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Manufacturing · head to head

Flow Software vs Waites Sensor Technologies

Flow Software logo

Flow Software

Manufacturing

Manufacturing KPI and OEE calculation engine with published list prices, licensed by measure count

From
$11390/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Waites Sensor Technologies logo

Waites Sensor Technologies

Manufacturing

Wireless multi-point vibration and temperature monitoring sold as a monitored service, not software

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flow Software the 11,390 dollar Starter licence caps at 250 measures and events, which a multi-line plant exhausts quickly once each line contributes a dozen calculations, forcing a jump to the 62,230 dollar tier.; Waites Sensor Technologies the radio protocol, gateways, sensors and analytics are a single proprietary stack, so the hardware investment cannot later be redirected at a different analytics vendor.
  • They diverge on capability: Flow Software covers Calculation engine, Waites Sensor Technologies covers Multi-point nodes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flow Software and Waites Sensor Technologies actually diverge.

Attributes where Flow Software and Waites Sensor Technologies differ
AttributeFlow SoftwareWaites Sensor Technologies
Starting price$11390/one-timeOn request
Pricing modelOne-time purchasequote
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, iOS, Android

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 Flow Software

  • Calculation engine
  • Measure model
  • Historian connectors
  • Manual data entry
  • Event framing
  • Excel and Power BI output
  • Flow dashboards
  • AI Gateway

Only in Waites Sensor Technologies

  • Multi-point nodes
  • Full-spectrum vibration
  • Long-range radio
  • Long battery life
  • High-temperature variant
  • Machine learning analysis
  • Analyst review
  • Stainless steel housing

What people use each for

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

Flow Software

  • A brewery replacing a fragile network of OEE spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian datanot Waites Sensor Technologies
  • Reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an ISO 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documentednot Waites Sensor Technologies
  • Feeding Power BI plant dashboards from a historian without giving analysts direct tag-level accessnot Waites Sensor Technologies
  • A site that needs lab results typed in and combined with automated tag data in the same yield calculationnot Waites Sensor Technologies

Waites Sensor Technologies

  • A plant instrumenting hundreds of motor and pump trains where six-point nodes cut the battery and radio maintenance burdennot Flow Software
  • A food processing site needing washdown-rated wireless sensors that survive daily sanitationnot Flow Software
  • Monitoring high-temperature equipment where conventional wireless sensors fail before the bearing doesnot Flow Software
  • A reliability team with no in-house vibration analyst that needs findings, not spectra, delivered as a servicenot Flow Software

Where each one falls short

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

Flow Software

  • The 11,390 dollar Starter licence caps at 250 measures and events, which a multi-line plant exhausts quickly once each line contributes a dozen calculations, forcing a jump to the 62,230 dollar tier.
  • The Unlimited licence requires every engine on a single server or VM, so any multi-server or multi-site topology goes straight to Distributed at roughly double the price with no intermediate option.
  • Maintenance renews at about fifteen percent of the installed base annually, so a large perpetual estate carries a five-figure recurring cost that the headline perpetual price hides.
  • It is a Windows product with a Microsoft data stack, so Linux or container-native deployment strategies do not apply and the server has to be managed on the plant Windows estate.
  • It calculates and reports but does not collect from equipment itself, so an existing historian or OPC layer is a prerequisite and Flow adds cost on top of that rather than replacing it.

Waites Sensor Technologies

  • The radio protocol, gateways, sensors and analytics are a single proprietary stack, so the hardware investment cannot later be redirected at a different analytics vendor.
  • No pricing is published while the marketing claims a fraction of competitors cost, so the central claim cannot be verified without entering a sales process.
  • A multi-point node is a single point of failure for six measurement points; when the node or its battery fails, six machines go dark rather than one.
  • Wired accelerometer runs back to the node reintroduce cable routing and mechanical protection work that single-sensor wireless products were meant to eliminate.
  • The company is small and its presence is concentrated in North America, so installation support, spares and analyst coverage outside that region depend on partners rather than direct service.

Pricing, plan by plan

Flow Software

$11390/one-time
  • Starter$11390/one-time
    • 250 KPI measures and events
    • Single server deployment
    • First year of software maintenance included
  • Unlimited$62230/one-time
    • Unlimited KPI measures and events
    • All engines must run on one server or dedicated VM
    • First year of maintenance included
  • Distributed$128450/one-time
    • Unlimited measures with engines distributed across multiple servers
    • Required for multi-server and multi-site deployments
    • Available as an annual subscription at 34,250 USD instead

Waites Sensor Technologies

On request
  • Waites condition monitoring$undefined/year
    • Priced per monitored machine or measurement point on an annual programme
    • Hardware, gateways, platform access and analyst review bundled in the programme fee
    • Installation and sensor mounting quoted as a services engagement

Which should you pick?

Choose Flow Software if

  • You need calculation engine.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want measure model.
Flow Software review

Choose Waites Sensor Technologies if

  • You need multi-point nodes.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want full-spectrum vibration.
Waites Sensor Technologies review

Questions people ask

Is Flow Software or Waites Sensor Technologies better?
Neither clearly leads. Flow Software starts at $11390/one-time and Waites Sensor Technologies at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flow Software or Waites Sensor Technologies?
Flow Software starts at $11390/one-time and Waites Sensor Technologies at On request.
Does Flow Software or Waites Sensor Technologies run on more platforms?
Flow Software runs on Windows, Web. Waites Sensor Technologies runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Flow Software best used for?
Flow Software is most often used for a brewery replacing a fragile network of oee spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian data, reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an iso 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documented, feeding power bi plant dashboards from a historian without giving analysts direct tag-level access, a site that needs lab results typed in and combined with automated tag data in the same yield calculation. Of those, a brewery replacing a fragile network of oee spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian data and reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an iso 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documented are not what Waites Sensor Technologies is typically brought in for.
What can Flow Software do that Waites Sensor Technologies cannot?
Flow Software covers Calculation engine, Measure model, Historian connectors, Manual data entry. Waites Sensor Technologies covers Multi-point nodes, Full-spectrum vibration, Long-range radio, Long battery life.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flow Software: Does Flow publish real prices?

Yes. Starter is 11,390 USD perpetual for 250 measures, Unlimited is 62,230 USD perpetual or 16,595 USD a year, and Distributed is 128,450 USD perpetual or 34,250 USD a year.

Waites Sensor Technologies: How many points does one node monitor?

Up to six, using wired accelerometers back to a single wireless node.

Flow Software: Is perpetual licensing still offered?

Yes, at every tier, with the first year of maintenance included and renewal at roughly fifteen percent per year. Subscription is available on Unlimited and Distributed only.

Waites Sensor Technologies: Is analyst review included?

Waites includes analyst review in its programme model rather than selling it as separate consultancy, which is the main structural difference from sensor-only vendors.

Flow Software: Do I need a historian as well?

Effectively yes. Flow reads from historians, databases and OPC sources; it is a calculation layer, not a data collector.

Waites Sensor Technologies: What is the wireless range?

Around 3,000 feet line of sight, which usually means fewer gateways per plant than short-range mesh alternatives.

Flow Software: What counts as a measure?

Each configured KPI or event definition. A single line typically consumes ten to thirty, which is what makes the 250 Starter cap tighter than it looks.

Waites Sensor Technologies: Can I export the raw data?

There is an API, but the sensors and radio are proprietary, so the data path runs through the Waites platform.

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