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Manufacturing · head to head

Guidewheel vs Hippo CMMS

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
Hippo CMMS logo

Hippo CMMS

Manufacturing

Straightforward maintenance management, now part of Eptura

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Hippo CMMS no longer sold as a standalone product, so a new evaluation is really an Eptura evaluation with a different scope and price
  • They diverge on capability: Guidewheel covers Clamp on current sensing, Hippo CMMS covers Interactive site maps.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Guidewheel and Hippo CMMS actually diverge.

Attributes where Guidewheel and Hippo CMMS differ
AttributeGuidewheelHippo CMMS

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), 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 Guidewheel

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

Only in Hippo CMMS

  • Interactive site maps
  • Work order management
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Equipment records
  • Vendor management
  • Mobile access

What people use each for

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

Guidewheel

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

Hippo CMMS

  • Facilities teams wanting a CMMS that a non-specialist can operatenot Guidewheel
  • Sites where locating an asset on a floor plan is the natural way to find itnot Guidewheel
  • Existing Hippo customers evaluating whether to stay within Epturanot Guidewheel
  • Organisations wanting maintenance inside a broader workplace management suitenot Guidewheel

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Hippo CMMS

  • No longer sold as a standalone product, so a new evaluation is really an Eptura evaluation with a different scope and price
  • Pricing is not published, which makes it hard to compare against MaintainX or Limble without a sales process
  • The simplicity that was its selling point becomes a ceiling for organisations with complex asset hierarchies
  • Reporting is basic against competitors that have invested heavily in analytics
  • Product direction now follows Eptura workplace strategy rather than maintenance-specific needs

Pricing, plan by plan

Guidewheel

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

Hippo CMMS

On request
  • Eptura Asset$undefined/month
    • Work order management
    • Preventive maintenance
    • Asset records

Which should you pick?

Choose Guidewheel if

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

Choose Hippo CMMS if

  • You need interactive site maps.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want work order management.
Hippo CMMS review

Questions people ask

Is Guidewheel or Hippo CMMS better?
Neither clearly leads. Guidewheel starts at On request and Hippo CMMS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Guidewheel or Hippo CMMS?
Guidewheel starts at On request and Hippo CMMS at On request.
Does Guidewheel or Hippo CMMS run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Guidewheel best used for?
Guidewheel is most often used for a plant running equipment built in the 1980s and 1990s that no controller based monitoring product can read, a mixed floor of presses, ovens, compressors and fabrication equipment from many manufacturers with no common protocol, a manufacturer that needs evidence of real capacity before agreeing to buy another machine, a plant wanting immediate notification when an unattended overnight process stops. Of those, a plant running equipment built in the 1980s and 1990s that no controller based monitoring product can read and a mixed floor of presses, ovens, compressors and fabrication equipment from many manufacturers with no common protocol are not what Hippo CMMS is typically brought in for.
What can Guidewheel do that Hippo CMMS cannot?
Guidewheel covers Clamp on current sensing, Automatic uptime and downtime, Downtime categorisation, Real time alerting. Hippo CMMS covers Interactive site maps, Work order management, Preventive maintenance, Equipment records.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Hippo CMMS: Is Hippo CMMS still available?

Not as a standalone purchase. It was acquired by Eptura and its capabilities are part of Eptura Asset. Existing customers are still served.

Guidewheel: Will it count parts?

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

Hippo CMMS: What was distinctive about it?

Interactive facility maps. Placing assets on a floor plan and raising work orders from the drawing is a genuinely different way to navigate a site, and it is why it retained users against slicker competitors.

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.

Hippo CMMS: What does it cost?

Not published. Eptura quotes, which is a change from Hippo, whose pricing was easier to establish.

Guidewheel: Is it an MES?

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

Hippo CMMS: Should a new buyer consider it?

Evaluate Eptura Asset on its own terms, against MaintainX and Limble. Choosing it because of Hippo reviews written before the acquisition is a mistake.

Hippo CMMS: What happens to existing customers?

They continue to be supported within Eptura. The practical question is whether the broader workplace suite fits, since that is where the product roadmap now points.

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