Flat-fee vs per-seat pricing
The pricing-model tradeoff explained in plain terms — how per-seat and flat-fee differ, and why Hoursmith chose one flat price per plan.
How a tool charges shapes how you use it. Many time trackers and SaaS tools have historically priced per seat — you pay for each person who uses the product. Hoursmith instead charges a flat fee per plan. This page explains the tradeoff in general terms so you can decide what suits you. We won't quote any other tool's prices — those change, and you should confirm them at the source.
The two models
- Per-seat. You pay a price multiplied by the number of users. Add a person, your bill goes up; remove one, it comes down. Common across SaaS, and simple to reason about for a single user.
- Flat-fee (per plan). You pay one price for a plan that includes up to a certain number of people. Within that limit, adding a teammate doesn't change your bill.
Neither is "right" in the abstract — they optimize for different situations.
The tradeoff
| Situation | Per-seat tends to mean | Flat-fee (per plan) tends to mean |
|---|---|---|
| You're solo | You pay for one seat | You pay one plan price (often a free tier) |
| You add a teammate | Your bill goes up per person | No change, up to the plan's limit |
| You add contractors | Each one is another seat | Included, up to the limit |
| Your team size swings | Bill tracks headcount up and down | Predictable within a plan |
| You cross a plan limit | Keep paying per seat | Move up to the next plan |
The honest read: per-seat can be cheaper when you're very small and staying that way, and flat-fee tends to win once you add people — especially contractors you'd otherwise pay a seat for just to log time.
Why Hoursmith chose flat-fee
Hoursmith is built for freelancers, consultants, and small agencies — and those teams grow by adding people, often contractors. We didn't want pricing to punish that. So each plan is one price for everyone up to a member limit:
| Plan | Members included |
|---|---|
| Free | up to 3 |
| Studio | up to 10 |
| Agency | up to 25 |
This pairs naturally with money-blind contractors: because Members never see your rates or invoices, you can add them to track time, and flat-fee pricing means doing so doesn't raise your bill. For current prices and what each plan includes, see Plans & limits or the pricing page.
Flat-fee doesn't mean unlimited — each plan includes members up to a limit. When you outgrow one, you move up to the next plan rather than paying per head. See Plans & limits.
Which is right for you?
- Choose flat-fee (Hoursmith) if you have — or expect — more than a person or two, or you bring in contractors and don't want each one to cost a seat.
- Per-seat may be fine if you're a solo user who'll stay solo, and a per-seat tool otherwise fits your needs better.
Either way, do the arithmetic with your real team size against current prices. For Hoursmith, that's Plans & limits; for any other tool, its own pricing page.
Ready to try flat-fee?
Start a 14-day trial, or see how the model plays out for a team in the small agencies guide.
Hoursmith vs spreadsheets
An honest look at tracking time in a spreadsheet vs a dedicated tool — what sheets do well, where they fall down, and when to switch.
Troubleshooting
Fixes for the most common Hoursmith snags — sign-in, email delivery, invoices and payments, team access, imports, and developer tools.