Own it or rent it?
Compare the true monthly cost of owning each machine against renting it, factoring resale and how much you actually use it. Get a clear call on every line. Free, no signup.
Own or rent comes down to true monthly cost and utilization. Owned monthly cost is (purchase price minus resale) divided by months of use, plus upkeep. As a rule of thumb, renting wins below roughly 60 to 65 percent utilization and owning wins above it, because an idle owned machine still costs you its full monthly amount.
Your equipment
Owned monthly cost = (purchase − resale) ÷ months of use, plus upkeep. Lines within 10% are flagged for review. Low utilization on a cheaper-to-own machine is also flagged, because idle iron still costs you.
Own vs Rent Advisor
PODOwn vs rent (monthly)
Recommendation
Prefer a spreadsheet? Download the free fleet utilization sheet — real formulas and cited sources built in.
Download the fleet utilization sheet (XLSX)One decision here. Your whole fleet in POD.
This weighs one call at a time. POD reads the equipment logs and costs your team already records and keeps utilization, idle cost, and own-versus-rent guidance live across your whole fleet, from your actual data.
Questions & answers
It comes down to true monthly cost and how much you use the machine. Owning wins on high-utilization equipment you use for many months. Renting wins on machines used briefly or intermittently. This tool compares the two per item and flags anything close as worth a review.
Method & sources
Owned cost per month is the purchase price minus expected resale, spread over the months you will hold it, plus maintenance, insurance and storage — compared against the all-in rental rate. Utilization is the hinge: an owned machine that sits idle still costs its full monthly carry, while a rental only bills when you keep it. The break-even is where high utilization makes ownership cheaper. Financing cost and tax treatment are yours to add.
Methodology reviewed by the Plan of Day construction team · July 2026
Your purchase price, your utilization, your call — we just do the arithmetic.
See your fleet's real numbers.
POD turns the logs you already keep into live equipment and cost metrics. As complete as your data, and it shows you what to add.
Last updated: July 2026