What maintenance software does
The names change (maintenance software, maintenance management system, CMMS) but the loop is always the same, and it is short:
- Someone reports that something is wrong: from a phone, with a photo, or by scanning the QR code stuck on the machine.
- The request becomes a work order with an owner, a priority and a due date.
- The technician resolves it from a phone: checklist, time spent, before-and-after photos, signature.
- Periodic inspections generate themselves (every month, every quarter, every 250 running hours) and do not depend on anyone remembering.
- Everything stays in the asset history: what was done, when, by whom, and how much labor it cost.
The proof that this is not theory is one click away: open the demo company with the role you want, without signing up, and walk through that loop with data already loaded.
Who it makes sense for (and who it does not)
Maintenance software pays off as soon as two conditions are met: there is equipment that breaks down or requires inspections (refrigeration, HVAC, production machinery, elevators, vehicles, fire systems) and more than one person is involved in reporting, deciding or repairing. It does not matter whether that is a chain of stores, a hotel, a warehouse or a workshop: the problem is the same.
And it does not pay off for everyone. If what you need is a valued spare-parts inventory, purchasing, predictive maintenance with sensors, or your ERP and your maintenance to sync automatically (here data moves by CSV), look for a larger platform, with the implementation project that comes with it. onCMMS lists everything it does not do on its product page: we would rather you know before you load your assets.
What to check before choosing one
- Can you try it without talking to anyone? If seeing the product requires a sales call, you already know what the rest will be like. Here there is an open demo and an account that creates itself in 30 seconds.
- How does it charge: per user or per company? Per-user pricing penalizes exactly what you want, which is everyone reporting problems. onCMMS charges per company, and whoever only reports (a requester, or anyone through a QR code) does not count as a user.
- Is the phone version real? The technician works standing up, often with gloves on: if the application only works well on a desktop, it will not be used. This one is designed for the phone first, with nothing to install.
- Are the limits published? Users, assets and conditions of every plan, in a table, before you give anyone an email address.
- Where is the data? onCMMS keeps it in the European Union, with a daily backup and a complete export whenever you ask: it is yours.
- Which language is the interface in? onCMMS is built in Spain and its interface is currently in Spanish; an English interface is on the roadmap. If you need it, tell us, because that is what moves it up the list.
And staying on spreadsheets and group chats?
That is the real alternative in most small companies, and it works, until it does not: requests get lost in chats, preventive maintenance depends on memory, and nobody can prove what was done when an insurer or an auditor asks. CMMS vs spreadsheets has the honest detail of what changes and when it is worth making the move, and when it is not.
What it costs
The market norm is a price per user per month, plus an onboarding project. onCMMS has a Free plan forever (2 users and 25 assets, with the full loop), and the paid plans go from $49 a month (Workshop: 5 users, 250 assets) to $99 a month (Business: 15 users, unlimited assets), always per company and without a minimum term. When you create the account you get 30 days of the full Workshop plan, no card. The whole table is on the pricing page.
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Quick questions
Are "maintenance software" and "CMMS" the same thing?
In practice, yes. CMMS stands for Computerized Maintenance Management System. People who have been in maintenance for years say CMMS; people who just inherited the problem search for maintenance software. The long explanation is on the page about what a CMMS is.
Do I have to install anything?
No. It runs in the browser of a computer or a phone; on the phone you can add it to the home screen and it behaves like any other app. There is no app-store app and no offline mode.
How long does it take to set up?
An afternoon: you create the account, upload your assets by CSV (or by hand), print the QR labels, and your team can start reporting and working. No consultants, no implementation project.
Is it worth it if we are only two people?
Yes, and the Free plan will probably be enough: 2 users, 25 assets and the full loop, with no expiry date.
Can we bring our existing asset list and history?
Yes. Assets are imported from a CSV file, and the import creates the sites, locations and categories that are missing. Your work order history can be imported from CSV too, so the asset history does not start from zero.
Screenshots show the current interface, which is in Spanish. An English interface is on the roadmap; read where it stands.
Keep reading
See it from the inside before deciding
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