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MakerOps

How MakerOps compares to the other platforms a makerspace evaluates.

All competitor information on this page is taken from the vendors' own published materials and carries a link to the source it came from. Compiled and last verified 2026-08-11. Where a vendor does not publish something, this page says so rather than filling the gap with a guess.

Our own pricing is published in full — every tier, cap, and add-on rate — at makerops.ai/pricing .

Capability comparison

17 capabilities that separate these platforms in practice, plus how each one is priced. Every rating links to the source it came from. See the full matrix →

Capability comparison across 6 platforms. Ratings reflect what each vendor documents in their own published materials, observed 2026-08-11. A dash means we did not find the capability documented; it is not a statement that the product lacks it.
Capability MakerOps Coworks Fabman QReserve Recursion.space Spacebring
Access & Safety
First-party hardware that switches machine mains power MakerOps: Shipped. Customer-owned ESP32-based controller, $249 one-time, switching the machine through a relay or dry-contact interlock. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Shipped. Fabman Bridge FB-V2, €249 one-time, switches the machine's mains power. Source observed 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Shipped. Physical tool lockout through its own $150 Equipment Node. Source observed 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Training-gated equipment access MakerOps: Shipped. Required credentials are evaluated at power-on; an unqualified scan does not energize the machine. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Shipped. Documented as permissions granted by training. Source observed 2026-08-11. Fabman: Shipped. Documented as training-gated equipment access. Source observed 2026-08-11. QReserve: Shipped. Credential-gated booking. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Shipped. Equipment training modules gate access. Source observed 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Door / facility access control MakerOps: Partial, or available through an integration. ROADMAP ROW — read the footnote. The software side ships today: credential-based door rules, registered scan devices, approved-badge sync, and occupancy. The FIRST-PARTY DOOR CONTROLLER is not built yet. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Partial, or available through an integration. Documented via integrations with Brivo, Salto, Kisi, Doordeck, PDK, Unifi, Avigilon Alta, and Verkada — not first-party hardware. Source observed 2026-08-11. Fabman: Shipped. Documented door lock support. Source observed 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Shipped. First-party $200 Door Node. Source observed 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Partial, or available through an integration. Documented via third-party integrations with Kisi, SALTO KS, Brivo, and Avigilon Alta — not first-party hardware. Source observed 2026-08-11.
Operates during network loss (offline credentials stored in mobile app) MakerOps: Shipped. Members' phones carry device-signed offline credentials and unlock equipment over Bluetooth, so a network outage does not strand a qualified user at a dead machine. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Learning
Author training content from slides, images, and video, with graded quizzes and SCORM import MakerOps: Shipped. Slides, images, and video authored in-platform, with graded question blocks and pass thresholds — not just completion tracking against content made elsewhere. Existing SCORM 1.2 packages import alongside natively authored content. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Partial, or available through an integration. Equipment training modules are documented; authoring depth — video, slides, graded quizzes — is not. Source observed 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Training and LMS wired directly to credentials and machine access MakerOps: Shipped. Completing a training issues the credential, and the credential is what the machine checks at power-on — one record, no export between an LMS and an access system. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Digital waivers with signature capture and evidentiary record MakerOps: Shipped. Drawn-signature capture with a retained evidentiary record. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Partial, or available through an integration. eSignature is documented; waiver-specific signature capture with an evidentiary record is not. Source observed 2026-08-11.
Credential expiration and composite credentials MakerOps: Shipped. Expiring credentials, prerequisite chains, and composite credentials built from other credentials. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Partial, or available through an integration. Credentials and training are documented as a Standard-tier feature; expiration and composite credentials specifically are not documented. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Operations
Native iOS and Android apps MakerOps: Shipped. Native iOS and Android apps for members and staff. App Store listing live; Google Play listing submitted 2026-08-08 and in review as of 2026-08-11. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Shipped. Member Mobile app, documented from the entry tier; a custom-branded App Store listing is documented on Enterprise. Source observed 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Shipped. White-label member app, documented as a paid add-on with no published price. Source observed 2026-08-11.
Inventory and procurement (request → approval → receive) MakerOps: Shipped. Request, approval, and receiving against internal ordering lists. No vendor punch-out. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Partial, or available through an integration. Automatic material deduction with low-stock alerts is documented; a request → approval → receive procurement workflow is not. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Maintenance scheduling MakerOps: Shipped. Recurring schedules per machine and per fleet. We do not claim CMMS parity: meter-triggered preventive maintenance, parts consumption linked to work orders, and MTBF/MTTR analytics are not part of this. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Shipped. Maintenance blocks. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Staff scheduling, shift swap, and clock in / out MakerOps: Shipped. Shift rota with staff-initiated shift swap, geofence-aware clock in and out, and time reporting. Time tracking is a module a tenant switches on. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Label creation for machines and inventory, scanned in the mobile app MakerOps: Shipped. Label templates and printing for equipment and inventory, with QR codes the mobile app scans to open the machine or item. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Machine and supply pages for your own website, with live status MakerOps: Shipped. Public equipment and supply catalogue pages run on your own tenant domain. Machines show a live operational state — Operational, or Down for maintenance — and supply pages show live stock per item, either an exact quantity with its unit or an in/out-of-stock flag. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Tour requests with scheduling, invitations, and reminders MakerOps: Shipped. Tour request forms, scheduling onto a guide, confirmation and reminder email, and a day-of guide view on mobile. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Partial, or available through an integration. Tours are documented, alongside lead-capture forms. Scheduling tours onto staff, invitations, and reminders are not separately documented. Source observed 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. QReserve: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Institutional
Single sign-on MakerOps: Shipped. SAML 2.0, which covers Shibboleth campus identity providers. OIDC is not supported yet. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Fabman stated on their own forum in 2023 that single sign-on is not offered. We have found no published change since. Source observed 2026-08-11. QReserve: Shipped. Included from the Premium tier. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Not documented publicly as of 2026-08-11.
Integration platform: REST API, webhooks, and connectors to on-premise systems MakerOps: Shipped. REST API with OpenAPI docs, outbound webhooks, SFTP roster export, per-tenant identity-sync adapters, and a connector framework: tenant-side programs long-poll for jobs and drive on-premise systems such as tool control, lockers, and label printers, without opening an inbound port. Source observed 2026-08-11. Coworks: Partial, or available through an integration. Standard integrations are documented from the entry tier and Open API access on the custom-priced Enterprise tier. Webhooks and an on-premise connector framework are not documented. Source observed 2026-08-11. Fabman: Partial, or available through an integration. A REST API and webhooks are documented. A connector framework for driving on-premise systems is not documented. Source observed 2026-08-11. QReserve: Partial, or available through an integration. An external API is documented. Webhooks and an on-premise connector framework are not documented. Source observed 2026-08-11. Recursion.space: Partial, or available through an integration. MIT-licensed access-control repositories are published, which is a real integration route for a team willing to work in code. A documented public REST API, webhooks, or connector framework is not. Source observed 2026-08-11. Spacebring: Partial, or available through an integration. Named third-party integrations are documented (Kisi, SALTO KS, Brivo, Avigilon Alta). A public REST API, webhooks, or connector framework is not documented in the materials we read. Source observed 2026-08-11.
Pricing scales with… Staff seats only — students free — Staff / operator seats only. Student, member, patron, and guest accounts are unlimited and not billed. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab. Members (150 / 250 caps) — Tier, with published member caps of 150 and 250 on the two priced tiers and unlimited members on the custom-priced Enterprise tier. Coworks' own page also states that pricing "isn't based on member count" and scales with "the level of functionality you need". Multiple campuses are listed as an add-on with no published price. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab. Members + per machine/mo + % fee — Monthly member tier (100-member cap on Basic, unlimited above) PLUS €10–14 per integrated machine per month, PLUS 0.5–2.0% of transactions. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab. Total users (100 / 500 caps) — Total users. Published paid tiers cap at 100 or 500 users; every paid tier notes that additional user bundles are available, and no price is published for them. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab. One-time hardware only — Software is free for unlimited members. Revenue comes from one-time hardware and Stripe processing at 2.9% + 30¢. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab. Active users × locations — Per active user, per location. The published entry price covers 100 active users at one location. Source observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab.
How each platform is priced, in full
MakerOps
Staff / operator seats only. Student, member, patron, and guest accounts are unlimited and not billed. Source for MakerOps pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab
Coworks
Tier, with published member caps of 150 and 250 on the two priced tiers and unlimited members on the custom-priced Enterprise tier. Coworks' own page also states that pricing "isn't based on member count" and scales with "the level of functionality you need". Multiple campuses are listed as an add-on with no published price. Source for Coworks pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab
Fabman
Monthly member tier (100-member cap on Basic, unlimited above) PLUS €10–14 per integrated machine per month, PLUS 0.5–2.0% of transactions. Source for Fabman pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab
QReserve
Total users. Published paid tiers cap at 100 or 500 users; every paid tier notes that additional user bundles are available, and no price is published for them. Source for QReserve pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab
Recursion.space
Software is free for unlimited members. Revenue comes from one-time hardware and Stripe processing at 2.9% + 30¢. Source for Recursion.space pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab
Spacebring
Per active user, per location. The published entry price covers 100 active users at one location. Source for Spacebring pricing, observed 2026-08-11, opens in a new tab

What MakerOps replaces

Most spaces assemble these seven categories from separate vendors. Each one holds a partial copy of the same people, machines, and qualifications, and none of them can answer a question that crosses two boundaries — such as whether the person now standing at the laser cutter has a current credential, a signed waiver, and a machine that is not overdue for service.

Access control

Badge / door platform

Training LMS

Course delivery + quizzes

Waivers

Signature capture

CMMS

Maintenance work orders

Procurement

Requests + approvals

Staff scheduling

Shifts + time

Events

Signups + reminders

MakerOps

All seven, one operational record

Every competitor claim here was read from that vendor's own published pages on 2026-08-11 and links back to the page it came from. The full matrix is at every capability axis, and the compiled claim set is published as machine-readable data. If we have described your product inaccurately, tell us and we will correct ithello@makerops.ai.

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