Field Service · head to head
Percepto vs Tractian
Percepto
Field Service
Drone-in-a-box inspection with the AIM software that runs the missions and reads the results
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Tractian
Field Service
CMMS with published per-user pricing plus vibration sensors sold as a separate per-asset subscription
- From
- $60/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Tractian sensors are excluded from both published CMMS tiers and are quoted per monitored asset, so the transparent rate card covers only the part of the deployment that costs least.
- They diverge on capability: Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Tractian covers Published per-user pricing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Percepto and Tractian actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 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
Only in Tractian
- Published per-user pricing
- Unlimited requesters
- Smart Trac sensors
- Automatic work order creation
- Mobile execution
- Preventive maintenance planning
- Power BI connector
- ERP integration
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Percepto
- A refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flightsnot Tractian
- A remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveysnot Tractian
- A utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable recordnot Tractian
- A port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morningnot Tractian
Tractian
- A mid-market plant replacing spreadsheet maintenance planning where hundreds of operators must report faults but only a dozen plan worknot Percepto
- Instrumenting critical motors and pumps and having detected faults become work orders without an integration projectnot Percepto
- A maintenance manager who needs a defensible budget figure before an approval meeting rather than a quote in three weeksnot Percepto
- A multi-site manufacturer wanting the same CMMS and sensor platform across Brazilian, Mexican and United States plantsnot Percepto
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Tractian
- Sensors are excluded from both published CMMS tiers and are quoted per monitored asset, so the transparent rate card covers only the part of the deployment that costs least.
- Smart Trac hardware reports into the Tractian platform, so a plant that later changes analytics vendor writes off the installed sensor base.
- The five-user minimum on Standard and ten-user minimum on Enterprise put a floor under the cost that small maintenance teams cannot get below.
- ERP integration, single sign-on and the Power BI connector are Enterprise-only, so an organisation needing SAP integration pays the higher rate for every licensed user including technicians who need none of it.
- The company is young and venture-funded with rapid product expansion, so enterprise features are newer than the core CMMS and reference sites at large industrial scale are fewer than for established EAM vendors.
Pricing, plan by plan
Percepto
On request- Percepto AIM programme$undefined/year
- Base station and aircraft
- AIM software subscription
- Site survey, installation and regulatory support
Tractian
$60/month- Standard$60/month
- From 60 USD per user per month, billed annually
- Minimum five users
- Unlimited assets and unlimited requester accounts
- Enterprise$100/month
- From 100 USD per user per month, billed annually
- Minimum ten users
- Single sign-on and custom entities
- Bundle$undefined/year
- CMMS combined with condition monitoring sensors
- Priced per monitored asset, quoted rather than published
- Includes failure detection, root cause analysis and reliability support
Which should you pick?
Choose Percepto if
- You need drone-in-a-box base station.
- You also want autonomous scheduled missions.
Choose Tractian if
- You need published per-user pricing.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want unlimited requesters.
Questions people ask
- Is Percepto or Tractian better?
- Neither clearly leads. Percepto starts at On request and Tractian at $60/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Percepto or Tractian?
- Percepto starts at On request and Tractian at $60/month.
- Does Percepto or Tractian run on more platforms?
- Percepto runs on Web. Tractian runs on Web, iOS, Android.
- What is Percepto best used for?
- Percepto is most often used for a refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flights, a remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveys, a utility substation network needing thermal inspection of switchgear on a fixed cycle with an auditable record, a port or tailings facility that wants an automatic aerial response when an alarm fires at three in the morning. Of those, a refinery replacing manual methane leak detection rounds with scheduled optical gas imaging flights and a remote mine site that cannot economically station inspection crews and needs weekly stockpile and infrastructure surveys are not what Tractian is typically brought in for.
- What can Percepto do that Tractian cannot?
- Percepto covers Drone-in-a-box base station, Autonomous scheduled missions, AIM mission management, Optical gas imaging payload. Tractian covers Published per-user pricing, Unlimited requesters, Smart Trac sensors, Automatic work order creation.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Percepto: Can I use Percepto AIM with drones I already own?
No. The system is designed around Percepto's own aircraft and base station.
Tractian: What does the CMMS actually cost?
Standard is from 60 USD per user per month with five users minimum, Enterprise from 100 USD with ten minimum, both billed annually.
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.
Tractian: Are the sensors included?
No. Both CMMS tiers explicitly exclude sensors, which are priced per monitored asset under a separate bundle that is not published.
Percepto: What does it cost?
Percepto does not publish pricing. Expect an annual per-site programme covering hardware, the AIM subscription and support.
Tractian: Do fault reporters need licences?
No. Requester accounts are unlimited on both tiers, which is the main reason the per-user price is workable for large plants.
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.
Tractian: Can I use the sensors with another platform?
No. Smart Trac hardware reports to the Tractian platform.
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