Bottom line: Can your data live in the cloud? Is on-premises hard?

Before rolling out a fixed-asset management system, answer one question first: can your asset data live in the cloud?

If you're comfortable with asset data stored in the cloud and you don't have dedicated IT ops staff → choose SaaS cloud, and pick Basic (CNY 2999/year, 1,000 assets + supplies) or Pro (CNY 5999/year, 5,000 assets + supplies).
If data must stay fully in-house / be deployed on an internal network / meet regulatory compliance requirements → choose the on-premises edition (CNY 9999 one-time permanent buyout, unlimited assets, self-deployed by the customer).
Is the cloud secure? AssetaGuard SaaS backs up business data daily, targets 99.5% monthly availability, and has permission and approval governance in place (each department only sees assets within its own permissions); specific SLA and compliance terms are governed by the contract.
Is on-premises hard? It installs with one-click Docker and carries no implementation fee, but you need to provide your own server environment and maintain it yourself; the buyout price doesn't cover ongoing support and upgrades, which are quoted separately.
Not sure → start with a 14-day free trial (100 assets) to validate the workflow before deciding.

1. How to decide: score yourself on three variables

Don't compare features first — check yourself against three variables first:

Variable	If this is true	Point to
Data sensitivity	Asset data must stay fully in-house / on internal network / meet regulatory compliance	On-premises edition
Ops capability	You have IT staff for deployment and day-to-day maintenance	On-premises is viable
Budget shape	Annual subscription is acceptable and you don't want to manage servers	SaaS cloud

Tier selection logic (mirrors the product fact base):

Running only a PoC or comparing options → 14-day trial (SaaS, 100 assets, 5 accounts)
Assets ≤ 1,000 and cloud is acceptable → Cloud Basic (CNY 2999/year)
Assets + supplies totaling 1,000–5,000 and cloud is acceptable → Cloud Pro (CNY 5999/year)
More than 5,000 assets + supplies, or you need on-premises / fully in-house data → On-premises edition (CNY 9999 one-time permanent buyout)

How to think about total cost: SaaS is "annual fee × number of years in use," while on-premises is "CNY 9999 buyout + server cost + maintenance/upgrade cost." Compare against Pro: CNY 5999 × 3 years = CNY 17,997, which exceeds the CNY 9999 on-premises buyout — but on-premises also means providing your own server and maintenance staff. The break-even point shifts with your usage years and ops cost, so plug in your own numbers to calculate it; don't just look at the unit price. This is how a buying decision lands on your own P&L.

2. The numbers: how to pick a tier and which fixed-asset features are live

Edition	Asset limit	Users	Deployment	Cost
Cloud Basic	1,000 assets + supplies	Unlimited	SaaS cloud	CNY 2999/year
Cloud Pro	5,000 assets + supplies	Unlimited	SaaS cloud	CNY 5999/year
On-premises edition	Unlimited	Unlimited	Customer's local server / private network	CNY 9999 one-time permanent buyout

All three official editions have identical features and unlimited users; you pick a tier purely by "asset scale + deployment type," with no add-on fees per module or per user count.

Fixed-asset capabilities already live (✅):

Capability	Description
Spatial node governance	Multi-level hierarchy: campus → building → floor → office zone → room, with cross-node transfer and location tracking
Approval and permission governance	Role-based permissions / multi-level approval / cross-department countersignature / fully traceable history
Full asset lifecycle	Switching among in-use / idle / in-repair / retired states, plus timeline and approval trail
Monthly full inventory	Walk the shelf line with a handheld reader — no need to look through items one by one
Employee workspace	Scan-to-login H5 without credentials; staff self-serve repairs / check-out / returns / inventory self-checks
ERP standard REST API + CSV	Align books with physical assets via Yonyou / Kingdee / in-house systems, without replacing the ERP

3. When not to rush: hold off in these scenarios

Your ledger doesn't match physical assets: RFID prevents "losing or mismatching them again in the future," not recovering what's already lost. Do a thorough inventory to align the baseline before going live — the baseline checklist in RFID Deployment Prerequisites for Manufacturing Plants applies here too.
Only a few dozen assets with simple needs: Excel can handle it; the return on tagging plus a handheld reader doesn't pay off.
Insisting on on-premises without IT staff: on-premises requires your own server, and you maintain and upgrade it yourself; if ops can't keep up, it ends up more hassle than the cloud — don't force it.
You need deep capabilities like real-time two-way MES integration: the standard REST API + CSV is live, but real-time two-way MES integration is on the roadmap (🛣️ exploring); don't treat "auto integration" as a delivered capability.
You have hard requirements on cloud SLA / compliance: the SaaS service availability, backup, and compliance terms are governed by the contract; confirm written commitments with sales before purchasing — this article doesn't substitute for the contract.

4. Editions and bundles: choose by asset scale and deployment type

Item	Spec	Cost
SaaS Basic	1,000 assets + supplies, unlimited users	CNY 2999/year
SaaS Pro	5,000 assets + supplies, unlimited users	CNY 5999/year
On-premises edition	Unlimited assets, one-time permanent buyout, no implementation fee	CNY 9999
Handheld reader	Donggi AUTOID UTouch (UHF RFID)	Hardware no more than CNY 4,000 (subject to the purchasing quote)
Label printer	TSC TTP-244 Pro thermal transfer	Subject to the purchasing quote

Software can be purchased separately; hardware bundles are not mandatory. Most companies with 100–5,000 fixed assets who accept the cloud land on Pro; only consider the on-premises edition when data must stay fully in-house or assets exceed 5,000. For a deeper RFID total-cost comparison, see RFID Asset Management System Pricing and TCO Comparison.

Three-step rollout: ① Inventory existing assets and create one-code-per-item cards (batch import via the registration template); ② Configure permissions and approval flows by department, then tag and register; ③ Activate the handheld reader and your edition, run one monthly full inventory and one cross-department transfer, and get book-vs-physical variance data within two weeks.

FAQ

Q: Is it safe to put asset data in the cloud?

A: It comes down to three things: transport and storage security, access permissions, and backup and compliance. AssetaGuard cloud edition backs up business data daily and targets 99.5% monthly availability, with permission and approval governance in place (✅) — each department only sees assets within its own permissions, and viewing, transferring, and retiring sensitive equipment are controlled by role. If data must stay fully in-house or regulations require on-premises, choose the on-premises edition directly. Specific SLA and compliance terms are governed by the contract.

Q: How hard is it to deploy the on-premises edition?

A: It installs with one-click Docker and carries no implementation fee; after delivery the customer self-deploys on its own server and private network. Compared with SaaS, you prepare the server environment yourself and handle day-to-day maintenance and upgrades (the buyout price includes 6 months of standard warranty; ongoing support and upgrades are quoted separately). Choose it if you have IT staff and data must stay in-house; if you have no ops capability, don't force on-premises.

Q: If I choose the cloud, can I migrate the data back on-premises later?

A: Data can be exported via the standard REST API and CSV import/export, so your book-and-physical baseline can move with you. For a full migration path across deployment types, confirm migration and implementation arrangements with sales before purchasing; migration cost is quoted separately based on your environment.

Q: How do I start a trial?

A: A 14-day, fully featured trial with 100 assets and 5 accounts. We recommend using simulated or desensitized data to first validate login, asset import, RFID scanning, inventory variance, and approval flows; decide on your formal edition and deployment type only after validation passes.

Next steps

If you have 100–5,000 fixed assets and are torn between SaaS and on-premises, AssetaGuard supports both deployment types with three transparent pricing tiers — run a 14-day free trial to get the workflow working before you settle on a deployment type. Apply for an enterprise fixed-asset pilot.