Fully hosted cloud vs self-hosted private cloud. Here's how they compare.
Prices exclude VAT, GST, US sales tax, and other applicable local taxes unless stated otherwise.
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// Also included with every Specifi plan
None of the competitors above include these.
iPoint is a Filemaker-based self-hosted private cloud. By default the database server runs on a Windows machine you own (Win 10, Server 2016 or Server 2019); a cloud-hosted option is available on request and priced separately. Setup, migration, and onboarding costs are not publicly available and are not included above. Per-active-user charging means seasonal seats may bill lower than the headline figure.
Pricing based on published rates, April 2026. Competitor pricing sourced from publicly available information. Specifi pricing served via region detection. Prices exclude VAT, GST, US sales tax, and other applicable local taxes unless stated otherwise.
Decades of refinement in inventory management and back-office operations. For integrators running complex warehouse operations with multi-location stock tracking, iPoint's depth is hard to match. The self-hosted private-cloud architecture also appeals to teams that want their data on a server they physically own, with their own backup and access policies. An established user base means proven workflows that have been battle-tested over years.
Fully hosted cloud with no server to run, no desktop installs, no IT overhead: access your business from any device, anywhere, with software updates that ship to everyone at once. A full marketing suite beyond email (website builder, Echo social media, SEO tools, blogs, managed services) that iPoint doesn't offer. Native Outlook plus Gmail and Google Calendar. Xero accounting alongside QuickBooks. Bob the AI across the stack, SureBright extended warranty options, transparent tier-based pricing with all features at every tier, no hidden setup or migration costs. And active development velocity: 380+ features shipped since November 2024.
iPoint is a proven, deep operations platform for integrators who want a private-cloud setup and mature multi-location inventory, and are comfortable running their own Windows database server (or paying for iPoint's cloud-hosted option). Specifi is the modern alternative: fully hosted cloud, transparent pricing, a broader marketing and accounting toolkit, AI built in, and active development. If you'd rather not own and maintain a server, and you want the breadth of a modern platform built for how integrators work in 2026, Specifi is the platform.
iPoint's default architecture asks every integration firm to host its own database on a Windows machine they own. The supported environments are Windows 10, Server 2016, or Server 2019. That means a piece of physical or virtual hardware to provision, patch, back up, and replace; a Windows licence; an IT person (or contractor) on call when something is wrong on the server; and a network configured to expose that database to remote technicians safely. iPoint offers a cloud-hosted option on request, which removes that overhead but adds line items to the bill. Specifi is fully cloud-hosted by default, accessed from any modern browser on any device, with native iOS and Android apps already built. No server. No IT overhead.
The second pressure point is the per-user cost curve. iPoint's $150-a-month base is just the entry point. Each user adds roughly $60 a month, so a five-person team is already at $450 a month base before setup, migration, and any add-on capabilities. Setup and onboarding fees are not published. iPoint also lacks a real marketing surface (no website builder, no SEO tools, no social-media workflow, no blog), so the cost of the stack to run the business compounds quickly once those tools are paid for separately. Specifi's tier-based pricing covers every feature, every user, and the marketing suite, at a flat fee.
Specifi's onboarding team has translated iPoint customer records, product data, project history, inventory, and service tickets into Specifi's native customer-and-project model enough times to have the path down. The mapping from iPoint's Filemaker-style private-cloud structure into Specifi's cloud database is straightforward in the common cases (customers, projects, products, invoices), and we handle the awkward edges (custom fields, legacy attachments, multi-location stock) as part of the migration. Most teams complete the switch in two to three weeks including a side-by-side period where both systems run in parallel.
After the switch, the change you notice first is operational, not feature-by-feature. There is no Windows server in the corner of the office to worry about. There is no version-mismatch between the field tech's laptop and the database. Field technicians log in from a phone or tablet anywhere with signal. New features ship to everyone at once instead of arriving in an updater pack. The marketing surface (website, Echo social, SEO, blogs) and the broader accounting integrations (Xero alongside QuickBooks) are already in place, so the tools that used to live outside iPoint move into the same platform.
iPoint has two genuine strengths we will not pretend match ours today. Multi-location inventory tracking has had decades of refinement, with battle-tested workflows that handle complex warehouse operations cleanly. And recurring invoicing with stored payment methods (the engine for service contracts and monitored-systems revenue) ships in iPoint today; Specifi has recurring invoicing on the 2026 roadmap rather than in the current product. If your business is built around warehouse-grade inventory plus auto-charged recurring revenue, and you are comfortable running (or paying iPoint to run) your own Windows database server, iPoint remains a credible choice and we will say so on the demo.
We chose Specifi for its modern interface, streamlined project timelines, and advanced time management and proposal software. Specifi has streamlined our process from start to finish, and provides a more professional appearance to our clients. Their support is superb, often fixing issues within minutes of them being reported. They're innovating at a much faster pace than others in the space.
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A 30-minute side-by-side with iPoint if that's useful.
