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Manufacturing · head to head

ABB 800xA vs IBM Maximo Application Suite

ABB 800xA logo

ABB 800xA

Manufacturing

Distributed control system and process automation platform for continuous and hybrid process plants

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IBM Maximo Application Suite logo

IBM Maximo Application Suite

Manufacturing

Enterprise asset management suite licensed by a shared pool of AppPoints rather than by named user

From
$3150/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ABB 800xA licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.; IBM Maximo Application Suite appPoints are consumed by users, applications and environments at once, so a routine decision like adding a test environment or enabling Health quietly eats pool capacity and can trigger a true-up nobody budgeted for.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, IBM Maximo Application Suite covers AppPoint pooling.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB 800xA and IBM Maximo Application Suite actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB 800xA and IBM Maximo Application Suite differ
AttributeABB 800xAIBM Maximo Application Suite
Starting priceOn request$3150/month
Pricing modelquotePer year by AppPoint pool
PlatformsWindowsWeb, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, Linux

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABB 800xA

  • Extended Automation
  • AC 800M controllers
  • Connectivity servers
  • Safety integration
  • IEC 61850 electrical
  • Batch management
  • Information management
  • Asset optimisation

Only in IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • AppPoint pooling
  • Maximo Manage
  • Maximo Health and Predict
  • Maximo Visual Inspection
  • Industry solutions
  • OpenShift deployment

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABB 800xA

  • A refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in placenot IBM Maximo Application Suite
  • A pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplacenot IBM Maximo Application Suite
  • A mining operation that needs SIL 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety systemnot IBM Maximo Application Suite
  • A marine or offshore platform where ABB already supplies the electrical distribution and IEC 61850 integration removes a second systemnot IBM Maximo Application Suite

IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • A transmission utility managing hundreds of thousands of linear and point assets with regulatory reporting that a mid-market CMMS cannot producenot ABB 800xA
  • An airline or rail operator needing configuration control and maintenance history depth that survives a regulator audit going back yearsnot ABB 800xA
  • A manufacturer wanting condition-based maintenance and work order execution in the same system rather than integrating a predictive tool to a separate CMMSnot ABB 800xA
  • A defence or nuclear estate where the industry solution and long-term vendor viability matter more than the licence costnot ABB 800xA

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABB 800xA

  • Licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.
  • Engineering and commissioning typically cost more than the software and controller hardware together, and that share is not visible in the initial ABB quotation, which prices the system rather than the project.
  • It is Windows only for servers and workplaces, so the operating system lifecycle drives forced upgrade cycles that have nothing to do with your process.
  • Once configured, the aspect object model and the specific integrator conventions used make handing the system to a different service provider expensive; ABB service contracts are effectively sticky.
  • Software maintenance is an annual contract on top of the licence and lapsing it means you cannot take version upgrades, so the system quietly ages out of security support if the plant skips renewals to save money.

IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • AppPoints are consumed by users, applications and environments at once, so a routine decision like adding a test environment or enabling Health quietly eats pool capacity and can trigger a true-up nobody budgeted for.
  • Pools are commonly sized from headcount rather than concurrency and application mix, and licence reviews frequently find them over-provisioned by a large margin, meaning organisations pay for entitlement they never consume.
  • Implementation, data migration, customisation and integrator fees routinely cost two to three times the first-year licence, so a business case built on the subscription figure will be materially wrong.
  • MAS requires Red Hat OpenShift, which for a customer-hosted deployment adds a container platform, its licensing and the specialist administration skills to run it, none of which the previous standalone Maximo needed.
  • Maximo is deep and slow to change; configuration is a specialist skill, upgrades are projects rather than updates, and organisations without a dedicated Maximo team end up permanently dependent on an implementation partner.

Pricing, plan by plan

ABB 800xA

On request
  • ABB Ability System 800xA$undefined/year
    • Licensed by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients
    • Sold as a project through ABB or a certified partner
    • Annual software maintenance contract priced separately

IBM Maximo Application Suite

$3150/month
  • Essentials (SaaS)$3150/month
    • Entry SaaS tier for a small user population
    • One production environment
    • Core Manage functionality
  • Standard (SaaS)$undefined/month
    • Larger AppPoint pool
    • Additional applications and environments
    • Priced on application
  • Premium (SaaS)$undefined/month
    • Full application set including Predict and Visual Inspection
    • Multiple environments
    • Priced on application
  • Customer hosted$undefined/year
    • AppPoint entitlement bought outright and run on your own OpenShift cluster
    • Infrastructure, OpenShift and administration costs are yours
    • Annual support and subscription contract required

Which should you pick?

Choose ABB 800xA if

  • You need extended automation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want ac 800m controllers.
ABB 800xA review

Choose IBM Maximo Application Suite if

  • You need apppoint pooling.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want maximo manage.
IBM Maximo Application Suite review

Questions people ask

Is ABB 800xA or IBM Maximo Application Suite better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB 800xA starts at On request and IBM Maximo Application Suite at $3150/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB 800xA or IBM Maximo Application Suite?
ABB 800xA starts at On request and IBM Maximo Application Suite at $3150/month.
Does ABB 800xA or IBM Maximo Application Suite run on more platforms?
ABB 800xA runs on Windows. IBM Maximo Application Suite runs on Web, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, Linux.
What is ABB 800xA best used for?
ABB 800xA is most often used for a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place, a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace, a mining operation that needs sil 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety system, a marine or offshore platform where abb already supplies the electrical distribution and iec 61850 integration removes a second system. Of those, a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place and a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace are not what IBM Maximo Application Suite is typically brought in for.
What can ABB 800xA do that IBM Maximo Application Suite cannot?
ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, AC 800M controllers, Connectivity servers, Safety integration. IBM Maximo Application Suite covers AppPoint pooling, Maximo Manage, Maximo Health and Predict, Maximo Visual Inspection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ABB 800xA: Is 800xA sold as a perpetual licence?

Yes, the system licence is perpetual, but a separate annual software maintenance agreement is required to receive updates and version upgrades.

IBM Maximo Application Suite: Is Maximo still sold per user?

No. The Maximo Application Suite licenses a shared AppPoint pool consumed by users, applications and environments. Per-seat Maximo is the old model.

ABB 800xA: Can 800xA control non-ABB field hardware?

Yes. Connectivity servers front third-party PLC and DCS systems and legacy ABB families, which is the main reason it wins brownfield projects.

IBM Maximo Application Suite: What does the entry SaaS tier cost?

The Essentials package starts around $3,150 per month for a small user population and one production environment. Larger tiers are quoted.

ABB 800xA: Does it replace a separate electrical SCADA?

It can. IEC 61850 substation integration is native, so many plants drop a separate electrical monitoring system.

IBM Maximo Application Suite: Do non-production environments cost AppPoints?

Yes. Development, test and training environments draw from the same pool, which is the most common sizing surprise.

ABB 800xA: What is the realistic implementation timeline?

A full plant migration is measured in years, not months; phased cutovers of one unit at a time are the norm.

IBM Maximo Application Suite: Can I run MAS without OpenShift?

No. OpenShift is the deployment platform whether you host it yourself or consume MAS as a service from IBM.

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