Comparison · updated 10 September 2026
An Italian alternative to Rentman
If you are evaluating Rentman, or you use it and want to know what else is out there, this page compares the two models on the facts: how you pay, what is included, who walks you through the switch. Made In Show (MIS) is the management software for Italian live-event, show and conference production companies, in use since 2014.
The short answer
A model with no add-ons, for Italian production companies
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MIS is an alternative to Rentman if you work in Italy and want a per-manager fee with free viewer accounts and no add-ons, an Italian vendor and a system that follows the job from quote to payment. It is not the right fit if you need a multilingual product for teams spread across countries, or if you prefer to set everything up on your own: with MIS you start with a guided demo on your own cases.
Comparison by SyncLab Studio SRL, makers of Made In Show. No affiliation with Rentman: Rentman data was read from the sources listed at the bottom of the page on 10 September 2026.
Who it is for
Who it is for, and who it is not for
It is for you if
- You are a live-event, show or conference production company working in Italy.
- You want to know upfront how the price is built: the fee follows who manages, not company size or a list of modules.
- You want one system from quote to payment, with the quote-to-actual variance for every production.
- You want an Italian vendor that walks you through the switch.
It is not for you if
- You work across countries and languages with distributed teams: Rentman is available in six languages, MIS is built for the Italian market.
- You prefer to activate the software on your own with a free trial: MIS is tried in a guided demo, then onboarding starts.
- You want to assemble your own bundle of products and add-ons: in MIS all the software is included.
The model
How you pay, side by side
We do not compare figures: Rentman publishes its price list, MIS quotes after the demo because the price depends on manager users and a few other concrete variables. We compare the model, which is what drives the total at year end.
| Item | Rentman | Made In Show |
|---|---|---|
| The fee | Platform €39/month, plus the products you pick: Inventory (Standard €14 or Pro €19 per power user per month) and/or Crew (Essential €14, Standard €19 or Pro €24 per power user per month). Prices exclude taxes; 8% discount with annual billing. | Per-manager fee: you pay for the people who manage and edit productions, warehouse, crew and administration. The quote depends on manager users and a few other concrete variables, defined in the demo. |
| Who does not pay | Free basic users: warehouse staff, technicians, freelancers. | Free viewer accounts: freelancers and collaborators see their own calendar and the productions they are part of, each with their own permissions. |
| Modules and add-ons | Add-ons on the price list, per power user per month: Quoting & Invoicing €9, History Logs €12, Equipment Tracking €9. Additional warehouse €5 per warehouse and power user per month. | None. Productions, RFID-enabled warehouse, crew, administration with e-invoicing and the two mobile apps: all the software is included. The compatible RFID handheld is purchased separately. |
| AI assistants | Rentman MCP, in public beta (official announcement, read on 10 September 2026): requires the workspace on version 530; no dedicated price stated. | Connector included in the fee, in trial with the first pilot customers and published in the ChatGPT and Claude directories. MIS does not charge for AI usage; you still pay for your assistant's own plan. Read-only, read-and-write or no access is set by the administrator, user by user. |
| How you try it | 30-day free trial, no credit card required, self-service. | A guided 30-minute demo on your real cases, then guided onboarding. No self-service trial. |
| Who is behind it | Rentman, Utrecht (Netherlands): its story begins in 2015 in an AV rental company; product in six languages, Italian included. | SyncLab Studio SRL, Ravenna, Italy. MIS has been in use since 2014; support in Italian and 70-plus contextual guides inside the software. |
Rentman data read on 10 September 2026 on rentman.io/pricing, rentman.io/about-us and the announcement “Introducing the Rentman MCP”. Price lists change: always check the official website.
The differences
Where MIS is different
Pay for the people who manage
You pay for those who manage and edit; viewer accounts do not pay. No bundle of modules to assemble: new features arrive with updates, not as add-ons.
A vendor close to you
Support in Italian, 70-plus contextual guides inside the software and a vendor that picks up the phone. MIS was born in 2014 from the meeting of people who actually ran production companies and people who write software: first an internal tool, then a platform for the industry.
Work in the order it actually happens
Open the production, book the equipment, call the crew, close the books: quote to payment in one thread. The quote-to-actual variance tells you, production by production, where you made money and where you did not.
Your team uses it without a month of training
The guides live inside the screens, in Italian. The two mobile apps each do one thing: technicians see their calendar in the Made In Show app, warehouse staff scan cases with MIS RFID Scanner.
Scope
What we compare, and what we do not
Both are cloud management systems for rental and event production: quotes, warehouse and equipment availability, crew planning, a connector for AI assistants. Here we compare the commercial model and the support you get; how well each covers your specific workflows is something to verify in a demo, with your own data.
The switch
Changing software, how it really works
1. A demo on your cases
Bring us a real quote, a loading list, a week's crew schedule. In thirty minutes you know whether the MIS way of working suits you.
2. Guided onboarding
In the demo we look at the exports available from your current system (contacts, price list, warehouse) and agree on what to load and what to leave behind. There is no “import from Rentman” button: it is work done together with us.
3. Gradual start
Usually you start with new productions; for the history we decide together how to keep it and look it up. The team learns on the job, with the contextual guides.
The limits, stated upfront
- MIS is built for the Italian market and support is in Italian. If you work across countries, Rentman covers six languages.
- There is no self-service trial: you start with a guided demo.
- The compatible RFID handheld is purchased separately.
- Migration from Rentman is guided, not automatic: it depends on the exports available.
Frequently asked questions
How much does MIS cost compared to Rentman?
It depends on the manager users working in the system and on a few other concrete variables: you pay for those who manage and edit, viewer accounts are free and there are no add-ons. The quote comes after the demo, together with the start-up scope (data loading, training, support). How the fee works is on the Pricing page.
Can I try it free for 30 days, as with Rentman?
No: there is no self-service trial. With MIS you start with a guided 30-minute demo on your real cases and, if it makes sense, with onboarding.
Can I bring my data over from Rentman?
During onboarding, starting from the exports available: contacts, price list and warehouse are reviewed in the demo and we agree on what to load. There is no automatic import from Rentman: the switch is guided.
Who supports me if I have a problem?
The team that builds MIS, in Italian. Inside the software there are 70-plus contextual guides; for everything else, a vendor that picks up the phone.
You are smaller than Rentman: what guarantees do I have on my data?
Yes, we are smaller. MIS has been in use since 2014; every installation has a dedicated database, native exports and your data is returned to you when you leave.
Can I use MIS with ChatGPT or Claude?
Yes: the Made In Show connector is published in the ChatGPT and Claude directories, is included in the fee and is currently in trial with the first pilot customers. MIS does not charge for AI usage; you still pay for your assistant's own plan. AI access starts disabled for every user: the administrator decides, user by user, whether they have read-only access, read-and-write access or no access. Details are on the AI page.
See it on your own cases
Thirty minutes, one of your real quotes and a week of your crew schedule: that is how the demo works.
Sources and notes
Rentman is a trademark of its respective owner; Made In Show has no relationship with Rentman. The comparison reports public information, read on the date indicated, with no judgement on product quality.
Found an outdated figure? Write to us and we will correct it.