Cloud Intercom Subscriptions in the U.S.: What Property Managers Should Check

A proposal for a cloud intercom system usually makes it easy to find the license price for one year or a longer term. What is much harder to see is what that number actually includes: how many smartphones can be connected, which features are included in the plan, and what costs may appear at renewal, during resident turnover, or as the property expands.

That is why a property management company should evaluate not only the subscription price but also the rules behind the calculation. One vendor may bill by unit, another by user or mobile device. Guest access and event history may be included in a base plan from one provider but require a higher-tier plan from another. Even the same per-unit rate can represent a different feature set and a different administrative workload for property staff.

Below, we walk through the terms that should be checked before signing an agreement, from the billing unit and number of licenses to renewal terms and post-launch support. We then apply the same logic to BAS-IP Link Cloud for the U.S. market.

Scope. The pricing, licensing terms, and examples in this article apply to the U.S. market. Commercial terms, taxes, partner services, and the availability of individual features may differ in other countries.

The best way to compare proposals is step by step: first identify the billing unit, then the number of licenses, the required features, and the cost over the selected term.

First, determine what you are being charged for

Even a specific rate — for example, a price per unit per year — tells you very little until you know what the billing unit is. Vendors may calculate a cloud subscription based on the number of units, users, mobile devices, doors, individual buildings, or license packages.

For example, a property may have 100 units, 180 adult residents, and 220 smartphones that need to be connected. With per-unit pricing, the calculation is based on 100 units; with per-mobile-device pricing, it is based on 220 devices. Your input data should therefore list the number of units, users, and smartphones separately.

In practice, even the same “per unit” wording can cover a different level of service. ButterflyMX publishes a software fee of $30–$42 per unit per year. 2N My2N uses a rate of $40 per unit per year for U.S. residential projects after the included licenses are used up, and $27 per device per year for commercial properties. BAS-IP Link Cloud, in the model discussed here, uses a per-unit package of up to five mobile licenses. Comparing only the “per unit” rate is therefore not enough: you also need to account for the number of devices, included licenses, and the rules for using them.

Package-based licensing: how to calculate what you need

When licenses are sold in packages, it is important to understand what each package is assigned to and how it is managed. A package may be assigned to a unit, a property, or another system element. This affects the inputs used for pricing, the rules for expansion, and how access is reassigned when residents move.

With BAS-IP Link Cloud Basic, a separate package of up to five mobile licenses is purchased for each unit. The package is assigned to that unit, and licenses from different units are not pooled. This model makes costs predictable at the unit level and allows access to be reassigned when residents change without replacing hardware.

Each connected mobile device uses one license. For an accurate calculation, specify how many smartphones in each unit need to receive intercom calls.

For a 100-unit property where every unit needs the app, the maximum Basic requirement is 100 paid packages — one per unit — before accounting for included licenses provided by registered compatible BAS-IP devices. Each included set of two licenses is assigned to a specific unit and may reduce the number of paid Basic packages needed if two smartphones are sufficient for that unit. If a unit needs more than five mobile licenses, an additional Basic package can be added for that unit.

The calculation uses two reference horizons — one year and ten years — and is not a full price list. For comparability, it assumes a 100-unit property with no registered in-unit devices that include Basic licenses. Basic and Plus are offered for different sets of terms, so pricing for three, five, or another number of years should be requested for the selected plan. The figures are based on BAS-IP recommended U.S. pricing as of July 2026.

Registering one compatible BAS-IP device in Link Cloud provides two included Basic mobile-app licenses for ten years. The licenses are assigned to a specific unit and are not pooled across units. When calculating Basic, these included licenses may reduce the need for paid Basic packages. For a unit on Plus, they are not combined with Plus: Basic and Plus cannot be assigned to the same unit at the same time. The final calculation should therefore begin with an inventory of compatible devices and the distribution of included licenses by unit. The general rule is described on the BAS-IP Link Cloud page. License costs are not the total cost of the intercom system; hardware, installation, cabling, locks, network infrastructure, taxes, and local partner services are priced separately.

For a detailed look at how indoor monitors and the mobile app affect system configuration and cost, see “Mobile App or Indoor Monitor: Which Should You Choose?”. For comparison with the 50-unit reference property, see “What Makes Up the Cost of a Video Intercom System in the U.S.?”

Once the number of licenses is clear, the next question is what the property receives for that amount. The same billing unit does not necessarily mean the same capabilities.

Check what the subscription includes

Two systems can cost the same per unit while providing very different capabilities. Compare specific use cases rather than plan names: how many smartphones can be connected, whether a door can be opened without an incoming call, which temporary credentials are available, how long event history is retained, and whether it can be exported. Also check elevator and other building-system integrations, centralized management of multiple properties, the data-hosting region, and the process for deleting data after the agreement ends.

Do not choose the higher-tier plan “just in case.” First define the property’s actual operating processes: how residents answer calls, who issues guest access, whether contractors need temporary credentials, which shared areas are connected to the system, and whether centralized management across multiple buildings is required.

Basic or Plus: how to choose a plan for each unit

Once the required feature set is clear, the service level can be selected for each unit. Basic covers core mobile use cases: calls to and from the app, call history, door release during a call, and automatic camera snapshots. Plus includes Basic features and adds advanced access management: temporary QR, PIN, and URL passes, vehicle license plate access from the app, remote door release without a prior call, Apple Watch and Siri, web concierge, SIP trunks, elevator control, and booking for shared amenities and property resources.

These are starting recommended prices for the U.S. market as of July 2026, not a full price list. Basic and Plus are available for different sets of terms, so pricing should be requested for the selected plan and time horizon. Plus includes Basic features. The complete feature list is available on the BAS-IP Link Cloud page.

Basic and Plus are assigned at the unit level. A single project may include some units on Basic and others on Plus, but the same unit cannot have both plans at the same time. When a compatible BAS-IP device is added, two included Basic licenses are automatically assigned to that unit; if additional Basic licenses are needed, another Basic package can be added for the same unit.

Data, security, and exit terms

A cloud subscription covers more than calls. It also involves event logs, photos, credentials, and user data. Before signing an agreement, confirm the data-hosting region, retention periods, backups, access controls, export options, and the process for deleting data after the relationship ends.

The BAS-IP Link Cloud page states that the data centers used by the service are ISO 27001 certified. This statement applies to the data-center infrastructure and, by itself, does not mean that BAS-IP’s information security management system is ISO 27001 certified. If procurement requirements call for certification or an audit of the vendor itself, that should be confirmed separately for the specific project. If facial recognition or other biometric identifiers are used, separately review the applicable state-law requirements for consent, retention, and deletion of biometric data.

Resident turnover and day-to-day administration

Once the plan is selected, day-to-day system administration begins. Residents move, replace phones, add family members, and revoke access for former occupants. For a property management company, these tasks affect not only resident convenience but also staff workload.

Before purchase, confirm who handles user replacement and how long the process takes. With BAS-IP, the mobile-access package remains assigned to the unit, and the property management company replaces the user when a resident changes. This avoids purchasing a new license or replacing hardware for every move-in.

It is also worth deciding in advance who will create users, review access rights, and help residents install the app. Even a convenient web portal still requires a clear internal process and an assigned owner.

Renewals and service continuity

Renewal terms are best defined when the system is selected: the first renewal date, the applicable rate, how pricing may change, the notice period, whether auto-renewal applies, and how it can be disabled. When Basic expires, mobile calls through the Link App require renewal. The entrance panel and indoor monitor continue to operate locally; expiration of a mobile license does not disable the installed hardware. When Plus expires, the additional Plus features stop working.

If the cloud is temporarily unavailable, the hardware continues to operate locally: access using cards and other credentials stored on the devices, as well as communication between locally connected devices, remain available. The mobile app and remote cloud functions may be unavailable during that period.

The BAS-IP mobile app can be downloaded at no charge; an active license pays for access to the cloud platform and mobile features. This model is explained in more detail in “A Free Intercom App Does Not Mean Free Software”.

Support responsibilities after launch

The cloud model shifts hosting, updates, and maintenance of the software platform to BAS-IP. The property remains responsible for its physical network, doors, locks, devices, and resident support requests, so the roles of the manufacturer, local partner, and property management company should be defined in advance.

Warranty obligations should also be documented before the agreement is signed. BAS-IP states a three-year warranty for hardware; cloud software and features are supported for the duration of the active license. Separating the cost of cloud licenses, BAS-IP hardware, local partner services, and third-party platforms makes the budget transparent. This structure gives the property local Tier 1 support while BAS-IP remains responsible for the cloud platform and product support for the partner.

How to calculate multi-year costs

Once the license mix, features, and services are clear, the proposal can be evaluated over the selected time horizon. The first year shows the initial budget impact, while the ten-year calculation shows the long-term model and the effective monthly cost per unit. Intermediate periods should be calculated only using terms actually available for the selected plan: Basic and Plus have different term options. The proposal should also state whether the price is fixed for the full prepaid term, how the rate may change at the next renewal, and how periods that do not match a single available term are priced.

Planned expansion should be modeled as a separate scenario: a second building, new doors, additional units, and growth in the number of mobile devices. License costs should not automatically be described as total cost of ownership. They typically exclude hardware, installation, cabling, locks, network infrastructure, field service visits, and the property management company’s internal costs. The full budget structure — hardware, software, infrastructure, implementation, and operations — is covered in “What Makes Up the Cost of a Video Intercom System in the U.S.?”

Fourteen questions to ask before signing an agreement

Use this checklist when requesting and comparing proposals.

Conclusion

An annual rate by itself says very little about the real cost of a cloud intercom system. Proposals become comparable only when the same property is evaluated using the same billing unit, the licenses already included, the required feature level, and the cost over the selected term. That calculation — not the price of a single license — is what should drive budgeting and vendor comparisons.

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