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Pricing tool time: per hour, per session or included in membership?
Three common ways makerspaces charge for equipment, and what each one is good for.
One question comes up at almost every office-hours call: how should we charge for equipment? There's no single right answer, but a few patterns come up again and again.
Included in membership
Simple and friendly. It works well for hand tools and machines that are cheap to run. The risk is that heavy users and occasional members pay the same, which can start to feel unfair once a machine becomes popular.
Per-hour fees
Common for laser cutters and CNC routers, where tubes and bits wear out with use. Keep the rate low enough that members don't rush jobs to save money, because rushed jobs break machines.
Materials and consumables only
Some spaces charge nothing for machine time but sell filament, clay or acrylic sheet at cost. Members like it because they only pay for what they take home.
Whatever you choose, show the price on the booking page before members confirm. Tidewell supports all three models, and you can mix them across different tools.