Studio Manager 18 Pricing

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The Price List
Extremely Customizable
FileMaker Pro 19 Pricing
Low Risk Startup Option
Support and training?

The Studio Manager 18 Price List

A price chart for Studio Manager 18 is shown below. If you are upgrading from a previous version of Studio Manager, you are eligible for a 20-60% discount, see details on the Upgrades page.

Keep in mind that Studio Manager 18 requires FileMaker Pro 17, 18 or 19 to run on a Mac or PC computer. FileMaker Pro 19.5x is recommended to take full advantage of all features. If you are new to FileMaker or need to upgrade your FileMaker Pro, you will have an additional expense (see below for more on FileMaker purchases).

As far as Studio Manager is concerned, users means concurrent users. Concurrent users are all connected to Studio Manager at the same time. Users = seats.

How many users do you have?

In a small shop, you might have 4 people using SM18 on their computers and 1 user who logs in remotely from an iPad. Therefore, you have a total of 5 users. [As long as they are connected at the same time.] Let’s say that iPad user is on staff and only connects remotely when they’re working from home. If they quit out of Studio Manager before leaving the office, then their connection is not concurrent and you only have 4 users.

Even though our prices give big discounts for buying more seats, we don’t think you should have to pay for more users than necessary. For instance, let’s say you have 20 people in your office that need access to Studio Manager, but for 5 of them that need is infrequent, perhaps once a day to enter their timesheet. You could schedule it so that 5 other people quit out of SM18 for half an hour while those 5 folks login from their iPhones and enter their time. If that’s the case, you only have 15 users. Buy what you need, but don’t buy more. You can always add more seats later if your business grows.

Here’s another possibility. Let’s say you can’t login because the user limit has been exceeded [you’ll see an error message]. Check with your workmates to see if someone could make room for you by closing Studio Manager or quitting out of FileMaker Pro, for as long as you need to confirm the status of a project or record your time. Then you quit and let them know they can log back on.

Extremely Customizable

The Full Access version, listed at the bottom of the price table, unlocks Studio Manager, giving you 100% access to the source code (of SM, not FileMaker). There are absolutely no restrictions on customization with the Unlimited Site License. All other copies of Studio Manager are still extremely customizable. Even without the source code you can add and edit fields, add or modify scripts, and create or change layouts. That includes adding reports, changing fonts, placing logos on PDFs and much more. The user manual and some FileMaker skill are all that’s required.

Claris FileMaker Pro Pricing

Single Users can Upgrade for $217

[installs only if you already own a license for FileMaker Pro Advanced versions 16, 17, or 18; or FileMaker Pro 16.]

This is a great deal if you previously purchased an eligible version. See this page for single user prices on the Claris Store. The full price for a solo user these days is $594.

Options for Multi-User Systems

The Team Pricing page on the Claris Store website shows you an overview of the purchasing options currently available. Licenses are sold for a minimum of 5 users, either outright (Perpetual) or as an Annual license, priced differently depending on length of contract, and whether you choose to use FileMaker Server or FileMaker Cloud.

If you find yourself confused by all the options, you are in good company. To make sure you get exactly what you need, contact Claris directly (800) 725-2747 or claris_sales@claris.com. If upgrading, you’ll need to have your license numbers.

Tokerud Consulting Group has used FileMaker Server in-house for many years. We know it to be robust and reliable, especially when installed on the fastest computer you can afford. [The Mac mini is a good choice, especially the most recent M1 or M2 model loaded with lots of RAM and and a Solid State hard drive. Run it “headless” via remote access or attach a small monitor.] Apple Server will take advantage of as much RAM as you can afford. This is not a place to skimp.

Both FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud offer automated backup and excellent database management features. Claris will tell you that you need either Server or Cloud if you have more than one license. Personal file sharing (allowing you to share a FileMaker file with up to 5 users without a dedicated server) has been deprecated (is no longer supported). The feature still exists for testing purposes. If you have a very small firm, 2–5 users, it can be used at your own risk [with lots of regular backups strongly recommended].

Low Risk SM Startup

Some customers start with the purchase a single seat of Studio Manager so they can make sure the app will work for them, or because they intend to customize it to suit their needs. Usually folks who begin this way, then when they’ve decided to add more seats, want to be able to apply the $695 they paid initially

To help with this, you receive a 90-day grace period during which you can add seats and apply your full initial purchase price. You may ultimately decide, for example, to buy the 10-user license for $2295. As long as you make that purchase within 90 days, your additional cost is only $1600.

Our customers often roll out Studio Manager in phases, starting with a single knowledgeable and committed staff person (likely a manager) reading and learning from the manuals. Buying a single-user copy of Studio Manager and a single copy of FileMaker Pro can be a great starting point. You get the full functionality of the product at a very reasonable price and you don’t need a dedicated server. That person can then train others as you ramp up. Of course, it’s up to you. We just want to provide this low risk option to those who like the gradual approach.

What about support and training?

We provide one hour of free support to answer any quick questions you have as you are getting started. After that, Janet provides the bulk of our tech support in chunks of 10 minutes for $25 each. By judiciously using those 10 minute increments, our customers keep their support costs to a minimum.

By popular demand, we do not bundle support services into the price of Studio Manager, nor is there a monthly or annual maintenance contract (and fee). We’ve been consulting with creative services firms for 40 years and have seen way too many differences from one business to another, especially given our global customer base. Therefore, we provide customization, training and support on request.

As you might imagine, the more a customer gets out of Studio Manager, the more they are inclined to spend on customization so that they can reap further benefit. On average our customers spend a very reasonable $500 to $1,000 with us on support, training and customization. Some of our larger installations spend thousands for fairly elaborate customizations to fit their well-entrenched practices. Others spend nothing because they choose to adapt to Studio Manager as is, or because they’re able to  customize in-house. We’ve taken a great deal of care designing the product and writing our user manuals so that your support requirements are limited. To be honest, most Studio Manager customers, after reading the manuals, never request support or training at all.

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