Key takeaways
- EDI cost is usually a mix of a monthly subscription, a charge per trading partner, a charge per document or per kilocharacter, and one-time setup fees.
- For a small supplier, per-partner and setup fees often cost more than the software itself, and they grow every time you win a customer.
- Before signing, ask for the total cost of your next three partners, not just the first one, plus the contract length and the price-increase clause.
How do EDI providers charge?
There is no standard price list. Most quotes combine several of these charges, and the total depends on how many trading partners you have, how many documents you exchange and who does the setup work.
| Charge | How it works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | A monthly or annual fee for the platform | Annual prepayment, auto-renewal, yearly price escalators |
| Per trading partner | A monthly fee for each retailer or distributor you connect | The bill rises with every new customer |
| Per document | A charge for each order, invoice or ship notice | Busy seasons and split shipments multiply documents |
| Per kilocharacter | A charge per 1,000 characters sent through a VAN | Hard to predict; large orders cost more to receive |
| Setup / onboarding | A one-time fee for each new partner or map | Charged again for every new retailer, and for map changes |
| Access or volume fee | A charge for a usage tier or for keeping access | Tiers that change at renewal |
Why small suppliers overpay for EDI
Pricing built for large shippers punishes small ones. A supplier with one retailer and a few orders a month can still pay a full partner fee, a setup fee and a minimum document charge. When the second retailer arrives, the same fees arrive again. Per-kilocharacter billing through a VAN adds a cost that is hard to forecast at all.
“Look at what your third trading partner will cost you, not your first.”
Is there free EDI software?
Not in a way that gets you through a retailer’s onboarding. You still need valid documents, a connection your buyer accepts and someone to answer their tests. What can be free is the preparation: reading your partner’s requirements and checking your files. Every guide in the Weredi network can be read, and documents validated against it, before you pay anything.
How to estimate your real EDI cost
- List the trading partners you have today and the ones you expect in the next year.
- For each, count the documents per month: orders, acknowledgments, ship notices, invoices, and the
997s that answer each file. - Ask the provider for the monthly total and the one-time fees for all of them, in writing.
- Ask what a map change costs, what happens at renewal, and how much notice you must give to leave.
- Compare against a flat plan. The pricing page has a calculator where you enter the rates from your own contract.
Read the exit terms Annual contracts with automatic renewal and a narrow cancellation window are common. Note the date you must give notice by, and ask whether your maps and documents can be exported when you leave. Our guide to switching EDI providers covers the move itself.
What Weredi costs
The Weredi plan is $199 CAD a month and Weredi Plus is $999 CAD a month. Both include unlimited trading partners and unlimited transactions, so partner number thirty costs what partner number one costs. Plans are month to month, with no escalator clause. Plus adds accounting connections, mappings, automations, the API and the deduction ledger. If you would rather we set up a partner and run the tests, we do it at no extra charge. You can start with a 14-day free trial, no credit card.
Questions
How much does EDI cost for a small business?
It depends on the pricing model. Quotes usually combine a subscription with per-partner, per-document or per-kilocharacter charges and setup fees. A flat plan with unlimited partners, such as Weredi at $199 CAD a month, removes the per-partner and per-document parts.
Is per-document or per-partner EDI pricing better?
Per-document pricing favours very low volume with many partners; per-partner pricing favours high volume with few partners. Both grow as your business grows. A flat price with unlimited partners and transactions does not.
What is a kilocharacter charge in EDI?
A fee per 1,000 characters of data sent through a value-added network (VAN). Long orders and invoices cost more, which makes the monthly bill hard to predict.
Are there EDI setup fees?
Many providers charge a one-time fee for each new trading partner or map. Weredi does not charge setup fees; managed setup is included at no extra charge.