Softwr

Manufacturing · head to head

Petasense vs Prodsmart

Petasense logo

Petasense

Manufacturing

Wireless vibration and asset reliability monitoring, now owned by AssetWatch

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prodsmart logo

Prodsmart

Manufacturing

Mobile manufacturing execution for small plants, acquired by Autodesk and folded into Fusion Operations

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.; Prodsmart the product has been absorbed into the Autodesk Fusion family, so the standalone brand, pricing page and channel that earlier reviews describe no longer reflect how it is bought, and buyers must evaluate the current Autodesk packaging instead.
  • They diverge on capability: Petasense covers Vibration Mote, Prodsmart covers Mobile shop floor declarations.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Petasense and Prodsmart actually diverge.

Attributes where Petasense and Prodsmart differ
AttributePetasenseProdsmart
PlatformsWeb, Cloud, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

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 Prodsmart

  • Mobile shop floor declarations
  • No controller integration required
  • Traceability
  • Live production status
  • Basic OEE
  • Maintenance records

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 Prodsmart
  • A plant with variable frequency drive assets where generic vibration analytics produce too many false alarmsnot Prodsmart
  • Mixing battery sensors on accessible pumps with wired sensors on the handful of assets that would stop productionnot Prodsmart
  • A manufacturer with no in-house vibration analyst that wants the analysis delivered as a service rather than as a dashboardnot Prodsmart

Prodsmart

  • A small manufacturer with older machines that cannot be connected to any network without a costly retrofitnot Petasense
  • A plant that needs lot traceability for a customer or regulatory audit and currently keeps it on papernot Petasense
  • A shop wanting live work order status without installing terminals and cabling on the floornot Petasense
  • An Autodesk Fusion user looking for an operations layer from the same vendor as its CAD and CAMnot 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.

Prodsmart

  • The product has been absorbed into the Autodesk Fusion family, so the standalone brand, pricing page and channel that earlier reviews describe no longer reflect how it is bought, and buyers must evaluate the current Autodesk packaging instead.
  • All data originates from operator declarations, so accuracy depends entirely on shop floor discipline, and a plant that cannot enforce scanning gets confident charts built on incomplete input.
  • Because it reads nothing from machines, it cannot detect a stoppage the operator does not report, which means downtime analysis captures what people admit to rather than what happened.
  • Scheduling and planning are shallow compared with a full MES or ERP, so most customers still plan elsewhere and use Prodsmart for execution only.
  • Support and account management now run through a very large software vendor, and small manufacturers frequently report longer response paths than they had with the original company.

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

Prodsmart

On request
  • Prodsmart (Autodesk Fusion Operations)$undefined/year
    • Mobile shop floor execution
    • Traceability and production reporting
    • Sold within the Autodesk Fusion product family

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 Prodsmart if

  • You need mobile shop floor declarations.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want no controller integration required.
Prodsmart review

Questions people ask

Is Petasense or Prodsmart better?
Neither clearly leads. Petasense starts at On request and Prodsmart at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Petasense or Prodsmart?
Petasense starts at On request and Prodsmart at On request.
Does Petasense or Prodsmart run on more platforms?
Petasense runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android. Prodsmart runs on Web, iOS, Android.
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 Prodsmart is typically brought in for.
What can Petasense do that Prodsmart cannot?
Petasense covers Vibration Mote, Transmitter range, ARO cloud, VFD-specific monitoring. Prodsmart covers Mobile shop floor declarations, No controller integration required, Traceability, Live production status.

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.

Prodsmart: Who owns Prodsmart?

Autodesk acquired it in 2022 and has integrated it into the Fusion product family as its operations offering.

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.

Prodsmart: Does it need my machines to be connected?

No. That is the central design decision. Operators declare production on mobile devices.

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.

Prodsmart: Is it a full MES?

It covers execution, traceability and basic OEE. Detailed scheduling, quality workflows and controller level data are not its scope.

Petasense: How is it priced?

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

Prodsmart: Can I still buy it as a standalone product?

It is sold through Autodesk. Confirm the current packaging and pricing with Autodesk rather than relying on pre acquisition material.

Share

Related pages

More on Petasense

More on Prodsmart

Keep looking

Other head to heads