HiveSuite vs OnRent

HiveSuite vs OnRent at a glance.

The OnRent column only covers what Klipboard publishes, and we haven't tested OnRent ourselves. Where it is shorter than the HiveSuite column, or says not published, the detail isn't public. That doesn't mean OnRent can't do it, so ask for a demo of the rows that matter to you.

Dedicated rental system, or hire inside the whole business?

OnRent grew out of inspHire's rental software and is now sold by Klipboard (Kerridge Commercial Systems). It is rental-first: depots, workshop, telematics, an optional online booking shop and a choice of products for different sizes and sectors. If your firm runs several depots and wants servicing and telematics tied to each hire unit, that depth matters.

HiveSuite treats hire as one part of the business. HiveHire works inside the same jobs, calendar, customer records, team app and invoices as everything else, so a firm that hires kit and also installs, services or does trade work runs it all in one place. It suits independent and growing hire firms that want published prices, every feature on every plan and no long setup.

Hire firms have recently moved to HiveSuite from OnRent. If you are weighing the same move, the sections below show how a hire runs in HiveSuite, where OnRent goes further, and what to check before you switch.

From booking to return in HiveSuite.

Pricing

Rate cards work out every price, automatically calculating the cheapest combination of the months, weeks and days you have set up. £65 a day and £260 a week makes a 1 week and 3 day hire £455. Each booking keeps the price it was booked at.

Availability

The item picker shows how many are free for the dates, counting kit booked, out early or overdue. Overbooking warns with a recorded reason, or blocks the booking.

Rental ordersNew

Each hire gets an order with its own number, customer, site, PO number, quote and terms. Its status follows the kit: Booked, On hire, Off hire, Closed. Add, change or cancel lines on the order with live stock, schedule delivery, collection, exchange and service jobs into HivePlanner, and invoice from the order.

Re-hireNew

Re-hire the same kit to the same customer and site. Choose the start date, same rates or today's rate cards, and keep the same fleet numbers where they are free. A preview shows exactly what carries over.

Dispatch and return

Pick the unit going out, record meter, hours and fuel readings, condition, photos and a signature. Send part of a booking now and the rest later. Returns record end readings and charge usage.

On the road

Name drivers for delivery and collection, price delivery per mile or by distance band from the nearest yard, and see the day's runs on the HivePlanner map. Drivers work from HiveCrew, offline on Android.

Changes during a hireNew

Extend or shorten a hire, pause charging for a breakdown or bad weather, correct the charging start, or move a line to another rate card from a date. Every change is logged with the old and new value.

See the full feature list on the HiveHire page, or the pages for plant hire, tool hire, access equipment and event hire.

Hiring kit in when your own runs short.

Cross-hire is where general job software usually falls short, and it is a standard part of dedicated rental systems like OnRent. HiveHire covers it on rental orders:

• Sub-rent a line from a supplier marked as a hire supplier, with what they charge you (a day, a week, a month or a fixed price) and their reference. Your own stock stays free for other bookings.
• Purchase orders are drafted to each supplier with every hired-in line and haulage leg, delivered to the order's site. They are drafts, so you check and send them.
• Receiving the purchase order marks the kit as on hire to you. When it goes back, record the date and the supplier's off-hire reference.
• Margin: each sub-rented line shows what the customer pays against what the supplier charges for the same dates. Only people allowed to see hire prices see it.
• Transport companies: book a haulier for a delivery or collection. Their cost goes on their purchase order and your charge goes on the hire.

OnRent adds depot-level planning for transfers between your own branches. HiveSuite gives each HivePlanner region its own yard for delivery pricing, but does not move stock between depots, so multi-depot firms should test that part.

Billing kit that stays out for months.

Each hire job in HiveSuite has its own invoice timing, and HiveSuite tracks the periods already billed so the same days aren't charged again:

• On return, on a set date, or recurring every few weeks or monthly on a chosen day, until the last item is back.
• Monthly at month end: a draft on the 1st for the month just gone, dated the last day of that month if you prefer.
• Invoice up to a date: bill kit still out up to any day, from the dashboard, the hire page or HivePlanner, with a preview first. The next invoice starts the day after.
• Billed to and billing history on every line, so anyone can see how far a hire has been invoiced.
• Credit notes can put the credited hire back to be charged again, or leave it as a goodwill credit.

Scheduled invoices are always drafts, so nothing goes to a customer until you send it. Paid invoices are never rewritten. Stripe card payments are available on every plan, and invoices sync to Xero or QuickBooks.

OnRent pricing vs HiveSuite pricing.

HiveSuite's prices include VAT, and HiveHire is included on every plan at no extra cost. Administrators and Staff share seats; Crew, such as drivers and yard staff, have their own.

Published OnRent pricing

Checked on 4 November 2026 from OnRent's pricing page. Prices change, so confirm on the vendor's site before you buy.

• How it is billed: annually, on a 12-month minimum term. Core is £2,980.80 a year including VAT, paid up front.
• VAT: OnRent's prices exclude VAT. HiveSuite's include it.
• Users: Core includes 2 users. The price of extra users isn't published, so ask whether drivers and yard staff need one.

See current HiveSuite pricing. Allow for SMS credits, card processing fees and any external services you connect.

Moving across without a mid-hire change.

1. Export customers, contacts, suppliers and your equipment list from OnRent, and keep copies of open contracts and invoices.
2. Import customers, contacts and suppliers into HiveSuite from spreadsheets, then add your hire items in Inventory as quantity or serialised kit with their fleet numbers.
3. Build rate cards once and attach them to your items. Check a few prices against OnRent before you go live.
4. Run one hire cycle side by side: book new hires in HiveSuite and let short hires already out finish in OnRent. For long-running hires, agree a cutover date, invoice them in OnRent up to it, and book the rest in HiveSuite from the day after.
5. Connect Xero or QuickBooks, invoice the first returns and reconcile, then set the date you stop booking in OnRent.

HiveSuite includes a 30-day free trial with no card needed. Switch on HiveHire from HiveHire Settings or the Modules page and book a real hire before you commit.

Before you decide

How much does OnRent cost in the UK?

OnRent Core is £207 a month excluding VAT (£248.40 including VAT) with 2 users, billed annually on a 12-month minimum term, so £2,980.80 a year including VAT paid up front (checked 4 November 2026). Workshop, multi-depot and meter-based servicing are on Premier, which is priced on request, as is Enterprise. HiveSuite costs from £34.99 a month including VAT, month to month, with HiveHire included on every plan.

Is HiveSuite a good alternative to OnRent?

It is a strong fit for small and mid-sized UK hire firms that want hire, scheduling, customers, team app and invoicing in one system on a published monthly price, especially if they also do installs, servicing or trade work. HiveFleet, also on every plan, adds workshop tools, service reminders by mileage or hours and tracker connections for your own vehicles and plant. Firms that need servicing and tracking on the hire units themselves, stock held per depot or barcode scanning should test those needs carefully, because HiveSuite does not cover them.

Does HiveSuite do cross-hire?

Yes. With sub-rent switched on, any line on a rental order can be hired in from a supplier instead of your own stock. HiveSuite drafts a purchase order to each supplier, keeps your own kit free for other bookings, shows the margin on each line and records when the kit goes back to the supplier.

Does HiveSuite have rental orders like OnRent?

Yes. Rental orders are an optional setting in HiveHire. Each hire gets an order number such as RO-00012 with its customer, site, order (PO) number, quote, terms and status, and delivery, collection, exchange and service jobs are scheduled from the order into HivePlanner.

Can I move my data from OnRent to HiveSuite?

Customers, contacts and suppliers can be imported into HiveSuite from spreadsheets, so export them from OnRent first. Hire items are added in Inventory and set up as quantity or serialised kit, and rate cards are set up once and attached to them. A straightforward approach is to let existing hires finish in OnRent and book new hires in HiveSuite, so there is no change halfway through a hire. Long-running hires, such as cabins out for months, need an agreed cutover date: usually invoice them in OnRent up to that date, then book the rest of the hire in HiveSuite.

Does HiveSuite work offline for drivers?

Yes, in the native Android app. Drivers can dispatch and return kit with readings, photos and signatures with no signal, and each step syncs once the phone reconnects. On iPhone, HiveSuite runs as an installable web app that needs a connection while the native iOS app awaits App Store approval.

Does HiveSuite have workshop and servicing management?

Yes, for your own vehicles and plant, through HiveFleet, which is included on every plan. It keeps a service and repair history with costs, sets services due by date, mileage or hours, records defects from crew checks, and its Workshop tools add work orders, garage quotes and warranties. Trackers from Webfleet, Geotab or any supplier that can send data connect for trips and geofences on registered vehicles. HiveFleet records are separate from HiveHire hire units, which have inspection on return, unit statuses and a Needs attention list, so if your hire kit needs service intervals or tracking per unit, compare that part closely.

Current product details and sources.

OnRent details are taken from Klipboard's product pages, OnRent's pricing page and the Xero app listing. Where a price or feature is not published, this article does not invent one. Software providers change their products and prices, so check the latest on their site.

• OnRent Office (Klipboard)
• OnRent pricing (inspHire)
• OnRent Go (Klipboard)
• OnRent Mobile (Klipboard)
• OnRent Events (Klipboard)
• OnRent eCommerce for OnRent Go (Klipboard)
• OnRent on the Xero App Store

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