4 Top-Rated Affordable CMMS Software
Computerized maintenance management software (CMMS) helps maintenance managers manage several operational tasks at any given time, including tracking work order statuses, scheduling workforce, managing assets, and tracking inventory.
However, it’s crucial that you invest in a CMMS solution that fulfills your specific needs without exceeding the budget. Fortunately, there are affordable CMMS software solutions available that you can consider to manage your work order workflows.
This article lists four top-rated affordable CMMS software based on verified user reviews and the base or standard plan pricing found on vendor websites. Per our research, we’ve considered products priced less than $34.3 per month as affordable software and arranged them in ascending order of their prices.
The listed products are either dedicated CMMS software or team management software. They offer core CMMS features, including asset tracking, preventive maintenance, and work order management.
What is a base software plan?
A base plan is the most affordable pricing tier offered by a software provider. Besides having the lowest price, base plans provide access to all core software features. However, they may have limitations compared to higher-tier plans in terms of the available functionality, storage capacity, number of user seats, support options, etc.
We selected products for this article based on their average ratings between March 2022 - March 2024, which may differ from their current overall average ratings.
1. Coast
Coast is a team management software that allows you to create workspaces that can be used for specific projects or teams. Within these workspaces, you can create cards for an individual or a group of employees to assign work orders or shifts. Moreover, Coast supports in-app live chat, allowing your team to communicate in real time. Each chat includes a list that can be used to create or assign tasks to the chat members. Once a task is assigned to a member, that member will get notified, eliminating delays in work completion.
Base plan of Coast allows you to track and monitor the time and cost spent on completing a task. To visualize and analyze the performance of the team and export data for further analysis, you can consider investing in the higher-priced plans.
Base plan features*:
Workspace permissions: Control access to workspaces based on user roles and responsibilities. This feature ensures that users can only view, modify, or manage information pertinent to their specific job functions, enhancing data security and operational integrity.
Time clock: Allow the staff to log their working hours directly within the system. This feature facilitates accurate tracking of labor costs and productivity by recording maintenance tasks' start and end times.
Signature capture: Digitally collects team or customer signatures within the system to confirm the completion of tasks, approvals, and verifications. It enhances accountability and compliance by providing a verifiable record that specific actions were performed or approved by designated individuals.
Starting price: $1.80 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $3.6 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, emails, chat, and phone support
Who should consider Coast?
Small businesses across several sectors, such as healthcare, automotive, and hospitality, can consider investing in Coast as the tool can simplify work order management and team collaboration. Managers can especially benefit from the in-app chat feature as it’ll help them create tasks for their team members from within the chat. It also supports search functionality, allowing the chat members to use the search bar to find images, links, files, or any specific message shared in the chat.
2. MaintainX
MaintainX is a dedicated CMMS solution that allows you to create unlimited work orders. You can attach pictures of the site, tools, or documents to the work orders to add more details about the task. MaintainX supports AI-powered procedure generation, which automatically creates standard operating procedures for maintenance tasks. The tool considers maintenance history to suggest optimal maintenance schedules, procedures, and safety precautions. Besides, you can add conditional logic fields to procedure forms that enable the tool to tailor the flow of the maintenance procedure according to the data filled into the form.
You can create up to three work orders with the attached procedures per month in the base plan of MaintainX. However, the premium plans of the tool allow you to create unlimited work orders with procedures. Premium plans also come with work order templates that are absent in the base plan.
Base plan features*:
QR and bar code scanning: Access asset information, maintenance records, and inventory levels by QR and bar scanning codes. This facilitates efficient tracking, updating, and auditing of assets, enhancing operational accuracy and reducing manual data entry errors.
Real-time insights: Get instant access to data analytics and performance metrics of maintenance operations. It enables decision-makers to monitor asset health, maintenance costs, and workforce efficiency in real time, facilitating proactive decision-making and optimizing maintenance strategies.
Work order exports: Generate and download reports or data sets related to maintenance work orders. This functionality supports data analysis, sharing, and archiving outside the CMMS tool.
Starting price: $16 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $49 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base, emails, and chat support
Who should consider MaintainX?
Maintenance managers can opt for MaintainX to enhance their operations with the help of an AI-powered procedure generation feature. The tool automatically generates optimized maintenance procedures tailored to specific assets, incorporating historical data and industry best practices. It enables managers to simplify maintenance planning, reduce downtime, and ensure compliance with safety standards, ultimately leading to improved asset performance, cost savings, and a proactive maintenance culture.
Pro tip
Check the document storage capacity in the CMMS tool you consider to ensure you have sufficient space for your business operations. Proper storage allows you to store essential maintenance documents, such as manuals, work orders, and compliance certificates.
3. UpKeep
UpKeep, another dedicated CMMS platform, helps you capture maintenance requests by your employees. They can submit requests or report issues directly through the system, allowing the maintenance team to track the requests, assign work orders, and resolve them proactively. UpKeep also supports preventive maintenance, wherein the tool helps schedule maintenance tasks to avoid equipment downtime. It automates the scheduling of maintenance activities based on time intervals or usage metrics, ensuring that equipment is maintained at optimal intervals.
UpKeep's base plan supports unlimited view-only users (team members who can view the assigned tasks and statuses) and work order requesters. However, you may want to invest in the tool’s higher-priced plan to accept external work order requests and have unlimited customers.
Base plan features*:
Location management: Track and manage the physical locations of your assets and equipment. This feature assists in organizing assets by site, area, or department, facilitating easier scheduling of maintenance tasks, inventory management, and asset tracking.
Recurring work orders: Create automated workflows based on time, usage, or condition triggers to schedule equipment maintenance tasks at regular intervals. This ensures that preventive maintenance is performed consistently, helping you avoid unexpected equipment failures and downtime.
Email notifications: Get alerts and updates related to maintenance tasks on your email. This includes notifications for new work orders, changes in status, reminders for upcoming maintenance, and completion confirmations. It enhances communication, ensures timely action on maintenance tasks, and keeps everyone informed about the status of assets and work orders.
Starting price: $20 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $45 per user per month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Customer support options: Knowledge base, emails, chat, and phone support
Who should consider UpKeep?
UpKeep is an ideal tool for businesses that rely on machinery for their operations. For instance, manufacturing plants, restaurants, and transportation businesses can use this tool to submit internal work order requests to the maintenance team to maintain their machinery. This tool also helps with preventive maintenance and recurring work orders, ensuring that the equipment is maintained timely to prevent downtime.
4. Limble CMMS
Limble CMMS comes with a work request portal that anyone within or outside your business can use to submit a work request or maintenance request. The portal captures details, including name, email, location, asset, priority level, picture, and documents related to the request, helping you get all the necessary information to fulfill it. The tool stores a comprehensive record of all maintenance requests submitted over a period of time. This includes details on what maintenance was requested, when it was done, who performed it, and the outcome.
You can configure Limble CMMS to auto-schedule four recurring work orders in the tool’s base plan. To create unlimited recurring work orders, you will have to invest in the tool’s premium version that supports inventory management, helping track unlimited spare parts.
Base plan features*:
Mobile CMMS: Access the CMMS system on your mobile phone. This capability ensures that you can view work orders, update job statuses, access asset information, and even capture images or signatures directly from the field.
Procedure templates: Get pre-defined or customizable templates to create maintenance procedures and work orders. This enables maintenance teams to quickly generate consistent, comprehensive, and standardized procedures for various tasks, ensuring all necessary steps are followed correctly.
Asset warranty tracking: Manage and monitor the warranty status of assets and equipment. This functionality helps ensure that maintenance and repair activities are conducted within the warranty terms, potentially saving costs on covered parts and services.
Starting price: $28 per user per month
Cost to upgrade: $69 per user per month
Billing cycle: Annual
Customer support options: Knowledge base and chat support
Who should consider Limble CMMS?
IT service providers who have to address large amounts of support tickets every day can benefit from Limble CMMS’s work order portal, as it helps capture all necessary information at the time of ticket creation. This helps eliminate the need for back-and-forth communication to understand the issue before assigning a worker. Moreover, the mobile CMMS ensures that the maintenance team on the field can access work order details conveniently on their mobile devices.
Pro tip
Ensure you can access the CMMS system via your mobile device. This accessibility allows you to submit work requests, update job statuses, and consult documentation from anywhere, improving response time and facilitating communication.
Top 5 CMMS software features users rate as highly critical
Reviewers of CMMS software emphasize the critical importance of the following features. To identify these features, we asked users to rate, on a scale of “low importance” to “critical,” how important different features are for CMMS software. The features showcased are those that the highest percentage of reviewers rated as “highly important” or “critical” over the past two years (as of March 22, 2024).
Feature name | Criticality rating (%)** | Description |
|---|---|---|
Work order management | 89% | Create, organize, assign, and track the status of maintenance tasks to ensure a smooth workflow |
Preventive maintenance | 88% | Schedule regular maintenance tasks to prevent equipment failure and enhance asset longevity |
Asset tracking | 76% | Monitor assets’ locations, conditions, and maintenance histories to optimize their utilization |
Scheduling | 76% | Plan and allocate maintenance tasks and resources to ensure timely execution |
Mobile access | 73% | Manage maintenance tasks and access asset information from mobile devices to enhance flexibility and real-time responsiveness |
How much does CMMS software cost?
A computerized maintenance management system can cost as low as $1.80 per user per month or up to $110+ per user per month, depending on various factors—features, number of users, infrastructure requirements, business size/type, training availability, deployment options, integrations, and storage. Most CMMS solutions typically include the following pricing plans:
Free trials: Range from seven to 30 days and give users access to either all or limited features of the software. These no-cost trial plans are ideal for a small business that wishes to try out a tool before purchasing it.
Free versions: Offer perpetual access to limited software features. These free plans are ideal for small businesses on a budget.
Entry-level plans: Start at $1.80 per user per month and offer access to standard features. These are suitable for a small business with basic feature requirements, such as work order management, predictive maintenance, preventive maintenance scheduling, and basic reporting.
Mid-tier plans: Range from $3.6 to $85 per user per month and offer advanced features such as unlimited work orders, asset management, and advanced reporting. These are suitable for businesses that have outgrown entry-level CMMS solutions but don’t require the full range of functionality offered by enterprise-level tools.
High-end plans: Cost more than $110 per user per month and offer a range of advanced features, including unlimited access to entry-level and mid-tier features, priority customer support, and integrations with third-party systems. These are suitable for large businesses.
Hidden costs associated with computerized maintenance management system
Besides the license, additional costs can include:
Training costs: Extensive training may be required for staff to effectively use the software.
Implementation fees: Setting up and customizing the software to fit specific business needs can incur additional charges.
Additional user license: As the business grows, purchasing more user licenses can significantly increase costs.
Frequently asked questions when selecting CMMS software
Here are some questions to ask CMMS software providers before making a final purchase:
Does the tool support integration with other software you use?
Integration with existing software solutions ensures smooth data flow across the tools. Before investing in a CMMS platform, enquire about the tools it can integrate with to reduce manual data entry, minimize errors, and allow for a unified view of maintenance, operations, and financial activities.
Does the tool provide access to real-time data?
Access to real-time operational data enables you to immediately identify and respond to issues, track maintenance progress, and adjust workflows as necessary. Therefore, checking whether the CMMS solution provides real-time data via notifications, dashboards, and reports can help you proactively make informed decisions to enhance operations.
What are the inventory management features available in the tool?
Checking inventory management features in CMMS software is essential to ensure that necessary parts and supplies are available when needed, reducing downtime caused by waiting for parts. They enable precise tracking of inventory levels, usage rates, and reordering points, facilitating cost-effective inventory control and reducing excess stock or shortages.
Methodology
To be considered for this list, products had to:
Feature in Software Advice’s 2024 FrontRunners report for CMMS software.
Include asset tracking, preventive maintenance, and work order management as the core features.
Meet our market definition for CMMS software: “CMMS software streamlines maintenance processes, management, and planning, helping organizations ensure consistent performance and increased efficiency. By automating and monitoring maintenance schedules, CMMS applications reduce costs and optimize the process of repair and replacement of vital equipment.”
For all 25 products included in the FrontRunners report, we assessed the starting price of monthly subscription plans and found the average price to be $34.3—we considered only products with publicly available pricing information. We then shortlisted products with a monthly subscription price lower than $34.3 for this article.
*Our research team identified these features from vendor websites (as of March 22, 2024) based on their analysis of what users find valuable in or expect from CMMS software. This list is not exhaustive. For additional features, refer to the vendor’s website.
Editorial independence: We select and rank products based on an objective methodology developed by our research team. While some vendors may pay us when they receive web traffic or leads, this has no influence on our methodology.
Note: Products evaluated for the pricing calculation were taken from Software Advice’s CMMS software directory. The pricing ranges exclude freemium versions of the products. The features highlighted were identified based on their relevance and the percentage of products in the Software Advice directory that offer them. Only products with publicly available pricing information, as of March 22, 2024, were considered for pricing calculation.