A CMMS software price comparison is harder than it should be because the headline number is the least informative part of a quote. Products in this category are priced per user, per asset, per site or flat; they differ in whether implementation is a fee or a fortnight of your time; they differ in how long they keep closed work orders; and they differ in whether getting your data out later is a button or a support ticket. This page sets out the four lines that decide what a CMMS actually costs you, in the order they will surprise you.
Per user is the line that moves most
A price that looks modest for one technician multiplies by the number of people who must raise or close a job, and that number is larger than the maintenance headcount if occupants report faults. Ask what a read-only or raise-only user costs, because in many products the answer is nothing and it changes the total.
Implementation is either a fee or your time
There is no third option. A product with no implementation fee is one where somebody at your site builds the register, loads the schedule and trains the team. Cost that at your own hourly rate before treating it as free.
History retention is a price line nobody reads
Some plans keep closed work orders for a year. A maintenance history is worth more the older it gets, because two years is what you need to judge an interval. Retention that expires is the most expensive cheap thing in this category.
Export decides what happens at renewal
If a full export of assets, schedules, work orders and history is a button you can press yourself, you have a negotiating position at renewal. If it is a support ticket, you do not, and the price you compare in year one is not the price you pay in year three.
Questions people ask about cmms software price comparison
What is a reasonable price for a small team?
Compare it against your own reactive number rather than against other vendors. On the worked example here that is $9,273.60 a month of avoidable labour; your version decides what is reasonable.
Are annual contracts worth the discount?
Only after a full billing cycle on a monthly plan. The discount is real and the risk of paying a year for a product your technicians will not use is larger.
Should we ask for a pilot?
Yes, on one area with real assets and real jobs, for a full PM cycle. A pilot on sample data tests the salesperson, not the product.