What Basestation costs
Basestation does not publish pricing on its website (checked 2026-09-24: the /pricing URL returns 404 and every call to action is "Book a Demo"). Software Advice and Capterra, both third-party listings, show "Connect with an advisor for pricing", no free trial and no free version. Basestation Inc. is based in Toronto and describes its product as "purpose-built for multi-service operations": commercial front load, roll-off, residential curbside, portable toilets, septic and dump trucks.
Dumpster Controls takes the opposite approach: the software is free, with unlimited orders and unlimited users, and the only cost is card processing when a customer pays by card, 2.99% + $3.99 per transaction on the free plan, or 2.99% + $0.30 on the optional $169/month Unlimited plan. Pay by cash, check or any other method and there is no fee at all.
Competitor facts from the pages listed under Sources at the bottom of this page, checked 2026-09-24.
Why haulers switch from Basestation
A price you can read before the demo
Basestation's site has no price and no self-serve signup; the path in is a booked demo. Dumpster Controls prints its price on every page: the software is free, and the only cost is card processing only when a customer pays by card: 2.99% + $3.99 per transaction on the free plan, or 2.99% + $0.30 on the optional $169/month Unlimited plan.
A driver app in the app stores
Basestation publishes a driver app, but its site carries no App Store or Google Play link and the driver login is a web page at driver.thebasestation.com (checked 2026-09-24). Dumpster Controls ships a native iOS and Android app with Truck Tablet Mode, where any driver signs into a truck-mounted tablet with a PIN, free for unlimited drivers.
AI, API and website builder, at no charge
An AI assistant, developer API documentation and a website builder were not found on Basestation's site as of 2026-09-24. Dumpster Controls includes Tresha by chat and voice, a public REST API with signed webhooks, and a free website builder.
Built for dumpsters, in three languages
Basestation covers six service lines in one system. Dumpster Controls is built for roll-off and junk removal specifically, and the app runs in English, Spanish and Portuguese; multi-language support was not found on Basestation's site as of 2026-09-24.
When Basestation is the better choice
A comparison where we win every line is advertising, and nobody should trust it. These are the cases, taken from what Basestation publishes, where their product is the right call.
You run more than dumpsters
Basestation sells one system for commercial front load, residential curbside, portable toilets, septic and dump trucks alongside roll-off. Dumpster Controls does not cover portable toilets or septic, so a true multi-service hauler has a real reason to book that demo.
You bill from scale tickets
Their billing page says "scale ticket data uploads automatically to invoices". Dumpster Controls reads weight and cost from a photo of the landfill receipt, which is receipt-based, not a scale integration.
You want a demo-led rollout with an awarded support team
Basestation reports Software Advice "Best Customer Support" badges for 2026 and holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating on 27 Capterra reviews (read 2026-09-24). Dumpster Controls is self-serve, with in-app help articles and Tresha instead of an assigned onboarding team.
You prefer a Canadian vendor
Basestation Inc. is made in Toronto with a 1-888 sales line. Dumpster Controls works in Canada too, in Canadian dollars on your own Canadian Stripe account, but the company is based in the United States.
Free means free. Forever.
We are the only full dumpster software in North America that is 100% free for every company size. Not a trial. Not a feature-gated freemium. Not a free plan capped at one truck. The whole product, unlimited orders and unlimited users, on the house.
How we make money: only when you opt in, and the numbers are public. The software is 100% free with unlimited orders and no per-order software fee. If you choose to collect a customer’s card payment through Dumpster Controls, the processing fee is 2.99% + $3.99 per card transaction on the free plan, or 2.99% + $0.30 (the standard Stripe rate) on the optional $169/month Unlimited plan. Take payment by cash, check, Zelle or any other way and you pay nothing at all. Beyond that, our revenue comes from the optional Unlimited plan and from equipment partners and sponsors advertising in the app and on our public directory; our marketplace, the Dumpster Net Hub, charges zero marketplace fees. Run your own business your way and you never pay to use the software. It’s the only model that lets a 1-truck owner-operator run on the same software as a 50-truck fleet.
Basestation alternative: FAQ
Comparing other platforms?
Sources
- Basestation home page (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation /pricing (returns 404) (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation features (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation billing and invoicing (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation driver app (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation login portal (driver login is web) (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation on Capterra (4.7, 27 reviews, no free version) (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation on Software Advice (pricing on request, no trial) (checked 2026-09-24)
- Basestation post on 2026 Capterra and Software Advice badges (checked 2026-09-24)
- Dumpster Controls pricing (checked 2026-09-24)
Prices and features change. Every claim about Basestation on this page carries the date we read it; if a page above has changed since, the newer version wins.
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