Anna runs a 12-person design studio in Gliwice. On Monday, she receives a quote for task management software priced “per person per month”, so she multiplies it by 12 people and 36 months. Before deciding between a subscription and a one-off licence, she still needs to add the costs that do not appear on the first invoice: hosting, updates and the administrator's time.
Subscription or one-off licence - where should you start?
Start the comparison with 432 user-months, which is 12 people multiplied by 36 months. This lets you calculate both models for the same team and period.
Anna enters a simple formula into her spreadsheet:
koszt abonamentu przez 3 lata = 12 × 36 × S = 432 × S
S is the monthly price of one paid account. If she uses a notional rate of 25 zł for this exercise, the result is 10 800 zł over 36 months. This is an example figure, not the price of a specific product.
The calculation works similarly with annual billing. Instead of 432 × S, calculate 3 × R, where R is the annual cost for the entire team. The invoicing frequency does not change the period you are paying for.
Use the same tax basis in every row. If the subscription quote gives prices excl. VAT, calculate the licence, hosting and administrator's time excl. VAT as well. Mixing prices incl. and excl. VAT can affect the result more than the difference between the two models.
The subscription price list needs to be converted into your own spreadsheet
Calculate the cost of a per-account subscription by multiplying the number of paid seats by the rate and period, and calculate the package cost using the price of the entire plan for the period being analysed. First, check the provider's price list to see whether you pay for active accounts, purchased seats, a minimum package or the entire plan.
Anna does not simply copy the price shown in large type. She fills in all the fields that could affect the calculation:
| Item | Details to check with the provider | Impact on the calculation |
|---|---|---|
| Billing unit | Active account, seat or package | Determines what you multiply the price by |
| Minimum number of seats | Whether you can buy exactly 12 | May increase the cost beyond the team's actual size |
| Billing period | Monthly or annual | Affects cash flow, not the analysis period |
| Changing the number of accounts | Immediately or upon renewal | Determines when the cost will decrease or increase |
| Additional modules | Whether the required features are included in the plan | May require a more expensive option |
| Implementation and migration | Included in the price or charged separately | Increases the initial cost |
| Storage and backups | Scope of service and additional charges | May add a recurring cost |
If a thirteenth person joins Anna's studio, the per-account subscription may increase from the next billing period. With a seat package, the cost will only change once the limit is exceeded. Check the exact rule in the price list or contract of the specific provider.
The same applies if the team gets smaller. Check whether the number of paid seats decreases immediately, only upon renewal, or remains fixed until the end of the contract.
The Task Manager cost for 12 people includes Classic, hosting and time
A team of 12 fits within the Task Manager Classic plan, which includes up to 20 active user seats. The calculation includes the perpetual licence and selected update renewals. H is the cost of hosting for 36 months. A is the administrator's time multiplied by their hourly rate.
The licence price includes 12 months of access to updates. After that, you can purchase an annual renewal or continue using your installed version at no extra charge. Not renewing does not disable any features or switch the software to read-only mode.
| Classic option | Licence | Two annual renewals | 3-year total before H and A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 1 490 zł | 2 × 447 zł | 2 384 zł |
| Pro | 3 990 zł | 2 × 1 197 zł | 6 384 zł |
The table shows a scenario with access to new versions for the full 3 years. Renewals are optional, so you can also calculate an option without them or with just one renewal.
Standard and Pro aren't the same scope. Pro adds five modules: Mail, Files, Automations, AES-256 content encryption and the AI knowledge base. Anna compares the plan her studio actually needs, instead of pitting the cheapest licence against an extensive subscription.
Remote installation is included from the Classic plan upwards, so Anna does not add it to the spreadsheet as a separate cost. The amount of 299 zł applies to the Starter plan. Maintenance, which covers installing versions with a backup, is an optional service costing 199 zł per month and is provided alongside an active renewal. If you choose it, add it separately rather than hiding it under A.
Task Manager runs on the customer's server, so H covers hosting for 36 months. Standard shared hosting with PHP and a MySQL or MariaDB database is sufficient. Anna already has a server for her company website, so the additional H may be close to zero, but she checks this with the administrator rather than making assumptions. You can find more details in the descriptions of Installed on your own server and the Perpetual licence.
The break-even point reduces the comparison to a single rate
The break-even point is the monthly price of one account at which the subscription and the licence cost the same over 3 years. Once you know H and A, you can calculate it with a single division.
For the Standard option, the formula is:
S graniczne = (2 384 zł + H + A) / 432
For the Pro option:
S graniczne = (6 384 zł + H + A) / 432
If the S rate in the subscription offer is higher than the result, the licence costs less in this scenario. If S is lower, the subscription is cheaper. Equal values mean the total cost is the same at the end of month 36.
Anna enters the full server cost for 3 years under H, and under A she enters the time needed for backups and updates multiplied by her own hourly rate. She does not treat her work as free just because it does not appear on an invoice.
A thirteenth person does not change the price of the Classic plan
The Classic plan covers up to 20 active seats, so adding a thirteenth, fourteenth or fifteenth person does not change the licence price. Only exceeding the limit requires a key with more seats.
Only an active user occupies a seat. When a designer leaves Anna's studio, the administrator turns off the “Active” switch on their account. The designer can no longer sign in, but their tasks and data remain, and the available seat can be assigned to a new person.
Once the limit has been reached, the software prevents another user from being added or activated and displays a message stating that the licence limit has been exceeded. You can check usage under “Seats used: X / Y” and in Settings → Advanced → Licence.
In the same area, the administrator assigns people to Workspaces and sets permissions for adding Tasks and Chats. For details, see Users and Roles.
Running your own server involves costs that are not visible when purchasing the licence
For a licence on your own server, add hosting, backups and administrator time. Also include the one-off cost of data migration, preparing the team and optional AI costs if you intend to use it.
Anna's spreadsheet has separate rows for:
- application hosting for 36 months,
- creating and checking backups,
- time spent on updates,
- moving data from the previous software,
- preparing the team to use the software,
- an optional AI key from the selected model provider.
Task Manager works without AI. If Anna enables it, she will use her own OpenAI, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude or xAI Grok key and pay the model provider directly, with no Task Manager markup.
With a subscription service, the provider hosts the application. However, check migration, staff preparation, additional storage and the backups available to you separately. Migration may be a cost in both options, because switching to subscription software also requires data to be moved.
Updates take administrator time, so they are included in A
On your own server, updates are initiated by the administrator, so you enter the time spent on them under A. Task Manager checks for new releases automatically, but does not install them without human action.
The administrator gets a notification about the new version and sees a red dot next to the settings icon. New releases are downloaded and installed from within the programme, usually without FTP. The progress bar shows database migrations, file copying and finalisation, and a "Refresh application" button appears at the end. This process helps Anna estimate the time she'll enter in A.
Technical support comes in handy when the hosting doesn't allow the programme to overwrite files. Versions are installed one after another. Before downloading, a warning appears about making a backup of the database and the uploads/ folder.
On Friday, Anna allows 20 minutes in her spreadsheet for each update, including the backup. This is her working assumption, not the stated installation time. She will record the actual time after the first few updates and adjust A. The process is described on the Updates page.
Read-only mode is triggered by a key issue, not by a failure to renew
Task Manager switches to read-only mode when no key has been entered, the key is invalid or it has expired. Choosing not to renew access to new versions does not invalidate the perpetual licence or prevent data from being saved.
In read-only mode, Anna can view Tasks, Chats, messages and Files, but cannot create or edit content. A red bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Once a valid key is entered, saving works again.
The administrator checks the status, number of seats and the "Valid until" field with a date or the entry "perpetual" under Settings → Advanced → Licence. When 14 days or less remain until the key's expiry, the programme shows an amber reminder.
Moving from Standard to Pro only requires entering a new key. The features are enabled immediately, without updating the application. Mail, Files and Automations data is not deleted on the Standard plan. Automations are paused and resume when the Pro key is entered - without having to configure them again.
A licence is not the best option in every scenario
The licence is cheaper only when 432 × S exceeds the combined cost of the licence, selected renewals, H and A. If the opposite is true, the subscription is cheaper.
In Anna's three-year calculation, the licence becomes cheaper only once the rate exceeds the break-even point calculated using her H and A. A subscription may work out better for a project lasting a few months, frequent staffing changes or when there is no one willing to take responsibility for updates and backups. This assumes that the number of paid accounts can be reduced under the terms of the particular service.
First, compare the totals in the spreadsheet. Then check where the data will be stored and who is responsible for backups. Finally, compare the range of features the team actually uses. The phrase “no subscription” is no substitute for doing the sums, just as a low monthly price does not show the cost over 36 months.
Tomorrow, before your first coffee, enter three figures in the spreadsheet: S from the provider's offer, H for 36 months and A calculated using your own hourly rate. You will see the result after one multiplication and one division.
See how it works with sample Tasks and Workspaces in the Demo.
Frequently asked questions
Subscription or one-off licence - which is better value for a team of 12?
The cheaper model is the one with the lower cost after 36 months: for a subscription, calculate 432 × S, and for a licence, add up the licence price, selected renewals, H and A. A sample subscription rate of 25 zł gives 10 800 zł, but this figure is only used to demonstrate the formula and is not the price of any specific software.
Which Task Manager plan covers 12 people?
A team of 12 fits within the Classic plan, which includes up to 20 active user seats. An active account occupies a seat, and deactivating it frees up the seat without deleting the user's data or tasks.
Do I need to renew Task Manager updates after one year?
No, renewing access to updates is optional. The licence is perpetual, the first 12 months of updates are included in the price, and after that you can continue using your version without any features being disabled.
When does Task Manager switch to read-only mode?
Read-only mode is activated when the key has not been entered, is invalid or has expired. You can still view your data, but you cannot save changes until an administrator enters a valid key.
Should hosting be added to the price of a one-off licence?
Yes, if running the software increases your server costs. Include 36 months of hosting and the time needed for backups and updates, bearing in mind that Task Manager only requires standard shared hosting with PHP and a MySQL or MariaDB database.
Sources
The Task Manager Team - we write about teamwork, AI in business and keeping tasks organised, using examples from Task Manager, software installed on your own server. Task Manager has been developed by Blue Creation Group (Piotr Łącz) since 2013 and is used by organisations including Neonet, the Military University of Technology and Polpharma - read customer reviews. We check our articles against the user guide and the latest version of the software.
