Seat-Based Pricing’s Hidden Cost: Why It Keeps You Stuck, Not Scaling
In the world of business software, seat-based pricing seems reasonable at first glance. This means you pay a fee for each person using it. Sounds simple, right? Look closer though, and the flaws start to show—flaws that quietly drain your time, money, and momentum, keeping you stuck instead of scaling.
At Materio, we took a different path. Instead of charging you per person, we tie our pricing to project capacity—because in reality, that’s what dictates your revenue and scale. We only grow when you grow. And that makes all the difference.
The Perverse Incentives of Seat-Based Pricing
Most seat-based software tools seem affordable at first but quickly become a financial trap as you scale. Even worse, they don’t just misalign with your goals—they work against them.
They win when you need more people. If their pricing is based on headcount, they have no real reason to make you more efficient. In fact, their ideal scenario is that you keep hiring and adding seats—because that’s how they extract more revenue.
They keep you coming back for more. Most of these platforms are light on actual functionality. They require you to supplement them with additional tools—separate apps for tasking, communication, procurement, time tracking, billing, and project execution. That means you're constantly stitching together a tech stack that’s scattered, clunky, and expensive.
They give you “unlimited” projects, but limit everything else. The illusion of unlimited projects is just that—an illusion. If your workflow is crippled by bottlenecks, missing features, or constant switching between disconnected screens, it doesn’t matter how many projects you can technically start. You’re still stuck.
Why Materio’s Model Is Built for Growth
Materio is designed as a true collaboration system because we believe that getting everyone involved maintains alignment, prevents problems, and creates clarity. When every team member, contractor, and stakeholder has access to the same system, miscommunications decrease, workflows stay organized, and projects run smoothly.
Seat-based pricing, on the other hand, punishes collaboration by making it expensive to involve everyone who needs access. This leads to people working in silos, missing information, and making mistakes that cost time and money.
Instead of punishing you for adding people, Materio optimizes for what actually drives your business forward: how much you can manage and execute at once. Our pricing is based on project capacity—because projects are where value is created, not seats.
Here’s how that changes the game:
We help you get more done with less. Because you’re not paying per person, you can setup your team however you want. Bring in contractors, freelancers, or team members as needed—without worrying about cost spikes.
You get an all-in-one system, not a cobbled-together stack. Materio replaces the need for multiple other tools, covering task management, scope, selections, visual collaboration, financials, and more. That’s not just more efficient—it’s dramatically more cost-effective.
We have a 100% aligned incentive to make you faster and more efficient. Unlike seat-based models that quietly profit from inefficiency, we only succeed when you can take on and complete more projects successfully. Our entire mission is to help you streamline, systematize, and scale.
The Bottom Line: Pay for Growth, not Bloat
If you’re tired of software pricing that penalizes efficiency, it’s time to rethink the model. Materio isn’t just a different pricing structure—it’s a fundamentally different approach to running a business.
Because success isn’t about how many people you have. It’s about how well your system runs.