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Manufacturing · head to head

Duro PLM vs Guidewheel

Duro PLM logo

Duro PLM

Manufacturing

Hosted PLM for hardware startups, sold in fixed user bands with no published price

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Guidewheel logo

Guidewheel

Manufacturing

Machine monitoring from a clamp on the power cord, so equipment age and protocol stop mattering

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Duro PLM no pricing is published anywhere, so budgeting requires a sales conversation and buyers cannot compare against alternatives without entering a pipeline.; Guidewheel current draw shows that a machine is consuming power, not that it is producing good parts, so scrap, rework and quality still require operator entry or additional sensors and the OEE quality factor is not measured automatically.
  • They diverge on capability: Duro PLM covers Part library, Guidewheel covers Clamp on current sensing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Duro PLM and Guidewheel actually diverge.

Attributes where Duro PLM and Guidewheel differ
AttributeDuro PLMGuidewheel
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Duro PLM

  • Part library
  • Multi-level BOMs
  • Change orders
  • CAD integrations
  • Supplier and cost data
  • User band plans

Only in Guidewheel

  • Clamp on current sensing
  • Automatic uptime and downtime
  • Downtime categorisation
  • Real time alerting
  • Shift and OEE reporting
  • Energy visibility

What people use each for

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

Duro PLM

  • A robotics startup imposing change control on a design before releasing it to a contract manufacturernot Guidewheel
  • A consumer electronics team tracking supplier part numbers and costs against every item in the BOMnot Guidewheel
  • A hardware company whose engineers keep overwriting each other's BOM spreadsheet versionsnot Guidewheel
  • A venture-funded startup that needs a defensible change history before a first production buildnot Guidewheel

Guidewheel

  • A plant running equipment built in the 1980s and 1990s that no controller based monitoring product can readnot Duro PLM
  • A mixed floor of presses, ovens, compressors and fabrication equipment from many manufacturers with no common protocolnot Duro PLM
  • A manufacturer that needs evidence of real capacity before agreeing to buy another machinenot Duro PLM
  • A plant wanting immediate notification when an unattended overnight process stopsnot Duro PLM

Where each one falls short

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

Duro PLM

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so budgeting requires a sales conversation and buyers cannot compare against alternatives without entering a pipeline.
  • Plans are sold in fixed user bands rather than per seat, so hiring an eleventh engineer moves you to the next tier instead of adding one seat.
  • Storage allowances are capped at 25, 50 and 100 GB, which is tight for teams keeping native CAD files rather than only neutral formats.
  • There is no self-hosted or on-premises option, which rules Duro out for defence and some aerospace suppliers with data residency or ITAR handling constraints.
  • Scope stops at engineering data: no requirements management, no quality module and no manufacturing process planning, so it does not replace the systems a company needs at production scale.

Guidewheel

  • Current draw shows that a machine is consuming power, not that it is producing good parts, so scrap, rework and quality still require operator entry or additional sensors and the OEE quality factor is not measured automatically.
  • Cycle counting depends on a distinct load signature for each cycle, so machines with flat continuous draw such as ovens, some extruders and continuous mixers give poor or unusable part counts.
  • Installation involves fitting a clamp around a live power conductor inside or near an electrical panel, which in many plants requires a qualified electrician and a scheduled shutdown rather than a plug in setup.
  • It is monitoring, not execution, so there is no routing, scheduling, work order or traceability capability and it must sit alongside an ERP or MES rather than replacing either.
  • Pricing is per monitored machine, so a plant with two hundred small machines faces a bill proportional to machine count rather than to plant size, and the economics work better on fewer larger assets.

Pricing, plan by plan

Duro PLM

On request
  • Team$undefined/year
    • Up to 10 users
    • 25 GB data storage
    • Part library, BOMs and change orders
  • Business$undefined/year
    • Up to 20 users
    • 50 GB data storage
    • CAD integrations
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • 20 or more users
    • 100 GB data storage
    • Extended support

Guidewheel

On request
  • Guidewheel$undefined/year
    • Per machine monitoring hardware and platform access
    • Downtime and OEE reporting
    • Alerting and energy visibility

Which should you pick?

Choose Duro PLM if

  • You need part library.
  • You also want multi-level boms.
Duro PLM review

Choose Guidewheel if

  • You need clamp on current sensing.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want automatic uptime and downtime.
Guidewheel review

Questions people ask

Is Duro PLM or Guidewheel better?
Neither clearly leads. Duro PLM starts at On request and Guidewheel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Duro PLM or Guidewheel?
Duro PLM starts at On request and Guidewheel at On request.
Does Duro PLM or Guidewheel run on more platforms?
Duro PLM runs on Web. Guidewheel runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Duro PLM best used for?
Duro PLM is most often used for a robotics startup imposing change control on a design before releasing it to a contract manufacturer, a consumer electronics team tracking supplier part numbers and costs against every item in the bom, a hardware company whose engineers keep overwriting each other's bom spreadsheet versions, a venture-funded startup that needs a defensible change history before a first production build. Of those, a robotics startup imposing change control on a design before releasing it to a contract manufacturer and a consumer electronics team tracking supplier part numbers and costs against every item in the bom are not what Guidewheel is typically brought in for.
What can Duro PLM do that Guidewheel cannot?
Duro PLM covers Part library, Multi-level BOMs, Change orders, CAD integrations. Guidewheel covers Clamp on current sensing, Automatic uptime and downtime, Downtime categorisation, Real time alerting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Duro PLM: How much does Duro cost?

Duro does not publish prices. Plans are fixed annual subscriptions quoted by sales against a user band, billed Net 30.

Guidewheel: Does it work on machines with no controller or network port?

Yes. That is the reason it exists. It measures the power cable, so machine age and protocol are irrelevant.

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

No. It is cloud only, which is a hard blocker for organisations with data residency or export control requirements.

Guidewheel: Will it count parts?

Sometimes. It works where each cycle produces a distinct electrical signature and does not work on continuous draw equipment.

Duro PLM: What happens when we exceed our user band?

You move to the next tier rather than adding individual seats, so growth arrives as a step change in cost.

Guidewheel: Do I need IT involvement?

Less than with controller based monitoring, but you do need electrical work to fit the sensors and a path for the gateway to reach the internet.

Duro PLM: Is Duro suitable for medical device work?

Its change control is real but the workflow configuration and audit depth are lighter than dedicated regulated-industry PLM, so most ISO 13485 programmes need more.

Guidewheel: Is it an MES?

No. It monitors equipment. Work orders, routings and traceability need a separate system.

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