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IBM Maximo Application Suite vs UpKeep

IBM Maximo Application Suite logo

IBM Maximo Application Suite

Manufacturing

Enterprise asset management suite licensed by a shared pool of AppPoints rather than by named user

From
$3150/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
UpKeep logo

UpKeep

Inventory

Mobile-first maintenance management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only UpKeep has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: IBM Maximo Application Suite appPoints are consumed by users, applications and environments at once, so a routine decision like adding a test environment or enabling Health quietly eats pool capacity and can trigger a true-up nobody budgeted for.; UpKeep offline mobile mode limited to Professional tier and above
  • They diverge on capability: IBM Maximo Application Suite covers AppPoint pooling, UpKeep covers Work order management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IBM Maximo Application Suite and UpKeep actually diverge.

Attributes where IBM Maximo Application Suite and UpKeep differ
AttributeIBM Maximo Application SuiteUpKeep
Starting price$3150/monthFree
Pricing modelPer year by AppPoint poolUnknown
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android
CategoryManufacturingInventory
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • AppPoint pooling
  • Maximo Manage
  • Maximo Health and Predict
  • Maximo Visual Inspection
  • Industry solutions
  • OpenShift deployment

Only in UpKeep

  • Work order management
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Asset management
  • Mobile-first
  • SAP
  • Oracle
  • Salesforce
  • QuickBooks

What people use each for

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

IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • A transmission utility managing hundreds of thousands of linear and point assets with regulatory reporting that a mid-market CMMS cannot producenot UpKeep
  • An airline or rail operator needing configuration control and maintenance history depth that survives a regulator audit going back yearsnot UpKeep
  • A manufacturer wanting condition-based maintenance and work order execution in the same system rather than integrating a predictive tool to a separate CMMSnot UpKeep
  • A defence or nuclear estate where the industry solution and long-term vendor viability matter more than the licence costnot UpKeep

UpKeep

  • Preventive and reactive maintenance schedulingnot IBM Maximo Application Suite
  • Work order management across multiple locationsnot IBM Maximo Application Suite
  • Asset lifecycle tracking and compliancenot IBM Maximo Application Suite

Where each one falls short

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

IBM Maximo Application Suite

  • AppPoints are consumed by users, applications and environments at once, so a routine decision like adding a test environment or enabling Health quietly eats pool capacity and can trigger a true-up nobody budgeted for.
  • Pools are commonly sized from headcount rather than concurrency and application mix, and licence reviews frequently find them over-provisioned by a large margin, meaning organisations pay for entitlement they never consume.
  • Implementation, data migration, customisation and integrator fees routinely cost two to three times the first-year licence, so a business case built on the subscription figure will be materially wrong.
  • MAS requires Red Hat OpenShift, which for a customer-hosted deployment adds a container platform, its licensing and the specialist administration skills to run it, none of which the previous standalone Maximo needed.
  • Maximo is deep and slow to change; configuration is a specialist skill, upgrades are projects rather than updates, and organisations without a dedicated Maximo team end up permanently dependent on an implementation partner.

UpKeep

  • Offline mobile mode limited to Professional tier and above
  • Per-user pricing model; costs scale significantly with team size
  • Free trial available but tier details not documented; duration unspecified

Pricing, plan by plan

IBM Maximo Application Suite

$3150/month
  • Essentials (SaaS)$3150/month
    • Entry SaaS tier for a small user population
    • One production environment
    • Core Manage functionality
  • Standard (SaaS)$undefined/month
    • Larger AppPoint pool
    • Additional applications and environments
    • Priced on application
  • Premium (SaaS)$undefined/month
    • Full application set including Predict and Visual Inspection
    • Multiple environments
    • Priced on application
  • Customer hosted$undefined/year
    • AppPoint entitlement bought outright and run on your own OpenShift cluster
    • Infrastructure, OpenShift and administration costs are yours
    • Annual support and subscription contract required

UpKeep

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the UpKeep review.

Which should you pick?

Choose IBM Maximo Application Suite if

  • You need apppoint pooling.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, Linux.
  • You also want maximo manage.
IBM Maximo Application Suite review

Choose UpKeep if

  • You need work order management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want preventive maintenance.
UpKeep review

Questions people ask

Is IBM Maximo Application Suite or UpKeep better?
Neither clearly leads. IBM Maximo Application Suite starts at $3150/month and UpKeep at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IBM Maximo Application Suite or UpKeep?
UpKeep has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3150/month for IBM Maximo Application Suite and Free for UpKeep.
Does IBM Maximo Application Suite or UpKeep run on more platforms?
IBM Maximo Application Suite runs on Web, Cloud, On-premise, iOS, Android, Linux. UpKeep runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use UpKeep for free?
Yes. UpKeep has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IBM Maximo Application Suite starts at $3150/month.
What is IBM Maximo Application Suite best used for?
IBM Maximo Application Suite is most often used for a transmission utility managing hundreds of thousands of linear and point assets with regulatory reporting that a mid-market cmms cannot produce, an airline or rail operator needing configuration control and maintenance history depth that survives a regulator audit going back years, a manufacturer wanting condition-based maintenance and work order execution in the same system rather than integrating a predictive tool to a separate cmms, a defence or nuclear estate where the industry solution and long-term vendor viability matter more than the licence cost. Of those, a transmission utility managing hundreds of thousands of linear and point assets with regulatory reporting that a mid-market cmms cannot produce and an airline or rail operator needing configuration control and maintenance history depth that survives a regulator audit going back years are not what UpKeep is typically brought in for.
What can IBM Maximo Application Suite do that UpKeep cannot?
IBM Maximo Application Suite covers AppPoint pooling, Maximo Manage, Maximo Health and Predict, Maximo Visual Inspection. UpKeep covers Work order management, Preventive maintenance, Asset management, Mobile-first.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IBM Maximo Application Suite: Is Maximo still sold per user?

No. The Maximo Application Suite licenses a shared AppPoint pool consumed by users, applications and environments. Per-seat Maximo is the old model.

UpKeep: How much does UpKeep cost per user?

UpKeep pricing starts at $24/user/month for the Essential tier, $55/user/month for Premium, with Professional and Enterprise tiers available at custom quotes. All plans include unlimited work orders and locations.

Source
IBM Maximo Application Suite: What does the entry SaaS tier cost?

The Essentials package starts around $3,150 per month for a small user population and one production environment. Larger tiers are quoted.

UpKeep: What does the free trial include?

UpKeep offers a free trial with no credit card required on the Essential and Premium tiers. Users can try the product before committing to paid plans.

Source
IBM Maximo Application Suite: Do non-production environments cost AppPoints?

Yes. Development, test and training environments draw from the same pool, which is the most common sizing surprise.

UpKeep: Are Nova AI credits included in the pricing?

Yes, Nova AI credits are included with every plan: 250 credits with Essential, 500 with Premium, 750 with Professional, and 1,000 with Enterprise tiers.

Source
IBM Maximo Application Suite: Can I run MAS without OpenShift?

No. OpenShift is the deployment platform whether you host it yourself or consume MAS as a service from IBM.

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