Between putting out fires, managing staff, supply lines, and customers, small business owners have a lot on their plate. Due to this, developing effective, standardized systems for management is a key indicator of success.
CMMS software for small business is a game changer in both efficiency and effectiveness of equipment and facilities. This article will break this down, and offer 10 fantastic CMMS software for small business to explore for 2024.
What Is a CMMS?
CMMS is an abbreviation of ‘Computerized Maintenance Management System’. This category of technology helps business owners digitize and streamline maintenance and asset management to improve asset performance, data collection, and decision making.
More specifically, typical CMMS software for small business can handle work order management, inspections, preventive maintenance, process standardization, asset management, parts inventory and compliance audits.
There are many CMMS systems to choose from as they differentiate based on cost, functionality and ease of use. It is due to this wide array of choices, that managers should conduct research and choose the right product for their business needs.
What To Look for In a CMMS Software for Small Business?
Ease of Use & Overall Flexibility
Our recommendation is to look for a tool with a minimum learning curve, so that frontline managers and workers can align with business goals and deliverability aspects without any setbacks. One way to do this is to begin with listing the problems that your business needs to solve, and using that to find the easiest to use solution for that problem set.
Affordable Cost and Pricing Model
In the landscape of CMMS software for small businesses, you will find many payment models and price points. Many offerings charge subscription fees either monthly or annually, with a free trial to get started. Others offer longer term contract based pricing with custom implementation support. We recommend the former, as you have a better opportunity to test the software before buying and cancel if it is not a good fit.
Subscription models are typically per user per month pricing, which is a great pricing model for small businesses with few employees, but can add up when implementing on large teams. Typically CMMS software for small business starts around $40 per user per month, but there are other low cost alternatives that we will cover below.
Core Maintenance Features
General features, such as; work order management, time and cost tracking, analytics and reports, compliance audits, inspections, preventive maintenance, and asset management are essential functions of CMMS software. However, many business owners have no use, or not enough buy in from staff to use every module consistently.
With this, it is important to differentiate the features that drive the most value to your team, and only upgrade to more complex offerings after initial implementation is complete. This will save your team time and money but focusing efforts on the core features that will improve your business.
Accessibility
A CMMS software for small business should support accessibility on both desktop and mobile with intuitive design that connects the two interfaces. This helps to connect teams in the field to the managers in an office or on the go. It is this interconnectivity that drives efficiency and adoption into every maintenance task and ensures proper data documentation every step of the way.
When testing a CMMS software for small business, you should ensure to compare solutions on both desktop and mobile. If you notice that one brand outperforms the other on desktop but not on mobile (or vise versa), we recommend choosing the solution with the best mobile interface. The reason is that if the mobile app is not good, it will not get used, data will not be collected and the desktop program will be useless.
10 Best CMMS Software For Small Businesses In 2024
Now that we know what a CMMS software for small business looks like in terms of solutions and features, let's take a look at the current market landscape and find the right solution for your business.
1. Xenia - Overall No.1 & Best CMMS For Small Business Platforms
For small businesses looking to centralize their facilities and frontline operations, Xenia is the solution you need. Xenia combines the core CMMS suite with tools for daily operations, safety and quality management.
Xenia helps standardize operations with a builder and public library of checklists, SOPs, Logs and Inspections. These checklists are customizable and can be attached to work orders to be assigned or scheduled for completion by either a team or an individual.
When assigned a work order, team members are notified on their mobile devices and can easily access all the tools needed to complete the task according to brand standards. They can also track time, send chats, attach images and notes to ensure clear documentation.
Xenia has dedicated modules for work order requests, scheduled work, analytics reports, and asset management. There are also features such as QR codes for assets, locations and templates, public URL links for non user submissions, and conditional logic powered inspections.
Key Features
- Create templates for SOPs, checklists, logs, inspections, meeting agendas, and surveys with a ready to use library and custom builder module.
- Trigger notifications, follow up questions, or corrective action with conditional logic workflows for templates
- Work Order Management with integrated templates, image attachments, and chats to power teamwork and accountability
- Assign and measure work to individuals, teams, assets, and locations for complete coverage
- Real time progress tracking and detailed data collection on every work order
- Dedicated Scheduled Work feature for preventive maintenance and recurring tasks
- Work Order Requester Permissions to only submit and track progress of requests, along with a request approval portal for management
- Asset and Location Work History and QR code enabled maintenance logging
- Analytics Dashboards and report exports on all your data with easy filtering and organization
Pricing
- Free Forever Plan: Starting at $0 for up to 5 users with access to all the basic features.
- Starter: Starting at $99 for up to 15 users with access to core features.
- Premium: Starting at $199 for up to 15 users with unlimited access to all the features.
- Custom Plans: Looking for custom pricing plans?
Available for up to 5 users
Premium for $99/month for the first 20 users (with free trial period)
Available on iOS, Android and Web
2. NEXGEN
NEXGEN is a robust computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) integrated with cutting-edge asset management planning capabilities. As a result, operational efficiency increases, asset performance becomes easier to comprehend, and a robust risk analysis produces prioritized repair.
This CMMS tool offers actionable insights and foresight to effect meaningful, strategic change through lifecycle planning and risk mitigation across the organization. Using NEXGEN’s enterprise-wide asset management software, users can capture and manage every aspect of the asset inventory, create a compelling maintenance program, and prearrange maintenance funding through criticality and risk.
NEXGEN CMMS is a vital tool for asset managers in safeguarding budgets, turning risk into growth, and blowing up silos with its strategy-led solution.
Key Features
- Predictive maintenance
- Intelligent risk analysis
- End-to-end asset inventory
- Asset condition assessment
- Compliance and safety audits and inspections
- Comprehensive asset management planning
- NEXGEN Mobile
- Contractor Portal
- Backflow module
- NEXGEN 311
Pricing
- Free Trial
- Quote-based plan
3. MaintainX
Up next on our CMMS software for small business list, we’ve got MaintainX.
MaintainX digitizes safety procedures, maintenance work orders, preventive maintenance activities, checklists, auditing and inspections, and real-time business insights. In short, MaintainX can offer everything that Xenia does and more, including dedicated asset management and parts inventory modules, IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and improved data analysis dashboards. Their platform is easy to use across desktop and mobile with the ability to serve teams of any size.
That being said, in order to leverage these additional features, businesses need to be on the premium ($40 per user per month) pricing plan. Their free and $10 per user per month plans have very low data storage and image attachment limits that are easily hit by any regular business use. The truth is that compared to other CMMS solutions with similar offerings, the $40 price point is reasonable, and the cost savings of the features can easily justify the spend. In addition, for small teams with 3 or 4 users, the cost would still be less than $200 per month for an impressive solution.
Key Features
- Work order management and Preventive maintenance
- Asset management and Parts inventory
- Inspections and audits
- Internet of things sensors and live meters
- Advanced data models and analytics
- Collaboration tools, such as chat, commenting, notes, etc.
- Maintenance and inspections audit management
- Tooling and gauge reporting module
Pricing
- Starting at $0, Basic plan is available for evaluation purpose
- $10 ($8.83 Annual) per user per month for Essential Package
- $39 ($32.50 Annual) per user per month for Premium Package
4. Upkeep
As an asset operation and management tool for small, mid-sized, and large-scale businesses, Upkeep enables team-level efficiency at various forefronts. You can manage your daily maintenance lifecycle activities and optimize asset vs. cost utilization as you gain insights into the ongoing performance data reports.
Upkeep is available on desktop and mobile devices, alongside a robust cloud data backup policy where remote access to the app is guaranteed from anywhere in the world.
Also, this tool gives maintenance teams a centralized hub where they can manage their work orders, inventory, and budgets in accordance with the organization’s goals. Reliability teams use this tool for asset performance management, which further enables long-term optimization of the efficiency of assets throughout the assets’ lifecycle.
Upkeep “wrote the book” on asset management and can offer a powerful platform for teams of all sizes.
Key Features
- Preventive maintenance and Work order management
- Interactive reports and dashboards
- Barcode scanners and automated meter readings
- Equipment breakdown reports
- Location based asset monitoring and tracking feature
- Materials management and cost tracking
Pricing
- Upkeep Starter available for $45 per user, per month
- Professional Plan is available for $75 per user, per month
5. Snapfix
Taking a break from heavier duty CMMS solutions with per user pricing, Snapfix is a solution built for simplicity with flat monthly or annual pricing, no matter the amount of users.
Snapfix is a camera driven work order management system that allows users to capture both images and videos to document issues and corrections. Users can draw on the images and share with teams or store for future reference.
Snap fix also allows users to create checklists and plan preventive maintenance. Snapfix has a real time progress dashboard and makes downloading reports easy.
Key Features
- Work orders, preventive maintenance and fire safety
- Photo and videos with drawing functionality
- Location and asset tracking
- Data analytics dashboard and report exports
Pricing
- Snapfix offers a 7-day trial for evaluation purposes at $0
- Snapfix Basic package at $99 per month ($999 annual)
- Snapfix Pro is $199 monthly ($1999 annual)
6. Limble CMMS
Limble CMMS is competitor to Upkeep and Maintainx with complex features starting at a $40 per user per month price point. Their platform is available on desktop and mobile with features such as asset management, work orders, preventive maintenance, IOT sensors, regulatory compliance modules, work requests, parts inventory, vendor management, reports and dashboards.
Limble is highly reviewed and used by teams across the globe. To some, their user interface is a bit more complex and less modern compared to others on this list, but they offer a free trial to decide for yourself.
Key Features
- Work orders and preventive maintenance
- Asset management
- Parts inventory
- Vendor management
- IOT sensors and dedicated compliance modules
- Reports and data dashboards
- Multiple language support
Pricing
- Starter plan kicks off at $40 per user per month
- Professional plan starts at $70 per user per month
- Limble Business Plus introduced at $105 per user per month
7. Fiix
Fiix is a CMMS platform developed by Rockwell Automation to handle asset management, work orders, preventive maintenance, parts and supplies inventory. Their platform makes it easy to analyze each asset and see a complete bill of materials, work orders assigned and completed as well as meter reading logs.
For teams handling many assets with hundreds of data points, Fiix is a great solution. Fiix has an AI driven data model that analyzes maintenance data to find trends and issues quickly to help plan, purchase and manage parts and equipment all in the platform. Fiix has SOC 2 Type 2 data security compliance and guarantees 99.5% equipment uptime. To access these features, businesses need to elect for the $75 per user per month plan.
Key Features
- Preventive maintenance with nested scheduling
- Multi-asset work orders
- Asset and parts management
- E-signature support (enterprise)
- Pass / Fail Inspections
- AI Driven analytics
- Embedded video training
- Soc 2 Type 2 data security
Pricing
- Free plan available with limited feature set
- Fiix Basic starts at $45 per user per month
- Fiix Professional starts at $75 per user per month
8. Fracttal One
Cloud-based CMMS software Fracttal One is renowned for its user-friendliness and capacity to evolve with expanding enterprises.
As one of the best CMMS for small business platforms, the program performs well at providing value for the requirements of smaller O&M teams, even if it doesn't come with as many features as many other providers.
Fracttal Asset Cloud is a complete computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software that improves facilities management, tracks assets, and streamlines maintenance operations for businesses. Fracttal Asset Cloud offers a wide variety of capabilities that enable the management of work orders, asset tracking, preventative maintenance, and other tasks.
Key Features
- Work orders for maintenance jobs can be created, assigned, and managed by users of Fracttal Asset Cloud.
- Organizations may keep an accurate inventory of their premises, equipment, and assets thanks to the program.
- Scheduling tools from Fracttal Asset Cloud assist businesses in organizing and planning maintenance work so that resources are allocated effectively and jobs are completed on time.
- To reduce equipment downtime and proactively handle regular maintenance activities, users may create recurring maintenance plans.
- Using a mobile app, technicians and maintenance teams can access, update, and finish jobs while on the road using Fracttal Asset Cloud.
- Tasks, assets, or work orders may have maintenance manuals, pictures, schematics, and other pertinent documentation attached to them.
- Fracttal Asset Cloud could provide analytics and reporting tools that let businesses track important performance metrics, examine maintenance data, and come to wise judgments.
Pricing
- Free Community plan is designed for entrepreneurs and includes 2 users
- Starter Plan: USD$ 229/month plan, billed at USD$ 3,348/year (or USD$ 2,748/year with the discount).
- Pro Plan: USD$ 539/month, billed at USD$ 7,788/year (or USD$ 6,468/year with the discount)
9. FMX
With capabilities for work order management, asset monitoring, scheduling, preventative maintenance, document management, and more, FMX is a powerful CMMS software created to improve maintenance and facility management. It intends to promote cooperation, simplify maintenance procedures, and provide insights to support businesses in efficiently managing their assets and buildings.
FMX is a complete Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) software that helps businesses monitor assets, manage facilities more effectively, and simplify maintenance operations. FMX has a range of capabilities that enable it to be used as a tool for work order management, job scheduling, and facility maintenance optimization.
Key Features
- Work orders for maintenance chores may be created, assigned, and managed by users of FMX. Users can enter task information, prioritize tasks, assign resources, and monitor their progress.
- Organizations may keep an accurate inventory of their premises, equipment, and assets thanks to the program. Every asset may have connected data, maintenance records, and supporting documentation.
- To assist enterprises in planning and optimizing maintenance work, FMX includes scheduling capabilities that guarantee timely completion and effective resource use.
- To reduce equipment downtime and proactively handle regular maintenance activities, users can create recurring maintenance plans.
- Technicians and maintenance teams can find, update, and finish jobs while on-site with the help of FMX's mobile app.
Pricing
- Contact the vendor for pricing
10. Smartsheet
Up next on our list of best CMMS for small business, we've got Smartsheet on the list.
Businesses in the market for a CMMS solution should explore Smartsheet which is a tailored CMMS software that provides additional features for managing maintenance.
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) features are only one of the many uses for Smartsheet, a flexible work management and communication platform. Smartsheet's capabilities can potentially be used to manage maintenance activities, workflows, and procedures inside enterprises, even though it was not created with CMMS software in mind.
Key Features
- Work orders can be created, assigned, and tracked for maintenance chores using Smartsheet. Information such as job descriptions, priorities, deadlines, and accountable staff members can be entered by users.
- To keep track of different assets, machinery, and facilities, you can generate sheets. Every item may include pertinent data, maintenance records, and related paperwork.
- You can plan and see maintenance tasks over time using Smartsheet's Gantt chart view, which guarantees effective resource allocation.
- Recurring tasks and reminders can be configured to do regular maintenance chores, guaranteeing that equipment is correctly maintained at predetermined intervals.
- The collaboration functionalities of Smartsheet facilitate team communication, task progress updates, and information sharing about maintenance chores.
- Tasks, assets, or projects can have maintenance manuals, schematics, pictures, and other pertinent materials attached to them.
- You can assess maintenance data and trends with the use of Smartsheet's visualization tools, which include charts and graphs.
Pricing
- The Free plan is available at no cost and is suitable for individuals just starting with task and project management
- The Pro plan is priced at $7 per user per month, billed yearly.
- Business plan, recommended for more extensive use, is priced at $25 per user per month, billed yearly.
By offering a complete platform to manage assets, enhance maintenance strategies, and simplify operations, CMMS software enables organizations to elevate their maintenance practices.
We hope you liked our recommendation of the best CMMS software for small businesses. If you have any questions about getting started with Xenia, feel free to contact our sales team.
We look forward to hearing from you.