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Manufacturing · head to head

Augury vs Formlabs PreForm

Augury logo

Augury

Manufacturing

Machine health monitoring sold as a per-machine annual service including sensors, installation and analyst diagnostics

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Formlabs PreForm logo

Formlabs PreForm

Manufacturing

Free print preparation software that only drives Formlabs printers, because the money is in hardware and resin

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Formlabs PreForm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Augury the per-machine annual fee never stops, so over a five to eight year horizon the total exceeds buying sensors and software outright and running the programme yourself.; Formlabs PreForm preForm only drives Formlabs printers, so the free software is really an entry cost to a closed hardware and resin ecosystem rather than a tool you can keep if you change machines.
  • They diverge on capability: Augury covers Halo sensors, Formlabs PreForm covers Automatic orientation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Augury and Formlabs PreForm actually diverge.

Attributes where Augury and Formlabs PreForm differ
AttributeAuguryFormlabs PreForm
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteFree with a Formlabs printer
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWindows, macOS

Identical on both: 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 Augury

  • Halo sensors
  • Diagnostics as a Service
  • Named fault diagnosis
  • Process Health
  • CMMS integration
  • Installation included
  • Fleet views
  • Unlimited users

Only in Formlabs PreForm

  • Automatic orientation
  • Support generation
  • One-click print
  • Material presets
  • Dashboard
  • Fleet Control

What people use each for

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

Augury

  • A food plant with 200 similar motors and pumps and no vibration analyst on staffnot Formlabs PreForm
  • A multi-site manufacturer that needs one reliability picture across plants without standardising their maintenance teamsnot Formlabs PreForm
  • An operator whose capex budget will not approve sensor hardware but whose opex budget will approve a servicenot Formlabs PreForm
  • A site trying to move from calendar-based motor overhauls to condition-based intervals with defensible evidencenot Formlabs PreForm

Formlabs PreForm

  • A dental laboratory preparing surgical guides on a validated resin and printer combinationnot Augury
  • A prototyping team running several Form printers that needs job queueing and usage trackingnot Augury
  • A jewellery workshop laying out castable patterns to maximise parts per buildnot Augury
  • An education lab that needs software with no per-student licence costnot Augury

Where each one falls short

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

Augury

  • The per-machine annual fee never stops, so over a five to eight year horizon the total exceeds buying sensors and software outright and running the programme yourself.
  • Coverage is aimed at standard rotating equipment; reciprocating compressors, very low-speed machinery and non-rotating assets are poorly served, so you still need a second monitoring approach.
  • Diagnoses depend on Augurys analysts, which means the quality of your programme is set by a vendor queue you do not control and turnaround is not something you can escalate internally.
  • The sensors and the analytics are one system, so leaving Augury means removing the hardware and starting again; there is no path to keep the sensors and change the software.
  • Pricing is unpublished and negotiated per fleet, so buyers have no benchmark and comparable plants can pay materially different per-machine rates.

Formlabs PreForm

  • PreForm only drives Formlabs printers, so the free software is really an entry cost to a closed hardware and resin ecosystem rather than a tool you can keep if you change machines.
  • Formlabs resin is sold in proprietary cartridges, and the ongoing consumable cost over a printer's life dwarfs anything a paid slicer would have charged.
  • Third-party resins can be used only through open material settings that step outside validated profiles, which affects print reliability and the comfort of warranty support.
  • Parameter-level control is deliberately limited compared with open slicers, so advanced users cannot tune exposure and layer behaviour the way they can on an open platform.
  • It is Windows and macOS only with no Linux build, which is awkward for research groups and labs standardised on Linux workstations.

Pricing, plan by plan

Augury

On request
  • Machine Health$undefined/year
    • Flat annual fee per monitored machine
    • Sensors, gateway, connectivity and installation included
    • Unlimited users and unlimited diagnostic reviews

Formlabs PreForm

Free
  • PreFormFree
    • Free download with no licence fee or subscription
    • No installation or seat limit
    • Works only with Formlabs printers

Which should you pick?

Choose Augury if

  • You need halo sensors.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want diagnostics as a service.
Augury review

Choose Formlabs PreForm if

  • You need automatic orientation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS.
  • You also want support generation.
Formlabs PreForm review

Questions people ask

Is Augury or Formlabs PreForm better?
Neither clearly leads. Augury starts at On request and Formlabs PreForm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Augury or Formlabs PreForm?
Formlabs PreForm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Augury and Free for Formlabs PreForm.
Does Augury or Formlabs PreForm run on more platforms?
Augury runs on Web, iOS, Android. Formlabs PreForm runs on Windows, macOS.
Can I use Formlabs PreForm for free?
Yes. Formlabs PreForm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Augury starts at On request.
What is Augury best used for?
Augury is most often used for a food plant with 200 similar motors and pumps and no vibration analyst on staff, a multi-site manufacturer that needs one reliability picture across plants without standardising their maintenance teams, an operator whose capex budget will not approve sensor hardware but whose opex budget will approve a service, a site trying to move from calendar-based motor overhauls to condition-based intervals with defensible evidence. Of those, a food plant with 200 similar motors and pumps and no vibration analyst on staff and a multi-site manufacturer that needs one reliability picture across plants without standardising their maintenance teams are not what Formlabs PreForm is typically brought in for.
What can Augury do that Formlabs PreForm cannot?
Augury covers Halo sensors, Diagnostics as a Service, Named fault diagnosis, Process Health. Formlabs PreForm covers Automatic orientation, Support generation, One-click print, Material presets.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Augury: Do I buy the sensors?

No. Sensors, gateways, connectivity and installation are included in the per-machine annual fee.

Formlabs PreForm: Is PreForm free?

Yes, with no licence fee, subscription or installation limit. It is free because it only prepares jobs for Formlabs printers.

Augury: Is there a per-user licence?

No. The web application allows unlimited users; the meter is monitored machines.

Formlabs PreForm: Can PreForm drive a non-Formlabs printer?

No, and it never will. It is the front end for Formlabs hardware, which is where the revenue is.

Augury: Who does the diagnosis?

Machine-learning models flag issues and Augury vibration analysts review them before a finding is released to you.

Formlabs PreForm: Can I use third-party resin?

Only via open material settings, which take you outside validated profiles and the reliability those profiles are tuned for.

Augury: What happens if we cancel?

The sensors are part of the service and monitoring stops; you do not retain a usable standalone system.

Formlabs PreForm: Does it run on Linux?

No. Builds are provided for Windows and macOS only.

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