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Manufacturing · head to head

Arena PLM vs Markforged Eiger

Arena PLM logo

Arena PLM

Manufacturing

Cloud PLM and QMS for electronics and medical device teams, now part of PTC

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Markforged Eiger logo

Markforged Eiger

Manufacturing

Free cloud print preparation for Markforged printers, because the money is in the hardware

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Markforged Eiger has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Arena PLM no pricing is published, and third-party figures circulating online range from roughly $1,000 to $3,000 per user per year, which tells you the spread is wide and the quote is entirely negotiated.; Markforged Eiger eiger only drives Markforged printers, so the free software is a lock-in mechanism; the moment you want a different machine none of your prepared parts or fibre routing transfers.
  • They diverge on capability: Arena PLM covers BOM and AML management, Markforged Eiger covers Continuous fibre routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arena PLM and Markforged Eiger actually diverge.

Attributes where Arena PLM and Markforged Eiger differ
AttributeArena PLMMarkforged Eiger
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Windows, macOS, Cloud

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), 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 Arena PLM

  • BOM and AML management
  • Engineering change control
  • Quality management
  • Compliance tracking
  • Supplier collaboration
  • Requirements management
  • Validation support

Only in Markforged Eiger

  • Continuous fibre routing
  • Cloud slicing
  • Fleet management
  • Part library
  • Material tracking
  • Simulation add-on
  • Eiger Offline
  • Access control

What people use each for

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

Arena PLM

  • A hardware startup moving from spreadsheets to a controlled BOM before its first contract manufacturer buildnot Markforged Eiger
  • A medical device company needing PLM and a 21 CFR Part 11 quality system in one auditable recordnot Markforged Eiger
  • An electronics team that needs component obsolescence and RoHS risk visible against the live BOMnot Markforged Eiger
  • A distributed engineering group that needs a contract manufacturer to see the released BOM without a VPN or an IT projectnot Markforged Eiger

Markforged Eiger

  • A tooling department printing carbon fibre reinforced jigs and fixtures strong enough to replace machined aluminiumnot Arena PLM
  • A defence contractor needing air-gapped print preparation because part geometry cannot leave the site, which requires Eiger Offlinenot Arena PLM
  • A manufacturing engineering group running several Markforged machines across sites from one queue and part librarynot Arena PLM
  • A maintenance team producing reinforced replacement brackets on demand rather than holding sparesnot Arena PLM

Where each one falls short

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

Arena PLM

  • No pricing is published, and third-party figures circulating online range from roughly $1,000 to $3,000 per user per year, which tells you the spread is wide and the quote is entirely negotiated.
  • PTC acquired Arena in 2021 and its strategic PLM is Windchill, so Arena occupies the lower end of a portfolio and a buyer should assume the upgrade path out of Arena is a migration, not an expansion.
  • Licensing is tiered by user type, and read-mostly participants such as manufacturing or purchasing staff still consume paid seats, so organisations with many occasional viewers pay more per useful user than the headline suggests.
  • CAD integration is file and metadata level rather than deep design management, so teams wanting in-CAD check-in and check-out with full configuration control will find it thinner than Windchill or Teamcenter.
  • It is cloud-only multi-tenant with no self-hosted option, so defence, ITAR-sensitive or air-gapped programmes need to confirm data residency and access controls before it clears procurement.

Markforged Eiger

  • Eiger only drives Markforged printers, so the free software is a lock-in mechanism; the moment you want a different machine none of your prepared parts or fibre routing transfers.
  • The standard product is cloud only, meaning part geometry is uploaded to a vendor service, which is unacceptable for many defence and aerospace sites and forces them onto the paid Eiger Offline subscription per machine.
  • Eiger Offline pricing is not published and is charged per machine, so a shop with several printers pays repeatedly for software the cloud users receive free.
  • Slicing control is deliberately simplified compared with open slicers, and experienced operators regularly find they cannot reach a parameter they want without contacting support.
  • Markforged has been through financial pressure and consolidation in the additive sector, and because the software is inseparable from the hardware, a change of ownership or product line pruning would strand the fleet rather than just the tool.

Pricing, plan by plan

Arena PLM

On request
  • Arena PLM$undefined/year
    • Named-user annual subscription
    • BOM, item and change management
    • Supplier and compliance data
  • Arena PLM and QMS$undefined/year
    • Everything in PLM
    • CAPA, complaints and nonconformance
    • Training records and design history file

Markforged Eiger

Free
  • Eiger Basic$undefined/year
    • Included at no additional charge with every Markforged printer
    • No per-user or per-printer software fee
    • Cloud print preparation and fleet management
  • Eiger Offline$undefined/year
    • Air-gapped installation for secure and classified environments
    • Sold per machine on subscription
    • Quarterly feature and material updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Arena PLM if

  • You need bom and aml management.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want engineering change control.
Arena PLM review

Choose Markforged Eiger if

  • You need continuous fibre routing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud slicing.
Markforged Eiger review

Questions people ask

Is Arena PLM or Markforged Eiger better?
Neither clearly leads. Arena PLM starts at On request and Markforged Eiger at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arena PLM or Markforged Eiger?
Markforged Eiger has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Arena PLM and Free for Markforged Eiger.
Does Arena PLM or Markforged Eiger run on more platforms?
Arena PLM runs on Web, Cloud. Markforged Eiger runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Cloud.
Can I use Markforged Eiger for free?
Yes. Markforged Eiger has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Arena PLM starts at On request.
What is Arena PLM best used for?
Arena PLM is most often used for a hardware startup moving from spreadsheets to a controlled bom before its first contract manufacturer build, a medical device company needing plm and a 21 cfr part 11 quality system in one auditable record, an electronics team that needs component obsolescence and rohs risk visible against the live bom, a distributed engineering group that needs a contract manufacturer to see the released bom without a vpn or an it project. Of those, a hardware startup moving from spreadsheets to a controlled bom before its first contract manufacturer build and a medical device company needing plm and a 21 cfr part 11 quality system in one auditable record are not what Markforged Eiger is typically brought in for.
What can Arena PLM do that Markforged Eiger cannot?
Arena PLM covers BOM and AML management, Engineering change control, Quality management, Compliance tracking. Markforged Eiger covers Continuous fibre routing, Cloud slicing, Fleet management, Part library.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arena PLM: Is Arena still sold separately from PTC Windchill?

Yes. PTC sells and develops Arena under its own name and positions it for cloud-first small and mid-size manufacturers, with Windchill for large enterprise deployments.

Markforged Eiger: How much does Eiger cost?

Nothing, if you own a Markforged printer. It is included with every machine with no per-user or per-printer software fee. Eiger Offline is a separate paid per-machine subscription.

Arena PLM: Does Arena publish pricing?

No. It is quoted per named user per year, tiered by user role and by whether the quality module is included.

Markforged Eiger: Can I use Eiger with a non-Markforged printer?

No. It only prepares and drives Markforged machines.

Arena PLM: Can I run Arena on my own servers?

No. It is multi-tenant cloud only.

Markforged Eiger: Is my part geometry uploaded to the cloud?

Yes, in the standard product. Sites that cannot allow that need Eiger Offline.

Arena PLM: Is it validated for FDA use?

Arena supplies validation documentation and supports 21 CFR Part 11 workflows, but validating your specific configured use remains your responsibility.

Markforged Eiger: Where is the actual cost then?

In the printers and the proprietary filament and continuous fibre spools, which are the recurring spend.

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