Softwr

Field Service · head to head

MaintainX vs Percepto

MaintainX logo

MaintainX

Field Service

Mobile-first maintenance and work order management for frontline teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Percepto logo

Percepto

Field Service

Drone-in-a-box inspection with the AIM software that runs the missions and reads the results

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MaintainX has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: MaintainX per-user pricing punishes organisations with many occasional users, and the requester-only seat model does not solve this as cleanly as it appears; Percepto aIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.
  • They diverge on capability: MaintainX covers Mobile work orders, Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which MaintainX and Percepto actually diverge.

Attributes where MaintainX and Percepto differ
AttributeMaintainXPercepto
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFreemium, per user per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Field Service).

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 MaintainX

  • Mobile work orders
  • Offline mode
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Digital procedures
  • Parts inventory
  • Asset history

Only in Percepto

  • Drone-in-a-box base station
  • Autonomous scheduled missions
  • AIM mission management
  • Optical gas imaging payload
  • Thermal and visual inspection
  • Change detection
  • Alarm-triggered response
  • Georeferenced asset history

What people use each for

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

MaintainX

  • Maintenance teams replacing paper work orders and whiteboardsnot Percepto
  • Plants needing technicians to log work at the machine rather than back at a terminalnot Percepto
  • Multi-site facilities operations wanting one asset history across locationsnot Percepto
  • Organisations that must evidence preventive maintenance for audit or insurancenot Percepto

Percepto

  • A refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flightsnot MaintainX
  • A remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveysnot MaintainX
  • A utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable recordnot MaintainX
  • A port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morningnot MaintainX

Where each one falls short

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

MaintainX

  • Per-user pricing punishes organisations with many occasional users, and the requester-only seat model does not solve this as cleanly as it appears
  • Reporting is adequate rather than deep, and teams wanting genuine reliability analytics generally export to a BI tool
  • Parts inventory sits behind the Premium tier, which is a steep jump from Essential for a feature many maintenance teams treat as core
  • Integration with heavyweight ERP is available but real SAP or Oracle projects need work beyond the connector
  • Less suited to complex asset hierarchies and condition-based maintenance than an established enterprise asset management platform

Percepto

  • AIM is built for Percepto aircraft and base stations, so buying the software is buying the fleet, and a site that already owns DJI or other drones cannot bring them into it.
  • Everything depends on beyond-visual-line-of-sight regulatory approval, which is strong in the United States and patchy elsewhere, so a European or Asian site may face a materially different operating envelope for the same money.
  • Pricing is a per-site annual programme covering hardware, software and support, with no published rates, so comparing it against hiring an inspection contractor requires a full proposal.
  • The base station is fixed infrastructure requiring power, connectivity and a site survey, which means a linear asset such as a pipeline needs several installations rather than one system.
  • Weather, wind limits and airspace restrictions still ground flights, so the inspection schedule an operator plans around is a best case, and manual fallback procedures still have to exist.

Pricing, plan by plan

MaintainX

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Unlimited work orders
    • Unlimited assets
    • 2 procedure templates
  • Essential$21/user/month
    • Unlimited procedures
    • Preventive maintenance
    • Advanced reporting
  • Premium$69/user/month
    • Parts inventory
    • Purchase orders
    • Meter-based triggers
  • Enterprise$undefined/user/month
    • SSO and SCIM
    • Custom integrations
    • Dedicated success manager

Percepto

On request
  • Percepto AIM programme$undefined/year
    • Base station and aircraft
    • AIM software subscription
    • Site survey, installation and regulatory support

Which should you pick?

Choose MaintainX if

  • You need mobile work orders.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want offline mode.
MaintainX review

Choose Percepto if

  • You need drone-in-a-box base station.
  • You also want autonomous scheduled missions.
Percepto review

Questions people ask

Is MaintainX or Percepto better?
Neither clearly leads. MaintainX starts at Free and Percepto at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, MaintainX or Percepto?
MaintainX has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for MaintainX and On request for Percepto.
Does MaintainX or Percepto run on more platforms?
MaintainX runs on Web, iOS, Android. Percepto runs on Web.
Can I use MaintainX for free?
Yes. MaintainX has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Percepto starts at On request.
What is MaintainX best used for?
MaintainX is most often used for maintenance teams replacing paper work orders and whiteboards, plants needing technicians to log work at the machine rather than back at a terminal, multi-site facilities operations wanting one asset history across locations, organisations that must evidence preventive maintenance for audit or insurance. Of those, maintenance teams replacing paper work orders and whiteboards and plants needing technicians to log work at the machine rather than back at a terminal are not what Percepto is typically brought in for.
What can MaintainX do that Percepto cannot?
MaintainX covers Mobile work orders, Offline mode, Preventive maintenance, Digital procedures. Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Autonomous scheduled missions, AIM mission management, Optical gas imaging payload.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

MaintainX: Is the free tier actually usable?

Yes. It allows unlimited work orders and assets with the full mobile app, and small teams run on it indefinitely. The limits that push teams to pay are procedure templates, preventive maintenance scheduling and reporting.

Percepto: Can I use Percepto AIM with drones I already own?

No. The system is designed around Percepto's own aircraft and base station.

MaintainX: How does it compare to UpKeep?

Both are mobile-first CMMS aimed at the same buyer. MaintainX is generally stronger on procedures and the free tier; UpKeep has a longer history with parts and purchasing. The decision usually comes down to which mobile app the technicians prefer in a trial.

Percepto: Do I need a pilot on site?

Not in jurisdictions where beyond-visual-line-of-sight operation is approved. Confirm the approval position for your country before committing.

MaintainX: Does it work without signal?

Yes. Offline mode is a core feature rather than an add-on, which matters in plant areas and basements where a web-only CMMS is unusable.

Percepto: What does it cost?

Percepto does not publish pricing. Expect an annual per-site programme covering hardware, the AIM subscription and support.

MaintainX: Can it handle multiple sites?

Yes, from the Premium tier. Multi-site asset hierarchies and cross-site reporting are not available on Essential.

Percepto: Can it detect gas leaks?

Yes, with an optical gas imaging payload, which is one of the main reasons oil and gas operators buy it.

MaintainX: What is the real cost for a 20-person team?

On Premium at list, roughly 16,560 USD a year before negotiation. Most of the saving comes from designating occasional staff as requesters rather than full users, so count your true licensed seats before comparing quotes.

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