660 over three years.
A developer's quote
Get a written quote from a developer or agency. If you have none yet, ask one or two for a rough range and use the middle. A range is more honest than a single figure. Ask what the quote includes, and whether fixes after delivery are in the price.
Source type: quote
Example (invented numbers): Two rough ranges come back at $5,000 and $7,500. The middle is $6,250.
Yearly upkeep
Ask the builder for a yearly figure that covers hosting, fixes and small changes. If they will not give one, test 15%, 25% and 40% of the quote a year. We found no source for a single yearly percentage, so all three are our assumptions.
Source type: quote if the builder gives one, otherwise estimate
The calculator starts at 25% of the quote a year and uses at least 40% in its worst case. Your own past invoices beat all of these. For the same question with seats, see custom vs off-the-shelf software.
Example (invented numbers): On a $6,000 quote, the cases are $900, $1,500 and $2,400 a year. Over three years: $2,700, $4,500 and $7,200.