Software Pricing: Per User vs Flat vs Per Module
An honest comparison of business software pricing models: per user, flat per company, or per module. How to calculate the real cost and when the bundle wins.
Choosing business software isn’t only about features. The first thing that stops a small business is the price, and the price is almost always written to look lower than what you actually pay. This article compares the three pricing models you’ll meet on the market and gives you a method to work out the real cost, no fluff.
The three pricing models you’ll find
Per user
You pay a monthly fee for each person who uses the software. It’s the most common model in modern CRMs and business suites. The upside is that it scales with you: two people pay little, twenty pay more. The risk shows up when the per-user price is high and you have many people who only touch the system occasionally.
Flat per company
You pay one fixed amount for the whole company, no matter how many you are. It sounds convenient, but it hides two traps: there are often hidden limits (number of records, documents, modules) and there’s almost always a setup fee or a mandatory annual contract. A truly unlimited flat price barely exists in the SMB world.
Per module
You pay based on the functions you turn on: CRM, inventory, accounting, and so on. It’s honest because you only pay for what you use, but it gets expensive fast once you need several areas. Add up four or five modules and the bill climbs quickly.
How to calculate the real cost
The shelf price is not the cost. To genuinely compare two offers, add these lines over a full year:
- Base subscription (per user or flat)
- Modules or add-ons you actually need
- Setup and onboarding (often one-off, sometimes steep)
- Extra users you’ll add over the next 12 months
- Exit costs: data migration, export, contract lock-in
A practical rule: always ask for the total 12-month cost for your real scenario (headcount + modules you use), not the price of a single line item. That’s the only number that matters.
Blina Desk’s package model
Blina Desk uses a per-user model with a package logic designed to stay predictable. No setup fees, a 30-day trial, GDPR-compliant servers in Germany. Blina AI is included for free.
| Plan | Monthly price | Annual (-20%) | What’s included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base | €19/user | €15.20/user | CRM, search, OCR, AI included |
| Single module | €29 flat/company | €23.20 flat/company | One vertical module à la carte |
| Industry package | €69 first user + €19/extra user | €55.20 + €15.20/user | Base plus four modules of one sector |
| Two things to note. First, Base is per user, so it grows linearly with your team. Second, the single module is a flat price per company (€29), not per user, because vertical modules are switched on at the company level, not per person. |
The package logic: when an industry package wins
Vertical modules can be bought two ways: individually (€29 à la carte) or bundled in one of the four industry packages (Fleet, Retail, Real estate, Services). Each package contains Base and four modules: CRM and sales always, plus two that fit the sector.
The math is linear, with no hidden volume discounts. For one user:
- Base + 1 module à la carte: €19 + €29 = €48/month
- Base + 2 modules à la carte: €19 + €58 = €77/month
- Industry package: €69/month, each extra user €19
From two modules in the same package, the package is cheaper, at any team size, because an extra user costs €19 either way. With a third module from the package, à la carte would reach €106 against €69. Rule of thumb: if two or more of the modules you need sit in the same package, take the package.
Why no volume discounts
We chose a linear model: every extra user costs the same, with no thresholds to hit before unlocking better prices. That keeps your quote predictable: you know what you’ll spend with 3, 8 or 15 people without doing mental gymnastics. No surprises at renewal.
Which model to choose
A quick guide based on how your company is shaped:
- Few users, one work area → Base (€19/user) is enough; it’s the essentials done well.
- Few users, one extra vertical → Base + 1 module à la carte (€29).
- Several work areas in one sector (2+ modules from one package) → Industry package: €69 for the first user, four modules included.
In short
There’s no single “best” pricing model in the abstract: it depends on how many people you are and how many areas you need. What matters is predictability: knowing today what you’ll pay twelve months from now in your real scenario. A per-user model with package bundles, no setup fees and no volume discounts to chase, is built for exactly that: few numbers, no surprises.
The smartest move is to try it with your real data. The 30-day trial is free with no activation cost.