What does an AED program cost?

An AED program carries six cost lines. Some arrive once, and most repeat every year. Each line has an owner in the budget, and each one needs a source document. No public source lists one total, because the mix depends on your fleet, your sites and your suppliers. This article shows how to build the estimate from your own invoices and records.

• Devices and cabinets. The AED units and the cabinets that hold them. This line usually arrives once per unit, when a site opens or a model is replaced.
• Consumables. Pads, batteries and rescue kits. This line repeats, because each item carries an expiry date. ReadyAED lists the units affected in the next 90 days, with the reorder cost. Consumables are fulfilled by partners, and you can create a purchase order in the app. ReadyAED sells no hardware and no consumables.
• Training. Courses for the people expected to respond. The CDC fact sheet found that 45 states included AED use training for anticipated responders, as of 30 June 2017.
• Medical direction. Medical direction is delivered through licensed physician partners, and ReadyAED does not practice medicine. The CDC fact sheet found that 20 states required or encouraged a licensed health care provider or another medical authority to oversee a program.
• Software. A program needs one place for the register, the inspections and the records. ReadyAED charges one flat rate. approved price
• Staff time. The inspections, the records and the follow-up tasks. If your team covers this line from an existing role, no invoice shows it. It is still a cost.

The state counts are general information, not legal advice. legal-approved disclaimer text this passage needs legal sign-off

Two research estimates describe the market around AED programs. They are different markets, and one does not stand in for the other.

• Mordor Intelligence estimates the AED market at about $1.65 billion in 2025, a 7.44% compound annual growth rate. The Asia Pacific region grows fastest, at 9.34%. This estimate covers the wider AED market, which is mostly hardware.
• Dataintelo estimates the AED network management platforms market at $1.48 billion in 2024, and $4.34 billion by 2033, a 13.1% compound annual growth rate. This estimate covers the software category.

Both figures are estimates from the named research firms. They describe markets, not your budget. Figures last verified 24 September 2026.

Three lines repeat every year, and each one follows a different clock. The three lines rarely land in the same month.

Consumables follow the expiry date. Pads carry a date on the packaging. Batteries carry a service life, and the end of that life depends on the model and the use. Rescue kits hold items with their own dates. ReadyAED stores the dates and lists the units affected in the next 90 days, so the purchase lands before the date passes.

Training follows the certificate. Anticipated responders refresh their training on the cycle that the course sets. The CDC fact sheet found that 45 states included AED use training for anticipated responders. Keep the certificate date in the program file, because a state rule can tie immunity to training.

Medical direction follows the agreement. Medical direction is delivered through licensed physician partners. A program with more than one site can cover several sites in one agreement. ReadyAED does not practice medicine, and it names no partner until the partner gives written approval.

Four mistakes appear in program budgets.

• Leaving staff time out. The inspection routine runs on paid time, even when no invoice shows it.
• Comparing software prices alone. A per-device software price says nothing about consumables, training or medical direction.
• Assuming one consumable price fits every model. Pads and batteries differ by manufacturer and by model.
• Adding sites after the count. A site with a hidden cabinet changes the fleet size, the inspection count and the consumable order.

A budget that names all six lines survives the first review. A budget review that starts from the table can answer a question in the room.

Count the inspections first. One unit on a monthly schedule takes 12 inspections a year. A fleet of 100 units takes 1,200 inspections a year. Add the minutes one inspection takes and the loaded hourly cost of the person who inspects.

The loaded hourly cost is the wage plus the employer costs. Multiply the inspection count by the minutes, divide by 60, then multiply by the hourly cost. The result is the current staff cost of the routine.

ReadyAED publishes no time-saving figure of its own. A saving needs a measured customer record, and the record does not exist yet. approved customer time-savings figures

See how the register keeps the routine visible. Book a demo, and bring your inspection count.

AED program cost calculator: the calculator asks for the same figures and shows the method.

1. Collect 12 months of invoices for devices, consumables, training, medical direction and software.
2. Count the inspections the team completed last year, and the minutes one inspection takes.
3. Multiply the inspection count by the minutes and the loaded hourly cost.
4. Add the invoice totals to the staff-time figure. That total is your current annual cost.
5. Ask each supplier for the next 12 months in writing before you compare offers.
6. Put the total beside one flat-rate quote. ReadyAED charges one flat rate. approved pricing for every tier and add-on

The method uses your own records, so the result survives a budget review. A figure from a vendor deck does not.

The first pass takes an afternoon. Most of that time goes into the invoice collection, not the arithmetic. Once the table exists, the next review takes minutes, because each supplier sends the same document each year.

One table holds the estimate. Each row carries a cost line, the amount, the period it covers and the source document.

• Cost line: device, consumable, training, medical direction, software or staff time.
• Amount: the invoice figure or the arithmetic result.
• Period: one year, or the term of the agreement.
• Source: an invoice number, a quote or a timesheet.

A row with no source is a guess. Mark it and replace it before the budget review.

Each supplier answers a different question.

• The device supplier: the unit price, the warranty term and the service path.
• The consumable supplier: the price per pack, the shelf life and the delivery lead time.
• The training provider: the course length, the certificate term and the refresh cost.
• The medical-direction provider: the sites covered, the record path and the agreement term.
• The software supplier: the price basis, what counts as a unit and the exit terms.

Ask for the answer in writing. A verbal figure changes when the account manager changes, and a written answer gives the budget a date.

• How often should you inspect an AED?: the sources that set the inspection interval and the count behind the staff-time line.
• AEDs from different brands in one register: why a mixed fleet needs one register, not one file per brand.
• The AED management blog: all five articles.