Sonderplan

Sonderplan is a cloud-based resource scheduler for coordinating people, rooms and equipment. It is most compelling for post-production and other creative or rental teams managing shared resources, rather than organizations seeking a flat-fee plan.

Overview

Bookings sit alongside schedule views, filters and clash detection, giving teams ways to spot conflicts and check resource availability. Read-only schedule access and private project settings are useful when a team needs to share availability while keeping sensitive production projects private. The trade-off is that subscription cost changes with both user and resource counts.

Key features

Scheduling and calendar sharing

Timeline, calendar and grid views let users look at bookings from different angles, while filters help narrow a schedule and clash detection flags resource conflicts. Shared iCalendar feeds can sync bookings with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook and other calendars, a practical option for people who want schedule updates in their usual calendar app.

Integrations, API and access

Sonderplan connects to more than 6,000 cloud tools through Zapier and names Xero, QuickBooks, Asana, Clockify, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot and Google Sheets among its integrations. That breadth may suit teams already working across several services, though the stated connection route is Zapier. A REST API and SAML 2.0 single sign-on are included at no extra cost, with providers including Microsoft Azure AD, Google Workspace, Okta and OneLogin.

Read-only schedule access and private project settings give teams a way to limit what others can see. The data processing agreement describes security measures, breach notification and EU Standard Contractual Clauses with a UK Addendum; it also says personal data may be transferred to servers in the United States, a point organizations should weigh against their data-handling requirements.

Support and service limits

Email technical support runs 7AM to 7PM AEST, seven days a week, alongside user help and developer documentation. Subscriptions allow unlimited listed records, including bookings and projects, subject to a reasonable usage clause. Teams needing purchase orders or PayPal can request bespoke pricing.

Pricing

The Flexible subscription is shown as free (billed Calculator price shown as $0.00 / month; varies by number of users and resources, with monthly and annual options). It charges for users and resources used and includes unlimited bookings, projects, contacts, quotes, invoices, billable items, services, schedules and calendar feed exports, subject to a reasonable usage clause. That record allowance can work for teams with changing workloads, but the user-and-resource basis means it does not provide a fixed subscription total.

Sonderplan has no free plan. Its free 30-day trial requires no credit card, so a team can assess whether the scheduling workflow fits before taking on a subscription. New users or resources are prorated until renewal. The plan includes a reservation workflow, dispatch board and mobile app, but not custom asset fields.

Platforms

Sonderplan runs in the cloud in a modern web browser as a progressive web app that can be downloaded to desktop and mobile devices. Its supported platforms are Android, iOS, macOS, web, Windows and API access. This mix suits teams working across desktop and mobile, although the product is browser-based rather than described as separate native desktop software.

Who it's for

The maker designs Sonderplan for post-production firms and says creative agencies, equipment rental companies, universities, recording studios and film studios also use it. It is a strong fit where several people need to coordinate bookings for shared rooms or equipment, particularly when clash detection, calendar feeds and private project settings matter. Teams that need custom asset fields or a fixed, easy-to-forecast fee should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Timeline, calendar and grid views plus clash detection help teams inspect schedules and catch resource conflicts.
• Pros: Calendar feeds, more than 6,000 Zapier-connected tools, API access and SAML 2.0 support suit teams that need scheduling to connect with existing workflows.
• Pros: The 30-day no-card trial offers time to assess the product before subscribing.
• Cons: Billing varies with users and resources, so costs can change as a team grows or its resource needs shift.
• Cons: Custom asset fields are not included, and the unlimited-record allowance is subject to a reasonable usage clause.
• Cons: Personal data may be transferred to servers in the United States, which may not suit every organization's data requirements.

Alternatives

For a broader category comparison, see Equipment Scheduling Software. Choose LabArchives instead if a free plan with two owned notebooks, 1GB per user and a 25MB file limit better matches the job. HireHop is an alternative for rental businesses wanting a free one-user Starter plan with quotes, bookings, customer management and basic stock control.

Rentman may suit teams that prefer a platform subscription with CRM, communication, task management and team collaboration; its Rentman Platform plan is €39 a month when paying monthly, with yearly payment saving 8%. Consider EquipmentShare, Sycor.Rental, Texada Rental Management, EQUIPR Software or integraRental as other paid options in the equipment and rental software category.

Verdict

Sonderplan is a good choice for production, creative and rental teams that need resource booking, clash detection and calendar sharing in one cloud service. Its most persuasive advantages are schedule visibility, integrations and access controls; its main drawback is usage-based billing, alongside the lack of custom asset fields. Choose it when those scheduling tools fit the work, and look elsewhere if predictable fixed pricing or custom asset data is essential.