Coast vs. UpKeep: A 2026 CMMS Comparison

When it comes to business operations, choosing the right software platform for maintenance needs can significantly impact efficiency, productivity and, ultimately, the bottom line. With so many options available, evaluating different solutions can be daunting. 

As such, let’s delve into a comparative analysis between Coast and UpKeep — two CMMS software that help businesses with their maintenance management needs. While Coast touts robust internal communication features, customization capabilities and excellent task management tools, UpKeep offers easy integrations with third-party applications, especially when it comes to reporting.

After we explore each platform’s features, strengths and unique offerings, you’ll have a clearer understanding of which software aligns best with your company’s specific requirements, ensuring a seamless integration into your workflow and optimizing maintenance management like never before.

Coast vs. UpKeep at a Glance

Coast and UpKeep are similar in quite a few ways. They both cater to companies of all sizes and are mobile-first apps that work on both cellular and desktop devices. They also both offer in-app messaging for enhanced team communication.

So, how exactly do they differ? We’ve broken it down for you:

Asset Tracking	Track all equipment downtime costs over time with the business intelligence dashboard; asset hierarchies may be less flexible than others.	Flexible workflows ensure full asset lifecycle management to get a full picture of your inventory.
Work Order Management	Create, prioritize and measure maintenance work orders all in one place; intuitive work order assignments and tracking, but some fields are preset to the software's internal language.	Assign and prioritize work orders; track work orders on the go; set reminders and notifications; customize work order fields to meet your needs.
Implementation	G2 users report quicker than average implementation time (2.33 months compared to the average 2.83 months).	G2 users report much quicker than average implementation time (1.07 months compared to the average 2.83 months) and give it a score of 99% for ease of setup.
Ease of Use	G2 users give it an 89% usability score, noting that it's slightly above average for ease of admin.	G2 users rate Coast a 92% on the Usability Index, giving it a 98% across three factors: ease of use, ease of admin and meets requirements.
Customization & Scalability	UpKeep's mobile-first design makes it easy for customers, but it's a bit more rigid that Coast in that some of fields are preset and can't be changed.	Coast is known as a highly adaptable software that lets customers adapt workflows to their specific operational needs.

Coast’s Customizable Fields Adapt to Your Maintenance Team’s Needs

Customization is an extremely important aspect of effective preventive maintenance software. With greater customization capability, companies enjoy more efficiency and better organization, with fewer miscommunications and less time spent manually inputting data.

Coast makes it easy to customize fields for work orders, locations, assets and parts. For instance, you can change how you name priority levels — i.e., “ASAP” or “24 Hours” — unlike UpKeep, which offers preset fields. In Coast, you can save all information pertaining to these items in one centralized location in the app and access it from anywhere. The preventive maintenance work order form makes it effortless to schedule recurring work orders, which you can also customize based on the day, week or month that the task needs to be completed. Within work orders, you can also create customized checklists and procedures as well as have the ability to upload photos for fast reference. Dashboards also make scheduling preventive maintenance easy to track.

Another difference between Coast and UpKeep in terms of customization is that Coast allows you to create an automation that sends an email when a task is overdue. You can even set the specific number of days the task is past due. UpKeep doesn’t have a notification setting for overdue work orders.

UpKeep Tracking Allows for Detailed Reporting & Analytics

Though Coast and UpKeep are similar in many ways, UpKeep is especially strong in the area of reporting and analytics. The app allows users to track work orders for easy reporting on asset downtime and technician workflow, providing specific insights. The software’s high-level analytics also assist in communicating maintenance needs with upper management as well as makes the work order process more seamless. Please note, however, that most advanced reporting requires a premium tier subscription.

In addition, UpKeep boasts a robust maintenance scheduling system, ensuring teams efficiently use their time. The app’s Meters feature enables preventive maintenance scheduling based on machine cycles, vehicle mileage and more.

Both Are as Easy as Using a Mobile App

Both Coast and UpKeep are primarily designed for mobile functionality, providing quick access to business details from the convenience of a back pocket. This convenience is especially beneficial for maintenance technicians in the field, since entering and working with work order information is among the things each app does best. Technicians can more efficiently enter data and update progress in real time, without having to worry about reporting back to the correct contacts in person or through email. 

Additionally, UpKeep and Coast allow employees to schedule work and set reminders for tasks that are overdue while on-the-go, making it less likely that important items fall through the cracks. Keep track of the progress of any to-do list by filling checklists out either in or away from the office. 

Coast and UpKeep are both operable on desktop computers; however, users report that they like the user-friendly accessibility from a mobile device.

Both Offer QR Codes for Easy Asset Inventory 

QR code accessibility makes work order submission and sharing that much faster. This is a helpful feature that both Coast and UpKeep offer.

Employees can find a Coast card associated with an asset or part by scanning a QR code. Vendors or repair technicians servicing the company can easily submit work orders using Coast’s External Work Order template, which can be posted as a QR code or through a link on the business’ website. 

Similarly, UpKeep allows users to generate as many QR codes as needed with the app’s QR Code Generator, where serial numbers are pasted into a box to create a corresponding code. This feature allows asset information to be pulled up in seconds, without workers having to manually locate multiple pieces of machinery in the app.

Overall, QR code technology significantly improves the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance activities, reducing costs and improving asset reliability.

Coast vs. UpKeep: Which One Make Sense for You?

Coast and UpKeep are similar platforms that share several features, but companies may find that one better fits their needs over the other. Businesses that prioritize high-level analytics and reporting features may find that UpKeep is a better option for them. Alternatively, businesses that feel strongly about the ability to customize their user experience will prefer Coast. 

Replete with features that include maintenance management, employee scheduling, checklist and digital form creation, team communication, time clock management and task management, Coast is essentially the Swiss Army knife of maintenance and business management software applications. Its customization capabilities ensure a tailored, satisfactory experience for businesses of all sizes.

Learn more about how Coast can work for you.