Softwr

Field Service · head to head

AroFlo vs Percepto

AroFlo logo

AroFlo

Field Service

Job management for Australian and New Zealand trade contractors, now part of the Simpro Group

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Percepto logo

Percepto

Field Service

Drone-in-a-box inspection with the AIM software that runs the missions and reads the results

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AroFlo aroFlo, Simpro, BigChange and ClockShark now share one owner in Simpro Group, so a shortlist that compares them is comparing products with a single roadmap owner and no competitive pressure between them to keep prices down.; Percepto aIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.
  • They diverge on capability: AroFlo covers Mobile job cards, Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AroFlo and Percepto actually diverge.

Attributes where AroFlo and Percepto differ
AttributeAroFloPercepto
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Field Service).

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 AroFlo

  • Mobile job cards
  • Supplier catalogue feeds
  • Compliance and safety forms
  • Scheduling and dispatch
  • Project management
  • Asset and maintenance registers
  • Accounting sync
  • Inventory and stock control

Only in Percepto

  • Drone-in-a-box base station
  • Autonomous scheduled missions
  • AIM mission management
  • Optical gas imaging payload
  • Thermal and visual inspection
  • Change detection
  • Alarm-triggered response
  • Georeferenced asset history

What people use each for

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

AroFlo

  • An Australian electrical contractor with thirty technicians that needs SWMS and test-and-tag certificates completed on the phone and attached to the job automaticallynot Percepto
  • A plumbing business that wants live wholesaler pricing pulled into quotes so margins are not eroded by stale cost pricesnot Percepto
  • A fire protection company running recurring statutory inspections against a register of customer assets across many sitesnot Percepto
  • A New Zealand facilities maintenance firm that needs job costing to reconcile cleanly into Xero without a manual export stepnot Percepto

Percepto

  • A refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flightsnot AroFlo
  • A remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveysnot AroFlo
  • A utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable recordnot AroFlo
  • A port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morningnot AroFlo

Where each one falls short

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

AroFlo

  • AroFlo, Simpro, BigChange and ClockShark now share one owner in Simpro Group, so a shortlist that compares them is comparing products with a single roadmap owner and no competitive pressure between them to keep prices down.
  • No pricing is published at all, so you cannot size a budget before entering a sales process, and there is no public reference point to check whether the quote you are given is normal.
  • The supplier catalogue feeds, compliance form library and accounting connectors are built for Australia and New Zealand, so contractors elsewhere pay for a product whose most differentiated features do not apply to their market.
  • The interface carries a long history and the configuration surface is large, so getting the workflow, custom fields and forms right typically needs paid setup and several weeks before the field team stops working around it.
  • Reporting is user-defined rather than dimensional, so multi-entity groups that want consolidated profitability across business units generally end up exporting to a spreadsheet or a separate BI tool.

Percepto

  • AIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.
  • Everything depends on beyond-visual-line-of-sight regulatory approval, which is strong in the United States and patchy elsewhere, so a European or Asian site may face a materially different operating envelope for the same money.
  • Pricing is a per-site annual programme covering hardware, software and support, with no published rates, so comparing it against hiring an inspection contractor requires a full proposal.
  • The base station is fixed infrastructure requiring power, connectivity and a site survey, which means a linear asset such as a pipeline needs several installations rather than one system.
  • Weather, wind limits and airspace restrictions still ground flights, so the inspection schedule an operator plans around is a best case, and manual fallback procedures still have to exist.

Pricing, plan by plan

AroFlo

On request
  • AroFlo Premium$undefined/month
    • Quoting, job management and invoicing
    • Timesheets and scheduling
    • Compliance and safety forms

Percepto

On request
  • Percepto AIM programme$undefined/year
    • Base station and aircraft
    • AIM software subscription
    • Site survey, installation and regulatory support

Which should you pick?

Choose AroFlo if

  • You need mobile job cards.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want supplier catalogue feeds.
AroFlo review

Choose Percepto if

  • You need drone-in-a-box base station.
  • You also want autonomous scheduled missions.
Percepto review

Questions people ask

Is AroFlo or Percepto better?
Neither clearly leads. AroFlo starts at On request and Percepto at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AroFlo or Percepto?
AroFlo starts at On request and Percepto at On request.
Does AroFlo or Percepto run on more platforms?
AroFlo runs on Web, iOS, Android. Percepto runs on Web.
What is AroFlo best used for?
AroFlo is most often used for an australian electrical contractor with thirty technicians that needs swms and test-and-tag certificates completed on the phone and attached to the job automatically, a plumbing business that wants live wholesaler pricing pulled into quotes so margins are not eroded by stale cost prices, a fire protection company running recurring statutory inspections against a register of customer assets across many sites, a new zealand facilities maintenance firm that needs job costing to reconcile cleanly into xero without a manual export step. Of those, an australian electrical contractor with thirty technicians that needs swms and test-and-tag certificates completed on the phone and attached to the job automatically and a plumbing business that wants live wholesaler pricing pulled into quotes so margins are not eroded by stale cost prices are not what Percepto is typically brought in for.
What can AroFlo do that Percepto cannot?
AroFlo covers Mobile job cards, Supplier catalogue feeds, Compliance and safety forms, Scheduling and dispatch. Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Autonomous scheduled missions, AIM mission management, Optical gas imaging payload.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AroFlo: Is AroFlo still sold separately from Simpro?

Yes. Simpro Group has kept AroFlo, Simpro, BigChange and ClockShark as separate products with separate sales teams, though all four are under one owner.

Percepto: Can I use Percepto AIM with drones I already own?

No. The system is designed around Percepto's own aircraft and base station.

AroFlo: How much does AroFlo cost?

AroFlo does not publish prices. Expect a per-user monthly figure in AUD quoted after a discovery call, with setup and training charged on top.

Percepto: Do I need a pilot on site?

Not in jurisdictions where beyond-visual-line-of-sight operation is approved. Confirm the approval position for your country before committing.

AroFlo: Can I use AroFlo outside Australia?

You can, but the wholesaler price feeds, compliance templates and accounting integrations are aimed at Australia and New Zealand, which removes much of the reason to choose it.

Percepto: What does it cost?

Percepto does not publish pricing. Expect an annual per-site programme covering hardware, the AIM subscription and support.

AroFlo: Does it work offline?

Yes. The mobile app stores job data locally and syncs when a connection returns, which matters for plant rooms and rural sites.

Percepto: Can it detect gas leaks?

Yes, with an optical gas imaging payload, which is one of the main reasons oil and gas operators buy it.

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