What is the difference between per-seat and flat-rate pricing?

Per-seat pricing charges for every person who can use the tool, so the bill rises with each hire. Flat-rate pricing charges one price for a plan, which covers a set number of people or an unlimited number. Roper charges a flat price per plan: Pro for up to 3 seats and Team for unlimited seats.

At how many seats is flat pricing cheaper than per-seat?

It depends on the per-seat price. Against Roper's $39 Pro plan, a tool at $29 a seat costs more from 2 seats, one at $19 a seat from 3 seats, and one at $7 a seat from 19 seats. Enter your own price in the calculator to find your number.

Why does the calculator show a step at the fourth seat?

Roper Pro covers 3 seats at $39 a month. A fourth person moves the team to Team at $129 a month, which is unlimited seats. A cheap per-seat tool can be cheaper than Team at four seats and then cost more again as the team grows. The table shows every size so that is visible.

Does the calculator count AI fees?

Yes. Enter the fee per AI resolution and the number of resolutions a month, and it adds them to the per-seat side. Intercom charges from $0.99 per outcome, Help Scout $0.75 and Featurebase $0.49. Roper includes AI answers in both plans, so nothing is added to its side.

Is a flat-rate plan always the better deal?

No. For one or two people, a per-seat tool's free plan, or a very low per-seat price, can cost less. A flat plan can also lack features a per-seat tool has. The calculator compares price only, so check what each plan includes before you decide.

Per-seat vs flat-rate pricing calculator

Enter a per-seat price, or pick a tool, and see what it costs against Roper's flat plans at every team size, and the seat count where the two lines cross.

By the Roper team · Published 5 November 2026

Per-seat tool

or type your own price below

Price per seat, a month

AI fee per resolution

Zero if the tool doesn't meter AI.

AI resolutions a month

Your team size

People who reply to customers.

Intercom Essential costs $87 a month for 3 people; Roper costs $39. That is $48 a month, or $576 a year, less on Roper.

Break-even: Roper costs less from 2 seats. The per-seat tool is cheaper or equal again at 4 seats, because Roper steps from Pro to Team at the fourth seat. Roper's plans.

Monthly cost of the per-seat tool and Roper at each team size, with the difference
Team size	Intercom Essential	Roper	Gap
1 person	$29	$39	$10 more on Roper
2 people	$58	$39	$19 less on Roper
3 people	$87	$39	$48 less on Roper
4 people	$116	$129	$13 more on Roper
5 people	$145	$129	$16 less on Roper
6 people	$174	$129	$45 less on Roper
8 people	$232	$129	$103 less on Roper
10 people	$290	$129	$161 less on Roper
15 people	$435	$129	$306 less on Roper
20 people	$580	$129	$451 less on Roper

Monthly list prices in US dollars, before tax. Roper's AI answers are included, so only the per-seat side carries an AI fee. The per-seat figure at 3 seats with your AI use is $87.

The short answer

A flat plan beats per-seat pricing once the per-seat price times your team passes the flat price. Roper Pro is $39 a month for up to 3 seats and Team is $129 for unlimited seats, so Intercom Essential at $29 a seat costs more than Roper from 2 seats, and Chatwoot Startups at $19 a seat costs more than Roper from 3 seats. Roper's step from Pro to Team at the fourth seat can briefly favour a cheap per-seat tool, so the calculator shows every team size, not just one.

Roper is made by the team that wrote this calculator, and its flat plans are the other side of every comparison. The per-seat prices are list prices from each vendor's own pricing page, checked 2026-10-02. Free plans and feature differences are not counted.

How the calculator works

Per-seat cost = price per seat × people, plus the AI fee per resolution × AI resolutions a month, if the tool meters AI.
Roper's cost is Pro at $39 a month for up to 3 people, and Team at $129 for any number above that. AI answers are included, so there is no AI line.
The break-even point is the smallest team size at which the per-seat tool costs more than Roper. If Roper's step up to Team makes the per-seat tool cheaper again at a larger size, the page says so.
The presets fill in the entry plan of four per-seat tools. Change the numbers to match a quote, a discount or a tool that isn't listed.

When per-seat pricing wins

You are one or two people, and a free plan covers you. Help Scout, Chatwoot, Featurebase and Crisp each have a free plan with limits and no AI. This calculator prices paid plans, so use the support software cost calculator with AI set to 0% to see them.
Your per-seat price is low. Below $19.50 a seat, a tool costs less than Roper Pro at two seats, and below $13 at three. Enter your price to check.
You need a feature a flat plan doesn't have. Roper has one shared inbox with no workflows, round-robin assignment, multilingual support, SSO or SLAs. The cheapest plan is not the right one if it lacks what you need.
Only one person replies. One seat costs the same on any model, and the gap that matters is at three or more.

What the calculator leaves out

Annual discounts and negotiated rates. Everything is monthly list price. Featurebase's seat price is its yearly-billing rate.
Higher plans. A per-seat tool's entry plan is compared. Plans with more features cost more per seat.
What counts as an AI resolution. Vendors define it differently, so the AI line is a scenario from the numbers you enter, not a prediction.
Seat limits on the per-seat side. Help Scout's Standard plan covers up to 25 users and then moves to a higher tier, so very large teams are not modelled exactly.

Questions

Common questions

What is the difference between per-seat and flat-rate pricing?: Per-seat pricing charges for every person who can use the tool, so the bill rises with each hire. Flat-rate pricing charges one price for a plan, which covers a set number of people or an unlimited number. Roper charges a flat price per plan: Pro for up to 3 seats and Team for unlimited seats.
At how many seats is flat pricing cheaper than per-seat?: It depends on the per-seat price. Against Roper's $39 Pro plan, a tool at $29 a seat costs more from 2 seats, one at $19 a seat from 3 seats, and one at $7 a seat from 19 seats. Enter your own price in the calculator to find your number.
Why does the calculator show a step at the fourth seat?: Roper Pro covers 3 seats at $39 a month. A fourth person moves the team to Team at $129 a month, which is unlimited seats. A cheap per-seat tool can be cheaper than Team at four seats and then cost more again as the team grows. The table shows every size so that is visible.
Does the calculator count AI fees?: Yes. Enter the fee per AI resolution and the number of resolutions a month, and it adds them to the per-seat side. Intercom charges from $0.99 per outcome, Help Scout $0.75 and Featurebase $0.49. Roper includes AI answers in both plans, so nothing is added to its side.
Is a flat-rate plan always the better deal?: No. For one or two people, a per-seat tool's free plan, or a very low per-seat price, can cost less. A flat plan can also lack features a per-seat tool has. The calculator compares price only, so check what each plan includes before you decide.

Sources

Answer the repeat questions once, and keep the human path open.

One inbox, one help center, one flat price. $39 a month for Pro.

Get started Try the live demo