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Manufacturing · head to head

Petasense vs Propel

Petasense logo

Petasense

Manufacturing

Wireless vibration and asset reliability monitoring, now owned by AssetWatch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Propel logo

Propel

Manufacturing

PLM, quality and product information management built on the Salesforce platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Petasense petasense is now owned by AssetWatch, whose business is monitoring delivered as a managed service, so a buyer wanting self-service software should get the delivery model written into the contract rather than assume it.; Propel your product data lives in a Salesforce org, so a future decision to leave Salesforce becomes a PLM migration as well as a CRM one, and the extraction is not trivial.
  • They diverge on capability: Petasense covers Vibration Mote, Propel covers Item and BOM management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Petasense and Propel actually diverge.

Attributes where Petasense and Propel differ
AttributePetasensePropel
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, Cloud, API

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Petasense

  • Vibration Mote
  • Transmitter range
  • ARO cloud
  • VFD-specific monitoring
  • Reliability workflow
  • Mixed wired and wireless

Only in Propel

  • Item and BOM management
  • Change management
  • Quality management
  • Product information management
  • Supplier collaboration
  • Native Salesforce
  • Licence types

What people use each for

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

Petasense

  • A reliability team wanting continuous vibration data on assets currently covered by a quarterly walkaround routenot Propel
  • A plant with variable frequency drive assets where generic vibration analytics produce too many false alarmsnot Propel
  • Mixing battery sensors on accessible pumps with wired sensors on the handful of assets that would stop productionnot Propel
  • A manufacturer with no in-house vibration analyst that wants the analysis delivered as a service rather than as a dashboardnot Propel

Propel

  • A medical device company needing linked design control and CAPA records for an ISO 13485 audit without an on-premise PLM programmenot Petasense
  • A consumer products firm publishing the same product record to engineering, packaging and e-commerce teamsnot Petasense
  • A company already standardised on Salesforce that wants product data governed with the same admin skills as the CRMnot Petasense
  • A hardware manufacturer routing customer complaints straight to the part revision and supplier that caused themnot Petasense

Where each one falls short

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

Petasense

  • Petasense is now owned by AssetWatch, whose business is monitoring delivered as a managed service, so a buyer wanting self-service software should get the delivery model written into the contract rather than assume it.
  • Hardware is required per measurement point and gateways are required per area, so the up-front capital for a plant-wide deployment is substantial and separate from the subscription.
  • Per-asset subscription pricing scales linearly, which makes full coverage of a large population of low-value motors uneconomic compared with route-based monitoring.
  • Nothing is published on sensor cost, subscription rate, gateway requirements or contract length, so a total cost of ownership figure requires a full sales engagement before you can compare it against anything.
  • Battery-powered wireless sensors trade measurement richness for battery life, so the sampling rate and resolution are lower than a wired analyser would give, which limits diagnosis of high-frequency bearing defects on critical machines.

Propel

  • Your product data lives in a Salesforce org, so a future decision to leave Salesforce becomes a PLM migration as well as a CRM one, and the extraction is not trivial.
  • CAD data management is handled through connectors rather than natively; Propel manages metadata and files well but is not a substitute for a CAD vault on large assemblies.
  • The published cost bands are extremely wide, from 10,000 to 500,000 US dollars a year, and setup can approach the annual licence, so early budgeting without a scoped quote is close to meaningless.
  • Licence roles are split across Performance, Quality, Enrichment, Collaboration and Partner types, and buyers frequently discover mid-project that a user needs a more expensive role than budgeted.
  • Salesforce platform limits such as governor limits, API call ceilings and storage allowances apply, and organisations with very large BOMs or heavy integration traffic hit them in ways a purpose-built PLM would not surface.

Pricing, plan by plan

Petasense

On request
  • Petasense ARO$undefined/year
    • Subscription priced per monitored asset
    • Vibration Mote or Transmitter hardware required per measurement point
    • Gateway hardware required for wireless deployments

Propel

On request
  • Propel$undefined/year
    • Annual user-based licensing in role types
    • Salesforce platform access included in each licence
    • Indicative small deployment band of 10,000 to 150,000 USD a year plus 10,000 to 25,000 setup

Which should you pick?

Choose Petasense if

  • You need vibration mote.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transmitter range.
Petasense review

Choose Propel if

  • You need item and bom management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud, API.
  • You also want change management.
Propel review

Questions people ask

Is Petasense or Propel better?
Neither clearly leads. Petasense starts at On request and Propel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Petasense or Propel?
Petasense starts at On request and Propel at On request.
Does Petasense or Propel run on more platforms?
Petasense runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android. Propel runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud, API.
What is Petasense best used for?
Petasense is most often used for a reliability team wanting continuous vibration data on assets currently covered by a quarterly walkaround route, a plant with variable frequency drive assets where generic vibration analytics produce too many false alarms, mixing battery sensors on accessible pumps with wired sensors on the handful of assets that would stop production, a manufacturer with no in-house vibration analyst that wants the analysis delivered as a service rather than as a dashboard. Of those, a reliability team wanting continuous vibration data on assets currently covered by a quarterly walkaround route and a plant with variable frequency drive assets where generic vibration analytics produce too many false alarms are not what Propel is typically brought in for.
What can Petasense do that Propel cannot?
Petasense covers Vibration Mote, Transmitter range, ARO cloud, VFD-specific monitoring. Propel covers Item and BOM management, Change management, Quality management, Product information management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Petasense: Is Petasense still a separate product?

Yes. It trades under its own name with its own product line, but the owner since January 2024 is AssetWatch.

Propel: Do I need to buy Salesforce separately?

No. Each Propel licence includes Salesforce platform access, and end users do not need their own Salesforce licences or Salesforce expertise.

Petasense: Do I have to buy Petasense hardware?

Yes. The platform is built around its own Motes and Transmitters; it is not a bring-your-own-sensor analytics product.

Propel: Does being on Salesforce lock me in?

Practically, yes. The application, its configuration and your product data all sit in a Salesforce org, which is a real consideration at renewal.

Petasense: Can I get monitoring as a service?

Yes, through parent AssetWatch, whose model is condition monitoring engineers reviewing your data. Clarify which model your quote covers.

Propel: What does it cost?

Propel publishes indicative bands rather than list prices: roughly 10,000 to 150,000 US dollars a year for a small deployment and 250,000 to 500,000 for a large one, plus setup.

Petasense: How is it priced?

Per monitored asset on subscription, plus sensors and gateways. Nothing is published.

Propel: Is it suitable for regulated medical devices?

Yes, that is a core segment; the quality module covers CAPA, non-conformance, audits and training records with electronic signatures.

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