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Field Service · head to head

IFS Ultimo EAM vs Maintenance Connection

IFS Ultimo EAM logo

IFS Ultimo EAM

Field Service

Dutch enterprise asset management with role-based user tiers, now sold inside the IFS portfolio

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Maintenance Connection logo

Maintenance Connection

Manufacturing

Enterprise CMMS from Accruent for multi-site asset management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: IFS Ultimo EAM iFS sells two overlapping EAM products, Ultimo and IFS Cloud EAM, and a buyer signing a multi-year term is depending on the vendor funding both roadmaps at current levels.; Maintenance Connection implementation is a project measured in months, and the cost of that work frequently exceeds the first year of licensing
  • They diverge on capability: IFS Ultimo EAM covers Three user licence types, Maintenance Connection covers Deep asset hierarchies.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IFS Ultimo EAM and Maintenance Connection actually diverge.

Attributes where IFS Ultimo EAM and Maintenance Connection differ
AttributeIFS Ultimo EAMMaintenance Connection
CategoryField ServiceManufacturing

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

  • Three user licence types
  • Industry solutions
  • Safety and compliance
  • Mobile maintenance
  • Spare parts management
  • Contractor management
  • Fleet management module
  • Condition-based triggers

Only in Maintenance Connection

  • Deep asset hierarchies
  • Labour and cost tracking
  • Multi-storeroom inventory
  • Preventive and predictive
  • Compliance reporting
  • Enterprise integration

What people use each for

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

IFS Ultimo EAM

  • A hospital where hundreds of ward staff must report faults but only the estates planners need full maintenance functionalitynot Maintenance Connection
  • A manufacturer needing permits to work and lockout-tagout tied to the same work order as the maintenance tasknot Maintenance Connection
  • A public transport operator managing vehicle maintenance and depot facilities in one system rather than twonot Maintenance Connection
  • A mid-sized European site that wants an EAM configured for its industry in weeks rather than a blank platform implementationnot Maintenance Connection

Maintenance Connection

  • Multi-site manufacturing or healthcare estates with large asset registersnot IFS Ultimo EAM
  • Organisations that must evidence a maintenance regime to a regulatornot IFS Ultimo EAM
  • Operations replacing an ageing enterprise CMMS rather than papernot IFS Ultimo EAM
  • Estates needing maintenance integrated with ERP and financenot IFS Ultimo EAM

Where each one falls short

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

IFS Ultimo EAM

  • IFS sells two overlapping EAM products, Ultimo and IFS Cloud EAM, and a buyer signing a multi-year term is depending on the vendor funding both roadmaps at current levels.
  • IFS does not publish list pricing for Ultimo, so the widely quoted entry figures come from third-party review sites rather than the vendor and should not be used to build a budget.
  • Strength is concentrated in Europe, and organisations needing local-language support, partners and implementation resource in North America or Asia will find the channel much thinner.
  • The industry solution templates that accelerate go-live also encode assumptions, and organisations whose processes differ from the template spend the saved time on reconfiguration instead.
  • Reporting and analytics beyond the standard set generally push customers to Power BI, so plan for a separate business intelligence licence and the modelling work behind it.

Maintenance Connection

  • Implementation is a project measured in months, and the cost of that work frequently exceeds the first year of licensing
  • Pricing is entirely quote-based with no published entry point, so early comparison is impossible
  • The interface reflects its age and is a common objection from technicians used to consumer-grade mobile apps
  • Overpowered for single-site operations, where the configuration burden buys capability that will not be used
  • Accruent sells a broad portfolio, so the buying process involves more product than a maintenance team asked for

Pricing, plan by plan

IFS Ultimo EAM

On request
  • IFS Ultimo EAM$undefined/month
    • Priced per user with Self-Service, Light and Full tiers at different rates
    • Price per user does not change with the number of industry solutions enabled
    • Cloud subscription is the standard route; on-premise is legacy

Maintenance Connection

On request
  • Maintenance Connection$undefined/year
    • Work and asset management
    • Multi-site
    • Inventory

Which should you pick?

Choose IFS Ultimo EAM if

  • You need three user licence types.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want industry solutions.
IFS Ultimo EAM review

Choose Maintenance Connection if

  • You need deep asset hierarchies.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want labour and cost tracking.
Maintenance Connection review

Questions people ask

Is IFS Ultimo EAM or Maintenance Connection better?
Neither clearly leads. IFS Ultimo EAM starts at On request and Maintenance Connection at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IFS Ultimo EAM or Maintenance Connection?
IFS Ultimo EAM starts at On request and Maintenance Connection at On request.
Does IFS Ultimo EAM or Maintenance Connection run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is IFS Ultimo EAM best used for?
IFS Ultimo EAM is most often used for a hospital where hundreds of ward staff must report faults but only the estates planners need full maintenance functionality, a manufacturer needing permits to work and lockout-tagout tied to the same work order as the maintenance task, a public transport operator managing vehicle maintenance and depot facilities in one system rather than two, a mid-sized european site that wants an eam configured for its industry in weeks rather than a blank platform implementation. Of those, a hospital where hundreds of ward staff must report faults but only the estates planners need full maintenance functionality and a manufacturer needing permits to work and lockout-tagout tied to the same work order as the maintenance task are not what Maintenance Connection is typically brought in for.
What can IFS Ultimo EAM do that Maintenance Connection cannot?
IFS Ultimo EAM covers Three user licence types, Industry solutions, Safety and compliance, Mobile maintenance. Maintenance Connection covers Deep asset hierarchies, Labour and cost tracking, Multi-storeroom inventory, Preventive and predictive.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

IFS Ultimo EAM: Is Ultimo still sold separately from IFS Cloud EAM?

Yes. IFS positions Ultimo at the mid-market and IFS Cloud EAM at large enterprises, and sells both.

Maintenance Connection: Who is Maintenance Connection for?

Multi-site organisations with large asset registers and formal maintenance governance. Below that scale, the configuration effort is not repaid.

IFS Ultimo EAM: How does the user licensing work?

Three tiers: Self-Service for request and view, Light for occasional use, Full for planners and managers. Rates differ per tier.

Maintenance Connection: What does it cost?

Not published. It is quoted, and implementation is a separate line that often exceeds first-year licensing.

IFS Ultimo EAM: Does enabling more industry solutions cost more per user?

No. The per-user price stays the same regardless of how many industry solutions you select.

Maintenance Connection: How does it differ from MaintainX?

Almost entirely. This is an enterprise system configured to enforce an existing process; MaintainX is a mobile app a team adopts in a day. They rarely appear on the same shortlist honestly.

IFS Ultimo EAM: Is on-premise still available?

Cloud subscription is the route IFS sells. On-premise exists in the installed base but is not the direction of travel.

Maintenance Connection: Is it good for regulated industries?

That is its strongest case. Audit trails, evidence of preventive regimes and multi-site consistency are what it is built to produce.

Maintenance Connection: What is the biggest risk in adopting it?

Under-resourcing implementation. A partially configured enterprise CMMS is worse than a well-run simple one, and this is the most common way these projects disappoint.

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