What to Look for in a CMMS Software Free Trial (Before You Buy)

A CMMS software free trial isn’t just a box to check before you buy — it’s the moment of truth. On paper, every CMMS promises to cut downtime, streamline work orders and keep your assets humming. But too many free trials are smoke and mirrors: limited access, fake demo data or dashboards you’ll never use in real life.

Here’s the hard truth: If a trial doesn’t show you how the software will work for your team tomorrow morning on the shop floor, it’s not worth your time. 

That’s why we put together this guide: a seven-point checklist that tells you exactly what a CMMS free trial should show you before you ever pull out a credit card.

What Makes a Great CMMS Software Free Trial?

A great free trial isn’t a sales pitch; it’s a hands-on experience. It should provide a full working version of the software, not a limited demo. You should have enough time to test its core functionality, from work orders and work order software to asset tracking and preventive maintenance. 

The key is to think about your team’s most frequent tasks and pain points and then try to replicate them within the software. Can you create and close a work order just as you would on a normal day? Does the mobile app work as seamlessly as you need it to? Answering these questions is the real purpose of a trial.

7 Things a CMMS Software Free Trial Should Show You

These seven things aren’t just features; they’re the core functions that will make or break your team’s efficiency. Put each of them to the test during your trial.

1. Setup Should Take Hours — Not Weeks

You don’t have time for a six-week onboarding plan. A good CMMS trial should let you import assets, invite users and build your first work order in less than an afternoon.

What to check:

• Can you add a piece of equipment, assign a task and close it — without IT support?
• Does the trial give you admin flexibility (roles, permissions) right away?

Red flag: If setup requires a vendor “kickoff call” just to add a user, walk away.

Coast example: Open Sky Zion, a 90-acre luxury glamping resort, faced sprawling Excel files before transitioning Coast. Their guest experience manager, Tomas Feichtinger, implemented Coast at the same time they were building out new processes. The product’s ease of use and degree of customization meant that “implementation was a breeze,” he said.

2. Work Orders Should Be Real, Not Simulated

The foundation of any maintenance operation is the work order. In a free trial, your first task should be to test the entire work order lifecycle. The ultimate test: Can you create a work order for a leaking faucet, snap a picture of it, add a note and assign it to a technician in under a minute? If not, the system is too complicated. 

Every second you save on administrative tasks is time a maintenance technician can spend on a more pressing job. Coast makes this a core part of its design, allowing you to create new work orders instantly, so your team can get to work faster.

What to check:

• Can you create, assign and close work orders with timestamps?
• Can techs attach photos and notes from the field?
• Is the mobile flow as strong as desktop?

Red flag: Limited work order creation, or worse — demo data you can’t customize.

Coast in action: UT Southwestern saw a 600 percent increase in efficiency as a result of Coast’s streamlined work order management system. “Before using Coast, it was a matter of weeks before we would complete a work order,” says Zeb Freeman, assistant director of operations for the university’s Animal Research Center. “Now, in general, we’re completing work orders the same day or within a few days.”

3. Asset Management Should Tell a Story

Your assets are the backbone of your business, and tracking them is a massive pain point for many teams. A CMMS trial should let you create a digital asset profile and link it to your equipment maintenance strategy. Test how the software tracks maintenance history, repair costs and critical documents. 

A key test: Does the software allow you to scan a QR code on a piece of machinery to instantly pull up its entire maintenance history, past repair costs and safety procedures? This is a huge productivity booster that a free trial should demonstrate clearly.

What to check:

• Can you link past and future work orders to the asset?
• Can you attach parts usage and costs?
• Can you group assets by building, location or type?

Red flag: A system that only shows current status but not past history — leaving you blind to recurring issues.

Coast in action: The Solmet Group team (pictured) now completes work orders five times faster as a result of Coast’s asset management features. “Coast increased communication efficiency and the ability to review records,” says Lisa Bosworth, manager of quality and continuous improvement for the manufacturing company. “Now, we actually have a review process that’s more detailed, and we can put our own manuals and photos in the asset records. Transparency increased.”

4. Preventive Maintenance Should Run During the Trial

The whole point of a CMMS is to shift your team from a reactive maintenance approach to a more proactive, data-driven strategy. A good trial should make it easy to schedule preventive maintenance (PM). Can you create a PM for a simple, recurring task, like an HVAC filter change every 90 days?

 Look for automated notifications and alerts. A great CMMS will also allow you to attach checklists to the PM, ensuring every technician follows a consistent procedure. It’s the difference between a technician guessing and a technician following a standard operating procedure.

What to check:

• Can you build recurring PMs by date, meter or condition?
• Do reminders actually fire during the trial period?
• Can you see PM compliance on a dashboard?

Red flag: Preventive maintenance locked behind “premium” tiers.

Coast in action: Save the Chimps, a nonprofit organization that specializes in the care of chimpanzees, completely revamped its preventive maintenance strategy as a result of using Coast. “We’re really starting over and putting together [a maintenance plan] that explains to the board of directors how we got here and, by the way, where we’re headed, so save up because this is what’s coming,” says Mark Yohannan, the nonprofit’s facilities and project manager.

5. Mobile Usability Should Match Field Reality

For maintenance teams, the mobile experience isn’t an option — it’s a necessity. Most work happens in the field, not at a desk. The best CMMS mobile apps feel as easy as a consumer app, and Coast’s mobile-first design is a core reason why teams love it. We’ve heard from our customers that the easy-to-use mobile app makes it simple for everyone on the team to get started. 

Let’s be blunt: Your technicians won’t use clunky software. If it doesn’t work seamlessly on their phones, it won’t work at all.

What to check:

• Can you add notes and photos and update a work order’s status directly from the app?
• How many taps does it take to close a work order?
• Can you scan a QR code and see the asset history instantly?

Red flag: Mobile apps that only let techs “view” work orders but not update them.

Coast in action: “One thing that really made me gravitate toward Coast that I didn’t see in any other software, not even the really expensive ones, was its intuitiveness,” says Coast Customer Matt Butler, facility foreman for the City of Dallas’ facility division. “It reminds me of just a phone. You drag and drop and play with it. It’s very easy for all age groups, and I have all age groups.”

6. Collaboration Should Be Built In

Maintenance is a team sport. If your trial doesn’t show you how technicians, supervisors and managers talk inside the CMMS, it’s not built for real life.

What to check:

• Can you comment, tag and message inside work orders?
• Do notifications cut through the noise?
• Does the trial replace email or WhatsApp chains — or just add another app?

Red flag: Communication that lives outside the CMMS.

Coast in action: Spark Car Wash replaced Slack, texts and calls with Coast. Former VP of Operations Ryan Easter noted, “What Coast does that no one else could promise was offer a one-stop shop. It could even take over Slack because the communication platform is so good.”

7. Customer Support Should Prove Itself

Your experience with support during a free trial is a direct preview of the relationship you’ll have with the vendor. Even the most user-friendly software will eventually have a problem or require a question. Use the trial period to test the vendor’s responsiveness by asking a question about a feature or an integration. The support you receive during your trial will tell you everything you need to know about the long-term partnership.

What to check:

• How fast do they respond to a support ticket?
• Is there a Help Center or other training resources?
• Do they offer more than just a chatbot?

Red flag: Radio silence during trial.

Coast in action: The McCluskey Group, a Tim Hortons franchisee, is one of Coast’s oldest customers, so they worked alongside Coast’s Customer Success team for years. “If I have a question or need, it’s flawless, and they’re so helpful,” says Tara Lee-Hendrycks, The McCluskey Group’s director of operations. “That’s one of the big pieces [about Coast] — the team’s ability to work with their clients. They’re willing to make it exactly what you need.”

How Coast Nails All 7 of These Points

At Coast, we’ve built a platform that addresses each of these seven points head-on. Our software isn’t just a list of features; it’s a comprehensive tool designed to streamline your work and empower your team.

• Setup and customization: We understand that every team is unique, which is why we provide the flexibility to customize workflows and fields to fit your specific needs. This makes initial setup and implementation a breeze.
• Work order management: We make it easy for your team to create, assign and track work orders from anywhere. Every work order is a centralized hub for communication, notes and asset history.
• Asset and inventory management: Our system allows you to easily create digital asset profiles. Our QR code feature makes it simple to pull up an asset’s history in seconds.
• Preventive maintenance: We provide robust PM scheduling and automation, with customizable checklists that ensure every task is done right, every time.
• Mobile app: With a mobile-first design, our app is built for technicians on the go. You can access everything you need and update work orders from the field.
• Communication: We offer a truly all-in-one experience with built-in chat features that keep everyone on the same page.
• Support: Our team is here to help, and our customers rave about our responsive and knowledgeable support staff.

Conclusion: Your CMMS Buying Guide

A free trial isn’t just a test drive — it’s a diagnostic tool. By using these seven points as a guide, you can move beyond simply playing with a new piece of software and truly evaluate its potential to transform your maintenance operations. The CMMS you choose should not only simplify your life but also give you the data and flexibility you need to grow.

Ready to put a CMMS to the test? Sign up for a free Coast account today, and see how our software simplifies maintenance for your team.