Manufacturing · head to head
Fictiv vs Petasense
Fictiv
Manufacturing
On-demand custom manufacturing with instant CAD quoting, now owned by MISUMI
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Petasense
Manufacturing
Wireless vibration and asset reliability monitoring, now owned by AssetWatch
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Fictiv this is a manufacturing service, not software you licence, so there is nothing to deploy or own and switching means re-sourcing parts rather than exporting data.; Petasense petasense is now owned by AssetWatch, whose business is monitoring delivered as a managed service, so a buyer wanting self-service software should get the delivery model written into the contract rather than assume it.
- They diverge on capability: Fictiv covers Instant CAD quoting, Petasense covers Vibration Mote.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fictiv and Petasense actually diverge.
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 Fictiv
- Instant CAD quoting
- Design for manufacturing feedback
- Multi-region network
- Multiple processes
- Quality documentation
- Order and revision tracking
- Bridge to production
Only in Petasense
- Vibration Mote
- Transmitter range
- ARO cloud
- VFD-specific monitoring
- Reliability workflow
- Mixed wired and wireless
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fictiv
- An engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop firstnot Petasense
- Moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a suppliernot Petasense
- Bridge production between prototype tooling and a committed high-volume suppliernot Petasense
- Getting design-for-manufacturing feedback on a part before committing to injection mould toolingnot Petasense
Petasense
- A reliability team wanting continuous vibration data on assets currently covered by a quarterly walkaround routenot Fictiv
- A plant with variable frequency drive assets where generic vibration analytics produce too many false alarmsnot Fictiv
- Mixing battery sensors on accessible pumps with wired sensors on the handful of assets that would stop productionnot Fictiv
- A manufacturer with no in-house vibration analyst that wants the analysis delivered as a service rather than as a dashboardnot Fictiv
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fictiv
- This is a manufacturing service, not software you licence, so there is nothing to deploy or own and switching means re-sourcing parts rather than exporting data.
- A broker sits between you and the shop cutting your part, so at stable production volumes direct sourcing usually beats the platform price and the platform knows it.
- You do not choose or generally know the specific supplier, which makes process control, supplier audits and traceability harder in regulated or aerospace work.
- MISUMI completed a $350 million acquisition in June 2025, so roadmap and pricing now answer to a Japanese industrial components group rather than to an independent platform strategy.
- Instant quotes are geometry-driven and complex or tightly toleranced parts drop into engineer review, so the speed advantage that justified the choice disappears exactly on the parts that are hardest to source.
Petasense
- Petasense is now owned by AssetWatch, whose business is monitoring delivered as a managed service, so a buyer wanting self-service software should get the delivery model written into the contract rather than assume it.
- Hardware is required per measurement point and gateways are required per area, so the up-front capital for a plant-wide deployment is substantial and separate from the subscription.
- Per-asset subscription pricing scales linearly, which makes full coverage of a large population of low-value motors uneconomic compared with route-based monitoring.
- Nothing is published on sensor cost, subscription rate, gateway requirements or contract length, so a total cost of ownership figure requires a full sales engagement before you can compare it against anything.
- Battery-powered wireless sensors trade measurement richness for battery life, so the sampling rate and resolution are lower than a wired analyser would give, which limits diagnosis of high-frequency bearing defects on critical machines.
Pricing, plan by plan
Fictiv
On request- Per-part quoting$undefined/month
- No subscription or platform fee
- Priced per part by geometry, material, process and quantity
- Instant quotes for many processes, engineer review for complex parts
Petasense
On request- Petasense ARO$undefined/year
- Subscription priced per monitored asset
- Vibration Mote or Transmitter hardware required per measurement point
- Gateway hardware required for wireless deployments
Which should you pick?
Choose Fictiv if
- You need instant cad quoting.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want design for manufacturing feedback.
Choose Petasense if
- You need vibration mote.
- You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
- You also want transmitter range.
Questions people ask
- Is Fictiv or Petasense better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fictiv starts at On request and Petasense at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fictiv or Petasense?
- Fictiv starts at On request and Petasense at On request.
- Does Fictiv or Petasense run on more platforms?
- Fictiv runs on Web, Cloud. Petasense runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
- What is Fictiv best used for?
- Fictiv is most often used for an engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop first, moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a supplier, bridge production between prototype tooling and a committed high-volume supplier, getting design-for-manufacturing feedback on a part before committing to injection mould tooling. Of those, an engineering team needing machined prototypes in days without qualifying a machine shop first and moving a part between regions to change landed cost or tariff exposure without re-sourcing a supplier are not what Petasense is typically brought in for.
- What can Fictiv do that Petasense cannot?
- Fictiv covers Instant CAD quoting, Design for manufacturing feedback, Multi-region network, Multiple processes. Petasense covers Vibration Mote, Transmitter range, ARO cloud, VFD-specific monitoring.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Fictiv: Is Fictiv software I can buy?
No. It is an on-demand manufacturing service with a quoting and order management platform. You pay for parts, not for the software.
Petasense: Is Petasense still a separate product?
Yes. It trades under its own name with its own product line, but the owner since January 2024 is AssetWatch.
Fictiv: Is Fictiv still independent?
No. MISUMI Group completed its acquisition, valued at $350 million, in June 2025. Fictiv continues to trade under its own name.
Petasense: Do I have to buy Petasense hardware?
Yes. The platform is built around its own Motes and Transmitters; it is not a bring-your-own-sensor analytics product.
Fictiv: Do I know which factory makes my part?
Generally not. Fictiv manages a vetted network and allocates work within it, which is a limitation if your quality system requires named and audited suppliers.
Petasense: Can I get monitoring as a service?
Yes, through parent AssetWatch, whose model is condition monitoring engineers reviewing your data. Clarify which model your quote covers.
Fictiv: Is it cheaper than sourcing directly?
For prototypes and low volumes, usually yes once you count the cost of finding and qualifying a supplier. At stable production volumes, direct sourcing is normally cheaper.
Petasense: How is it priced?
Per monitored asset on subscription, plus sensors and gateways. Nothing is published.
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