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Donkey Republic vs ScootAPI
An independent comparison of two fleet management platforms to help you choose the right fit for your business.
Donkey Republic
Copenhagen, Denmark
ScootAPI
Minsk, Belarus (acquired by Atom Mobility, Riga, Latvia)
Donkey Republic vs ScootAPI: What You Need to Know
Donkey Republic and ScootAPI (now folded into Atom Mobility after its acquisition) represent two European micro-mobility software platforms that found their niches on opposite sides of the hardware equation and regulatory maturity spectrum. Donkey Republic, priced at EUR 480 per bike per year, serves municipalities and tourism cities with its own purpose-built bikes, Bluetooth smart-locks, and MaaS integrations into Moovit, 9292, and Gaiyo — a full-stack model that won B2G contracts across the Nordics and Benelux. ScootAPI, founded in Minsk in 2019 and acquired by Riga-based Atom Mobility, was built for scooter-sharing startups in Eastern Europe and CIS markets seeking fast white-label launch; before acquisition, its entry pricing was EUR 490/month with white-label iOS and Android apps, operator tools, and a franchise module for multi-city operations with separated financials. The acquisition means existing ScootAPI customers now operate under Atom Mobility's pricing and roadmap, making the comparison partly a proxy for Donkey Republic versus Atom Mobility. ScootAPI's distinctive strengths — a commission-based pricing option (4–10% per ride), source code licensing, and CIS market timezone support — reflect an operator profile radically different from the European city government that Donkey Republic courts.
Bottom Line
Donkey Republic is the platform for European B2G municipal cycling tenders requiring integrated hardware and public transit connectivity; ScootAPI/Atom Mobility was built for Eastern European and CIS market micromobility startups seeking fast white-label scooter launch with flexible pricing models.
Key Differences
Hardware provision
Donkey Republic supplies purpose-built sharing bikes with Bluetooth smart-locks and offers a EUR 140 retrofit kit for existing fleets; ScootAPI/Atom Mobility is software-only, requiring operators to source their own hardware and IoT devices.
Pricing models
Donkey Republic charges EUR 480/bike/year on a per-asset SaaS basis; ScootAPI historically offered EUR 490/month subscriptions or a commission-based model (4–10% per ride), with the option to purchase full source code outright.
Geographic and market focus
Donkey Republic targets Western and Northern European B2G contracts; ScootAPI was optimized for CIS, Eastern European, and emerging market operators with local timezone support and a franchise module for sub-licensing.
White-label branding
ScootAPI offered white-label apps published under the operator's own app store account — full brand ownership; Donkey Republic operates as a branded platform with operator-branded pricing and promotions but under Donkey Republic's app identity.
Acquisition risk
ScootAPI was acquired by Atom Mobility, meaning all roadmap and pricing decisions now flow through Atom; Donkey Republic remains an independent Nasdaq-listed entity, providing greater procurement stability for municipal contracts.
Platform Overview
About Donkey Republic
Donkey Republic is a Danish bike-sharing company founded in 2014 and publicly listed on Nasdaq Nordic since 2021. They operate 20,000+ bikes across 60+ cities in 8 European countries (Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Finland, Sweden). Approximately 30% of revenue comes from B2G/B2B long-term contracts and municipal subsidies. They offer two models: SaaS (operator buys hardware and self-manages) and MaaS (Donkey provides end-to-end service including workshop setup and staff recruitment). Per-bike operational costs range from EUR 480-1,000/year depending on model and vehicle type, plus EUR 825-2,000 per bike hardware cost and EUR 140/unit equipment kit.
About ScootAPI
ScootAPI was a white-label SaaS platform for micro-mobility operators based in Minsk, Belarus (later relocated to Estonia for EU legal standing), powering 50+ sharing projects and 5,000+ e-scooters across 22 cities in 7 countries (Ukraine, Czech Republic, Romania, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Bolivia) before being acquired by Atom Mobility on June 1, 2025. The platform processed 2.7M trips for 267,500 unique users in 2023. ScootAPI offered three SaaS tiers (Basic €490/mo, Standard €1,290/mo, Premium custom) plus a unique full source code license option. IoT was powered by flespi middleware supporting Omni, OKAI, Teltonika, Navtelecom, Segway, and MQTT devices. Post-acquisition, clients are being transitioned to Atom Mobility — though scootapi.com remains live with no redirect 8+ months later, suggesting migration is ongoing. Founder George Kachanouski departed to pursue AI ventures; the ~15-person team's fate is undisclosed.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Donkey Republic | ScootAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark | Minsk, Belarus (acquired by Atom Mobility, Riga, Latvia) |
| Founded | 2014 | 2019 |
| Website | https://donkey.bike | https://scootapi.com |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing Model | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase | Monthly subscription by fleet size (now Atom Mobility pricing) |
| Starting Price | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware | €490/month (pre-acquisition) |
| Scale & Hardware | ||
| Fleet Size Range | 50-5,000+ bikes | 10-500+ vehicles |
| Hardware Provided | Yes — bundled | No — software only |
| IoT Approach | Proprietary Bluetooth smart-lock system integrated into Donkey bikes and available as a retrofit kit (EUR 140/unit) for existing fleets. Uses Comodule connectivity for e-bikes enabling remote control and real-time tracking. | Software platform that integrated with third-party IoT hardware providers. Supported multiple scooter brands on Standard and Premium tiers; Basic tier limited to a single IoT type. Now transitioning to Atom Mobility IoT integrations. |
How Does Levy Fleets Compare to Both?
Before deciding between Donkey Republic and ScootAPI, consider Levy Fleets — a turnkey platform that delivers enterprise-grade features at a fraction of the cost, with no tiered feature gates on any plan.
| Category | Levy Fleets | Donkey Republic | ScootAPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $250/mo | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware | €490/month (pre-acquisition) |
| Pricing Model | Revenue share, per-vehicle, or self-managed — your choice | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase | Monthly subscription by fleet size (now Atom Mobility pricing) |
| Feature Gating | None — full features on every plan | Varies by tier | Varies by tier |
| Minimum Fleet Size | No minimum | 50 | 10 |
| Setup Fees | $0 (white-label optional at $2,750) | Varies | Varies |
| Support | 24/7 US-based, included on all plans | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Hardware Included | Yes — IoT pre-installed on all vehicles | Yes | No |
Levy Fleets includes payment processing, chargebacks, rider support, ID verification, push notifications, and marketing analytics on every plan — features that Donkey Republic and ScootAPI either gate behind premium tiers or charge extra for.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Donkey Republic | ScootAPI |
|---|---|---|
| Donkey Republic Features | ||
| Plug-and-play bike-sharing system | ||
| "The Stables" fleet management dashboard | ||
| "Shepherd" maintenance crew app | ||
| Custom pricing, coupon codes, and membership creation | ||
| Virtual hubs, physical docking hubs, or hybrid deployment | ||
| Bluetooth smart-lock technology on every bike | ||
| Relocation fees to incentivize proper parking | ||
| Theft insurance included with every ride | ||
| Retrofit kit for existing bike fleets (EUR 140/unit) | ||
| Purpose-built sharing bikes with 8-year lifespan | ||
| MaaS transit integrations (Moovit, 9292, Gaiyo, Moves) | ||
| Multi-language rider app (10+ languages) | ||
| ScootAPI Unique Features | ||
| White-label iOS & Android apps (published from operator's own App Store/Play Store accounts) | ||
| Fleet management admin panel with revenue reports, team management, and promo codes | ||
| Group rides — rent up to 5 scooters from one device (Standard+) | ||
| Apple Pay and Google Pay integration (Standard+) | ||
| Multi-language support (additional languages charged separately) | ||
| Revenue reports, analytics, heatmaps, and audience segmentation (Premium) | ||
| Geofencing and zone management with custom geofences (Premium) | ||
| Daily, weekly, and monthly ride passes and subscriptions (Standard+) | ||
| B2B corporate accounts with employee billing and deductions (Premium) | ||
| GBFS integration for MaaS/city data feeds (Premium) | ||
| Franchise module — multi-city/multi-client with separated reports and financials (Premium) | ||
| Full source code license available as one-time purchase for self-hosted deployments | ||
| Direct payments to operator bank account via acquirer integration (Premium) | ||
| Dynamic pricing with time-based rate adjustments | ||
| Push messaging for promotions and ride status (Standard+) | ||
| flespi IoT middleware supporting Omni, OKAI, Teltonika, Navtelecom, Segway, MQTT | ||
| Internal rider wallet with top-up and promotional balances | ||
Pricing Breakdown
Donkey Republic Pricing
SaaS Model (operator self-manages): EUR 480/yr per pedal bike or EUR 760/yr per e-bike in operational costs, plus EUR 2,000 setup fee, plus EUR 825/pedal bike or EUR 2,000/e-bike hardware, plus EUR 140/unit equipment kit, plus EUR 240-300/bike/year license fee. MaaS Model (Donkey operates): EUR 660/yr per pedal bike or EUR 1,000/yr per e-bike in operational costs, plus EUR 10,000 setup fee. All pricing customized by country, city, population, and fleet size. Minimum 50 bikes.
ScootAPI Pricing
Pre-acquisition three-tier SaaS pricing: BASIC €490/month — core app (ride start/stop, booking, payments), admin panel with revenue reports and promo codes, ONE IoT device type only (pick Omni, OKAI, or Teltonika), 1-year data storage, business-hours support for critical issues only, 30-day launch. STANDARD €1,290/month — adds group rides (up to 5 scooters per device), Apple/Google Pay, push messaging, analytics with feedback categories, daily/weekly/monthly passes, multiple vehicle types (scooters + bikes + mopeds), 3-year data storage. PREMIUM custom pricing — adds direct payments to operator bank (bypasses ScootAPI), B2B corporate accounts with employee billing, franchise module (multi-city with separated reports/financials), GBFS integration for city data feeds, audience segmentation, custom geofences, 5-year data, discounted custom development. Also offered full SOURCE CODE LICENSE (one-time fee, originally ~$4,990 in 2019) for self-hosted deployments. Early-stage commission model: 10% per ride at 100 scooters, decreasing 1% per additional 100 units to a 4% minimum at 700+ vehicles. Post-acquisition, clients migrated to Atom Mobility starting at €390/month.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Donkey Republic if you...
- You are a European municipality or tourism city bidding on a bike-share tender with MaaS requirements for Moovit or 9292
- You need a single-vendor solution combining hardware, locks, theft insurance, and fleet management software
- Your procurement process requires a Nasdaq-listed, independently operated vendor for government compliance
- You want a fully managed MaaS deployment option with Donkey-staffed local operations
- Your fleet ranges from 50 to 5,000 bikes and you need purpose-built hardware with an 8-year lifespan guarantee
- You need virtual hub, physical docking hub, or hybrid deployment flexibility with relocation incentive pricing
Choose ScootAPI if you...
- You are already migrated to Atom Mobility and satisfied with the post-acquisition platform and support
- You need full source code access to self-host and deeply customize the sharing platform for your market
- You operate primarily in CIS, Eastern Europe, or emerging markets where local timezone support and regional market expertise matter
- You want a franchise module that allows multi-city deployments with financially separated franchise units
- You prefer a commission-based pricing model (4–10% per ride) over fixed monthly or per-asset fees
- You need direct payment routing to your bank account via acquirer integration, bypassing the platform's payment processing
Looking for an Alternative to Both Donkey Republic and ScootAPI?
Levy Fleets offers a turnkey fleet management solution with flexible pricing — revenue share (20% of GMV (15% at 100-249 vehicles, annual terms)), per-vehicle ($14 per vehicle/mo), or self-managed — and the same full feature set on every plan. No tiered feature gates, no minimum fleet sizes, and US-based 24/7 support included.