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Manufacturing · head to head

OpenBOM vs PTC Windchill

OpenBOM logo

OpenBOM

Manufacturing

Cloud bill of materials and part catalogue management priced per seat, with free read-only users

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PTC Windchill logo

PTC Windchill

Manufacturing

Enterprise PLM for regulated hardware, priced entirely by negotiation

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only OpenBOM has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: OpenBOM pricing has three axes, editing seats plus data record count plus per-seat CAD add-ins at $25 to $45 each, so the real annual cost is well above the advertised per-seat figure.; PTC Windchill no pricing is published at any tier, and per-user rates are heavily negotiable on multi-year commitments, so the first quote a buyer receives is rarely the achievable price and small buyers without volume have little leverage.
  • They diverge on capability: OpenBOM covers Multi-level BOMs, PTC Windchill covers Part and BOM management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OpenBOM and PTC Windchill actually diverge.

Attributes where OpenBOM and PTC Windchill differ
AttributeOpenBOMPTC Windchill
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, APIWeb, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API

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 OpenBOM

  • Multi-level BOMs
  • Part catalogue
  • CAD add-ins
  • Change management
  • Free read-only users
  • REST API

Only in PTC Windchill

  • Part and BOM management
  • Change and configuration management
  • CAD data management
  • Variant and options management
  • Quality management
  • Windchill Navigate
  • Service information

What people use each for

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

OpenBOM

  • A hardware startup replacing a shared BOM spreadsheet before its first contract manufacturing runnot PTC Windchill
  • A contract manufacturer sharing structured BOMs with customers who should see but not edit themnot PTC Windchill
  • An electronics team pulling BOMs straight out of Altium and mechanical CAD instead of retyping themnot PTC Windchill
  • A small manufacturer that needs part numbering and revision discipline but cannot fund a PLM projectnot PTC Windchill

PTC Windchill

  • A medical device manufacturer needing a design history file and audit-ready change control for FDA and MDR submissionsnot OpenBOM
  • An aerospace supplier reconciling engineering and plant-specific manufacturing BOMs across multiple factoriesnot OpenBOM
  • An industrial equipment firm managing configurable product families where every unit shipped has a different option setnot OpenBOM
  • A company standardising on Creo that wants CAD data management and PLM from one vendor rather than twonot OpenBOM

Where each one falls short

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

OpenBOM

  • Pricing has three axes, editing seats plus data record count plus per-seat CAD add-ins at $25 to $45 each, so the real annual cost is well above the advertised per-seat figure.
  • Paying yearly nearly halves the seat price, from $55 to $30 and $165 to $90, so monthly billing carries an unusually heavy penalty for teams that want flexibility.
  • Change management, revision control and CAD file management are absent from the entry Team plan, so the cheapest tier is a catalogue rather than a working PLM.
  • It lacks the approval workflows, effectivity dating and audit depth that regulated medical and aerospace suppliers need, so companies pursuing ISO 13485 or AS9100 typically migrate away.
  • Record count is metered separately and a large imported part library can push a small team into a higher data tier without adding a single user.

PTC Windchill

  • No pricing is published at any tier, and per-user rates are heavily negotiable on multi-year commitments, so the first quote a buyer receives is rarely the achievable price and small buyers without volume have little leverage.
  • Implementation dominates cost: data migration, configuration and training routinely account for the majority of three-year total cost of ownership, and large programmes run into seven figures of services.
  • Annual support and maintenance is charged as a percentage of licence value in the low-to-mid teens, so the bill continues indefinitely even in years when nothing is upgraded.
  • Upgrades between major releases are projects rather than updates, particularly where the deployment has been customised, and heavily customised sites often sit several versions behind.
  • The role-based licence tiers mean occasional participants such as purchasing or quality still consume paid seats unless you deploy Windchill Navigate, which is a further product to buy and configure.

Pricing, plan by plan

OpenBOM

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 2,000 data records
    • Basic BOM and catalogue management
    • Non-commercial and educational use
  • Professional Team$55/month
    • $30 per seat per month billed yearly
    • BOM management, part catalogue, inventory
    • RFQ and purchase orders
  • Company$165/month
    • $90 per seat per month billed yearly
    • Everything in Team
    • CAD file management and revision control
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Single sign-on
    • Custom integrations
    • Private or custom hosting

PTC Windchill

On request
  • Windchill$undefined/year
    • Role-based seat tiers: Viewer, Contributor, Editor, Administrator
    • Modules for quality, variants, service and supplier collaboration priced separately
    • On-premise, customer cloud or PTC-hosted SaaS

Which should you pick?

Choose OpenBOM if

  • You need multi-level boms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, API.
  • You also want part catalogue.
OpenBOM review

Choose PTC Windchill if

  • You need part and bom management.
  • You work on Web, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API.
  • You also want change and configuration management.
PTC Windchill review

Questions people ask

Is OpenBOM or PTC Windchill better?
Neither clearly leads. OpenBOM starts at Free and PTC Windchill at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OpenBOM or PTC Windchill?
OpenBOM has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for OpenBOM and On request for PTC Windchill.
Does OpenBOM or PTC Windchill run on more platforms?
OpenBOM runs on Web, Windows, macOS, API. PTC Windchill runs on Web, Windows, On-premise, Cloud, API.
Can I use OpenBOM for free?
Yes. OpenBOM has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. PTC Windchill starts at On request.
What is OpenBOM best used for?
OpenBOM is most often used for a hardware startup replacing a shared bom spreadsheet before its first contract manufacturing run, a contract manufacturer sharing structured boms with customers who should see but not edit them, an electronics team pulling boms straight out of altium and mechanical cad instead of retyping them, a small manufacturer that needs part numbering and revision discipline but cannot fund a plm project. Of those, a hardware startup replacing a shared bom spreadsheet before its first contract manufacturing run and a contract manufacturer sharing structured boms with customers who should see but not edit them are not what PTC Windchill is typically brought in for.
What can OpenBOM do that PTC Windchill cannot?
OpenBOM covers Multi-level BOMs, Part catalogue, CAD add-ins, Change management. PTC Windchill covers Part and BOM management, Change and configuration management, CAD data management, Variant and options management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OpenBOM: Is OpenBOM free?

There is a genuine free tier limited to 2,000 data records and aimed at non-commercial and educational use. Commercial teams start at $30 per seat per month billed yearly.

PTC Windchill: Is a perpetual licence still available?

PTC has moved decisively to subscription and now positions Windchill as a subscription product. Existing perpetual estates are supported but new perpetual sales are not the default route and should not be assumed.

OpenBOM: Do I pay for people who only look at BOMs?

No. Read-only users are unlimited and free on every paid plan, which is the main reason the total cost undercuts seat-for-seat PLM tools.

PTC Windchill: How much does Windchill cost?

PTC publishes nothing. Expect role-tiered per-user subscription plus modules, plus support at a percentage of licence value, plus implementation services that usually exceed the software.

OpenBOM: Are the CAD add-ins included?

No. They are $25 per seat per month billed yearly, $45 monthly, and require an active Team or Company subscription.

PTC Windchill: Does it require Creo?

No. Creo integration is deepest, but connectors exist for SolidWorks, NX, CATIA and Inventor. Mixed-CAD sites are common.

OpenBOM: Can OpenBOM replace a full PLM?

For a startup, usually yes. For regulated manufacturing needing controlled workflows and full audit trails, no.

PTC Windchill: Is it overkill for a hundred-person hardware company?

Usually yes, unless you are in a regulated sector. Below that scale a cloud-native PLM will reach useful state in weeks rather than quarters.

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