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Manufacturing · head to head

Propel vs Wave PLM

Propel logo

Propel

Manufacturing

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

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wave PLM logo

Wave PLM

Fashion

Agile PLM solution for fashion and apparel

From
$250/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Wave PLM starter plan requires a minimum of 10 users at $120 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional plan requires a minimum of 50 users at $100 per user per month billed annually
  • They diverge on capability: Propel covers Item and BOM management, Wave PLM covers Agile workflows.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Propel and Wave PLM actually diverge.

Attributes where Propel and Wave PLM differ
AttributePropelWave PLM
Starting priceOn request$250/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Cloud, APIWindows, Mac, Web
CategoryManufacturingFashion
FoundedUnknown2016

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Propel

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

Only in Wave PLM

  • Agile workflows
  • Product management
  • Team collaboration
  • Real-time visibility
  • Task management
  • Document control
  • Jira
  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Propel

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

Wave PLM

  • Agile product developmentnot Propel

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Wave PLM

  • Starter plan requires a minimum of 10 users at $120 per user per month billed annually, and the Professional plan requires a minimum of 50 users at $100 per user per month billed annually
  • The Wave AI add-on is priced separately from the base plan, starting at $25 per user per month billed annually

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Wave PLM

$250/month
  • Starter$250/month
    • Core PLM
    • Basic features
  • Growth$600/month
    • Advanced features
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Full suite

Which should you pick?

Choose Propel if

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

Choose Wave PLM if

  • You need agile workflows.
  • You work on Windows, Mac, Web.
  • You also want product management.
Wave PLM review

Questions people ask

Is Propel or Wave PLM better?
Neither clearly leads. Propel starts at On request and Wave PLM at $250/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Propel or Wave PLM?
Propel starts at On request and Wave PLM at $250/month.
Does Propel or Wave PLM run on more platforms?
Propel runs on Web, iOS, Android, Cloud, API. Wave PLM runs on Windows, Mac, Web.
What is Propel best used for?
Propel is most often used for a medical device company needing linked design control and capa records for an iso 13485 audit without an on-premise plm programme, a consumer products firm publishing the same product record to engineering, packaging and e-commerce teams, a company already standardised on salesforce that wants product data governed with the same admin skills as the crm, a hardware manufacturer routing customer complaints straight to the part revision and supplier that caused them. Of those, a medical device company needing linked design control and capa records for an iso 13485 audit without an on-premise plm programme and a consumer products firm publishing the same product record to engineering, packaging and e-commerce teams are not what Wave PLM is typically brought in for.
What can Propel do that Wave PLM cannot?
Propel covers Item and BOM management, Change management, Quality management, Product information management. Wave PLM covers Agile workflows, Product management, Team collaboration, Real-time visibility.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Wave PLM: How does Wave PLM pricing scale with team size?

Starter costs $120 per user per month for 10-49 users. Professional costs $100 per user per month for 50-199 users. Enterprise pricing is custom for 200+ users. All plans are billed annually.

Source
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.

Wave PLM: What is the cost to add AI capabilities to Wave PLM?

Wave AI add-on costs starting at $25 per user per month and includes AI assistant, similarity search, product recommendations, natural language search, and AI-generated descriptions.

Source
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.

Wave PLM: What vendor collaboration features are included at each Wave PLM tier?

Starter includes 10 vendor companies, Professional includes 50, and Enterprise offers unlimited vendor companies with customizable configurations.

Source
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.

Wave PLM: Does Wave PLM offer a trial period?

No trial period is mentioned; Wave PLM offers demo versions available upon request and can be deployed to cloud environments within 24 hours.

Source
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