Rentman is excellent for large audiovisual outfits that can absorb €45-99 per user per month. If you are a Swiss SME with 3-10 users, ark.stock covers 90 % of use cases at flat pricing — and adds Swiss QR-bill invoicing via ark.plan, Swiss hosting and nFADP compliance that Rentman does not offer.
The European event heavyweight. Powerful — and expensive.
Rentman is based in Utrecht, Netherlands and is among the European references for technical event providers — especially firms with 10+ staff running complex crew scheduling, transport, subrenting. Modern UI, deep integrations (Xero, QuickBooks, Zapier via their official marketplace). The bill escalates fast with team size because the model combines a flat platform fee, per-Power-User modules and optional add-ons.
Very detailed crew planning and field ops (Crew Planner, schedule conflicts, bulk messaging).
Integrated transport / logistics (trucks, drivers, delivery notes).
Native accounting integrations: Xero, QuickBooks, MoneyBird, Exact.
Active European community + industry templates (concerts, broadcast, corporate).
Per-user, per-module billing: 5 Power Users on Equipment Scheduling Standard = €39 + 5×€14 = €109/month minimum, before add-ons (Quoting, History Logs, Equipment Tracking).
No native Swiss QR-bill — invoicing tuned to the Dutch market, not SIX/ISO 20022.
AWS hosting outside Switzerland (Rentman discloses AWS as their cloud storage provider) — not compliant for sovereign-CH storage requirements.
No native accounting module — you always route through an external integration (Xero, etc.).
| Feature | ark.stock | Rentman |
|---|---|---|
| Items + serials + photos | Yes | Yes |
| QR / barcode / NFC scanner | Yes | Yes |
| Hierarchical containers + flight cases | Yes | Yes |
| Rental projects (5 states, conflicts) | Yes | Yes |
| Crew scheduling | Partial | Yes |
| ark.stock covers basic assignment; no field planning as deep as Rentman Crew Planner. | ||
| Transport / delivery logistics | No | Yes |
| Swiss invoicing via ark.plan (SIX / ISO 20022 QR-bill) | Yes | No |
| Versioned quotes + e-signature (via ark.plan) | Yes | Partial |
| On ark.stock, quotes and signature run through the ark.plan integration — no double entry. | ||
| Swiss hosting (Infomaniak Geneva, ISO 27001) | Yes | No |
| Rentman runs on AWS. | ||
| Swiss nFADP + GDPR compliance | Yes | Partial |
| Isolated instance per customer (dedicated database and container) | Yes | No |
| Flat pricing (no per-user billing) | Yes | No |
| Modular activation — pay for what you enable | Yes | Partial |
| Full CSV / Excel / PDF export anytime | Yes | Yes |
What the matrix above asserts, here's how it looks inside ark.stock. Previews faithfully rebuilt from the app.
SIX QR-bill embedded on every invoice. ISO 20022 standard, native IBAN, scanned and paid by any Swiss bank.
Versioned quotes with immutable snapshots. Each send freezes prices and terms — 100 % traceability without guessing what was on the table 6 months ago.
Fast loan in three steps: QR scan, pick borrower, validate. 80 % of loans are routine — the app removes the friction on those 80 %.
Example with 5 Power Users on Rentman: platform €39/month + Equipment Scheduling Standard 5×€14 = €109/month minimum. Add Crew Scheduling Essential (5×€14 = €70), Quoting (5×€9 = €45) and Equipment Tracking (5×€9 = €45), total ≈ €269/month. ark.stock Pro: CHF 79/month flat, 5 users included, all modules active. Figures computed from Rentman public grid — actual commercial terms may differ.
For 90 % of Swiss rental companies (3-10 users, 500-5 000 items): yes. Serial-numbered inventory, QR flight cases, projects with conflicts, send/return sessions, planned maintenance. Quotes and QR-bill invoicing follow via ark.plan, with no double entry. The 10 % who need Rentman Crew Planner or Transport module should stay on Rentman — that is the honest answer.
Rentman supports full CSV export (items, clients, projects). ark.stock Import/Export module maps your columns in a 4-step wizard and imports in 1 000-row batches with strict validation. We guide the first migration (1 h session) free of charge for Pro and Enterprise plans.
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