- Equipment rental software at a glance
- Eleven equipment rental tools to consider
- Inspections and maintenance belong in the system
- Small rental shop, specialist hire or enterprise fleet?
- Questions to ask in a demo
- Features that prevent double bookings
- Signs it's time to move off spreadsheets
- Moving your inventory across
- My plain advice on choosing rental software
- Frequently asked questions
The best equipment rental software depends on what you hire out: an online booking tool suits small rental shops, a specialist system suits AV, party or tool hire, and an enterprise rental platform suits heavy equipment and crane companies. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
Rental businesses juggle two clocks at once: what's out, and what's coming back. When that lives on a whiteboard, double bookings and lost kit follow soon after.
The eleven tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from online booking tools for small shops to systems for large equipment fleets. Every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If customers book online, my piece on how online booking reduces no-shows is a helpful companion.
Equipment rental software at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free app or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alert Rental | Cloud-based rental management platform | Long-running rental businesses | Not stated |
| Booqable | Rental software for inventory and bookings | Online bookings for small rental firms | Trial only |
| Current RMS | Equipment rental management software | AV and event equipment rental | Trial only |
| EZRentOut | Equipment rental software for growing fleets | Teams outgrowing whiteboards | Not stated |
| InTempo | Rental management for local and regional businesses | Local and regional rental stores | Not stated |
| Point of Rental | Inventory and hire management software | Rental firms of all sizes | Not stated |
| Quipli | All-in-one equipment rental software | Construction and tool hire | Not stated |
| Rentman | Rental business management software for AV | Production companies | Trial only |
| RentMy | Equipment rental software and management platform | Bikes, boats and baby gear | Trial only |
| TWICE | Circular commerce platform for rental and resale | Retailers adding rental | Not stated |
| Wynne Systems | Enterprise rental ERP and equipment management | Heavy equipment and crane hire | Not stated |
Eleven equipment rental tools to consider
Alert Rental
Best for: Tool, construction and event hire companies that want inventory, contracts, dispatching and maintenance in one cloud system.
Booqable
Best for: Small rental businesses that want inventory and online bookings, with a two-week trial and a website shop.
Current RMS
Best for: Hire companies that want customer relationships, inventory, crew scheduling and testing and maintenance in one system.
EZRentOut
Best for: Teams whose availability lives on a whiteboard or one person's memory and want a single platform instead.
InTempo
Best for: Local and regional rental businesses in party, AV, construction or aerial equipment that want an all-in-one command centre.
Point of Rental
Best for: Equipment, event, general and specialty rental companies that want a choice of cloud-hosted or self-hosted software.
Quipli
Best for: Construction, heavy equipment and tool rental firms that want an online storefront and an AI assistant answering requests.
Rentman
Best for: AV and production companies that want to plan productions, track equipment and talk to crew from one platform.
RentMy
Best for: Shops renting bikes, boats, kayaks, baby gear and bounce houses that want a rental website, app and CRM.
TWICE
Best for: Retail brands that want to add rental, resale and subscriptions to their existing shop.
Wynne Systems
Best for: Heavy equipment, crane and specialty rental companies that need enterprise rental ERP and dealer rental tools.
Inspections and maintenance belong in the system
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) covers inspection of work equipment, maintenance, training and competence, and mobile work equipment.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Rental software that logs inspections and maintenance against each item makes it far easier to show equipment was safe when it went out, and to stop faulty kit leaving the yard.
Small rental shop, specialist hire or enterprise fleet?
Small rental shops need online bookings, availability and a simple website shop. Specialist hire companies, such as AV, party and tool hire, need crew scheduling, packing lists or job sheets. Enterprise fleets need dispatch, telematics links, dealer tools and deep reporting across branches.
Look closely at the industries a vendor names on its site. Most are strongest in two or three, and that's fine as long as yours is one of them.
Questions to ask in a demo
- How does it show availability across items, kits and branches?
- Can customers book and sign agreements online?
- How are inspections and maintenance recorded?
- Does it handle delivery and collection scheduling?
- Can it scan barcodes or QR codes on items?
- Which accounting tools does it connect to?
Features that prevent double bookings
- Live availability. One calendar for every item and kit.
- Barcode scanning. Items checked out and in without guesswork.
- Damage notes. Photos and condition logged at return.
- Maintenance alerts. Kit is serviced before it fails.
Signs it's time to move off spreadsheets
Double bookings, kit nobody can find and customers ringing to check availability are the usual signs. If they happen every week, rental software will be worth the effort of switching.
Moving your inventory across
Don't try to move everything in one weekend. Start with your most-hired items, check every booking for a fortnight, then add the rest. It's slower, but you'll catch problems while they're small and your staff won't lose faith in the new system.
Do you make equipment rental software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing rental software
Choose software built for your kind of hire. A bike rental shop and a crane company both rent equipment, but they need very different screens. Ask each vendor for customers like you and talk to one if you can.
Then start with your messiest kit: the item that's always double booked or always coming back damaged. If the system handles that well, the rest will follow. My guide to booking websites for small businesses covers the customer-facing side.
Frequently asked questions
What is equipment rental software?
It manages rental inventory, bookings, contracts, deliveries, returns and maintenance for businesses that hire out equipment.
Is there free equipment rental software?
None of the tools on this list named a free plan on the pages I read. Several offer free trials, so check the table.
Can customers book rentals online?
Many tools here include an online shop or booking page connected to live availability.
Does rental software track maintenance?
Several tools record inspections and maintenance against each item. Ask how it works in the demo.
What's the difference between rental software and inventory software?
Rental software tracks items going out and coming back by date. Inventory software tracks stock you sell.
Which rental software suits AV and event hire?
Some tools here are built for AV and production companies, with crew and project planning. Check the good for column.
