.svg){kind=small}
Donkey Republic vs SharingOS
An independent comparison of two fleet management platforms to help you choose the right fit for your business.
Donkey Republic
Copenhagen, Denmark
SharingOS
London, UK
Donkey Republic vs SharingOS: What You Need to Know
Donkey Republic and SharingOS are both European hardware-plus-software micro-mobility platforms competing for city and council contracts, but they differ significantly in vehicle breadth, hardware sourcing strategy, and deployment scale. Donkey Republic, founded in Copenhagen in 2014, starts at EUR 480 per bike per year with proprietary purpose-built bikes and Bluetooth locks, targeting 50–5,000 bike deployments for municipalities, tourism cities, and B2G tender bids across the Nordics and Benelux. SharingOS, founded in London in 2017, bundles IoT devices onto bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds, and e-cars for deployments from 100–5,000+ vehicles, sourcing hardware through Chinese manufacturing partnerships to keep costs competitive for UK municipal programs and multi-modal operators. The critical operational difference is vehicle agnosticism: SharingOS allows a single city to manage scooters, e-bikes, and even e-cars on one backend console, while Donkey Republic remains exclusively focused on cycling. Both platforms include field operations apps, both support docking and dockless deployments, and both target European cities — but SharingOS's tilt alarm, driver behavior monitoring, and battery capacity tracking reflect its IoT-first approach, compared to Donkey Republic's Bluetooth lock model.
Bottom Line
Donkey Republic is the specialist choice for European bike-share tenders requiring proven B2G procurement credentials and integrated cycling hardware; SharingOS wins when a city or operator needs a multi-modal platform spanning scooters, e-bikes, and e-cars under one IoT management layer.
Key Differences
Vehicle type coverage
SharingOS is vehicle-agnostic — covering bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds, and e-cars from a single backend; Donkey Republic is exclusively a cycling platform with no scooter, moped, or car support.
IoT and telematics
SharingOS installs proprietary IoT devices on all vehicles, enabling tilt alarms, remote lock/unlock, power cut-off, battery capacity monitoring, and driver behavior tracking; Donkey Republic uses Bluetooth smart-locks, which are simpler but lack the same real-time telematics depth.
Hardware sourcing
SharingOS leverages Chinese manufacturing partnerships for competitive hardware pricing across its multi-modal vehicle range; Donkey Republic manufactures or sources purpose-built sharing bikes internally for its cycling-specific fleet.
Fleet scale and entry point
Donkey Republic operates from 50 bikes with a published EUR 480/bike/year price; SharingOS targets 100–5,000+ vehicles and requires contact for pricing, reflecting a larger minimum viable deployment.
MaaS transit integration
Donkey Republic connects directly to European transit MaaS apps including Moovit, 9292, and Gaiyo; SharingOS includes payment processing and multi-language support but does not publicize equivalent named MaaS partnerships.
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 SharingOS
SharingOS is a London-based platform founded by Wang Bin and Xin Qian, with operations across 16 countries per their website. Their earlier marketing cited 30+ cities and 6.5 million+ rides, though those figures may include historical deployments like YoBike (Bristol, Southampton, 2017-2021, now defunct). SharingOS provides both software and IoT-enabled hardware, partnering with Chinese manufacturers for competitive bundled pricing. They partnered with Indigo for Europe's first combined bike + scooter-share scheme in Toulouse.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Donkey Republic | SharingOS |
|---|---|---|
| Company | ||
| Headquarters | Copenhagen, Denmark | London, UK |
| Founded | 2014 | 2017 |
| Website | https://donkey.bike | https://sharingos.com |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing Model | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase | Turnkey hardware + software bundling |
| Starting Price | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware | Contact for pricing |
| Scale & Hardware | ||
| Fleet Size Range | 50-5,000+ bikes | 100-5,000+ vehicles |
| Hardware Provided | Yes — bundled | Yes — bundled |
| 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. | Provides integrated IoT hardware on all vehicles with GPS tracking, lock control, light control, tilt alarm, driver behavior monitoring, battery capacity monitoring, and remote power cut-off. Software and hardware are sold as a bundle. |
How Does Levy Fleets Compare to Both?
Before deciding between Donkey Republic and SharingOS, 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 | SharingOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $250/mo | EUR 480/bike/yr (SaaS pedal bike) + hardware | Contact for pricing |
| Pricing Model | Revenue share, per-vehicle, or self-managed — your choice | Per-bike SaaS or managed MaaS with hardware purchase | Turnkey hardware + software bundling |
| Feature Gating | None — full features on every plan | Varies by tier | Varies by tier |
| Minimum Fleet Size | No minimum | 50 | 100 |
| 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 | Yes |
Levy Fleets includes payment processing, chargebacks, rider support, ID verification, push notifications, and marketing analytics on every plan — features that Donkey Republic and SharingOS either gate behind premium tiers or charge extra for.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Donkey Republic | SharingOS |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | ||
| SharingOS Unique Features | ||
| Vehicle-agnostic platform (bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, e-mopeds, e-cars) | ||
| White-label iOS & Android apps (GDPR-compliant registration) | ||
| Backend console for fleet management | ||
| Dedicated operations app for field staff | ||
| Proprietary IoT devices on all vehicles | ||
| GPS tracking and real-time fleet monitoring | ||
| Remote lock/unlock and power cut-off | ||
| Battery capacity monitoring | ||
| Tilt alarm and driver behavior monitoring | ||
| Docking station and dockless support | ||
| In-app messaging and notifications | ||
| Multiple membership options | ||
| Gamification and incentive features | ||
| Multi-language support | ||
| Payment processing integration | ||
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.
SharingOS Pricing
Bundled hardware and software pricing with custom quotes based on deployment size, vehicle mix, and requirements. All vehicles come equipped with proprietary IoT devices (GPS, lock control, battery monitoring, tilt alarm, driver behavior). Strong Chinese manufacturing partnerships for competitive hardware costs. Software includes white-label apps, backend console, and operations app.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Donkey Republic if you...
- Your deployment is exclusively cycling and you want purpose-built sharing bikes with Bluetooth locks and an 8-year lifespan
- You are bidding on a European B2G tender in the Nordics, Benelux, or Germany where Donkey Republic has established procurement history
- You need MaaS integration with Moovit, 9292, or Gaiyo for first-mile/last-mile transit connectivity
- You want theft insurance bundled per ride and relocation incentive fees without managing separate IoT hardware agreements
- You require a Nasdaq-listed vendor for government procurement transparency and financial due diligence
- Your fleet entry point is 50 bikes and you want transparent EUR 480/bike/year pricing
Choose SharingOS if you...
- You are deploying a multi-modal scheme combining scooters, e-bikes, and e-cars under a single management platform
- You operate in the UK and need a local council collaboration partner with UK municipal program expertise
- You need real-time vehicle telematics including tilt alarms, driver behavior monitoring, and remote power cut-off across your fleet
- You want competitive hardware pricing through Chinese manufacturing supply chains across multiple vehicle categories
- You manage a 100–5,000+ vehicle deployment and need gamification, incentive features, and multiple membership type support
- You are an e-vehicle manufacturer entering the sharing market and want a single platform to manage your entire shared product line
Looking for an Alternative to Both Donkey Republic and SharingOS?
Levy Fleets offers a turnkey fleet management solution with flexible pricing — revenue share (20% of GMV), per-vehicle ($25/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.