Honest MaintainX Review: Is MaintainX a Good CMMS?

MaintainX is a commonly used digital tool for frontline maintenance teams. For organizations still relying on paper, spreadsheets or legacy systems to manage work orders, it presents a more centralized and accessible option. It brings key functions such as work orders, schedules, asset data and team communication all into one platform.

The mobile-first design supports field teams with a user-friendly experience that’s earned it traction in a variety of industries, from manufacturing to hospitality. So, is MaintainX software worth it? We signed up for a free trial, tested it, and here’s what we found.

We combined hands-on testing with extensive research to create this MaintainX review. We used MaintainX’s free trial (no credit card required) to test key features and workflows firsthand. We also carefully analyzed real user experiences from sources like G2, Capterra, Reddit and industry forums.

During our evaluation, we explored the platform’s features, tested its mobile app, examined its customization capabilities and reviewed customer feedback to provide you with an accurate assessment of what MaintainX can and cannot do for your maintenance operations. After thoroughly testing MaintainX and gathering feedback from current users, we’ve identified key strengths and limitations to help with your decision-making process.

Why Trust Coast?

At Coast, we take our software reviews seriously. Our review methodology evaluates software across seven critical categories that help differentiate the solutions from one another. Each category receives a score from one to five, with five being the highest, and a maximum possible score of 35 points.

MaintainX Ease of Use

Even for first-time users without CMMS experience, MaintainX’s logical flow made navigation feel natural, requiring minimal guidance to accomplish basic tasks. It’s easy to get up and running, with clear instructions and visual progress indicators. You can create work orders, assets and locations with just a few clicks. And you can add photos while out in the field with the mobile app.

Our favorite feature is the way it simplifies complex facility management functions without sacrificing capability. Updating work orders is easy, with clear status indicators and comment functionality for real-time updates.

The strong search functionality allows users to filter work orders by status, assignee, location or custom tags, though creating complex search queries requires deeper platform knowledge. Overall, day-to-day operations are user-friendly, and most team members can quickly master basic functions.

MaintainX Mobile Experience

MaintainX offers a full-featured mobile app for iOS and Android devices, which is particularly valuable for maintenance teams that spend most of their time in the field. Our testing confirmed that even staff without prior experience could quickly navigate the app and accomplish basic tasks without training.

It’s a standout feature because it’s easy to use for older, less tech-savvy people who work in maintenance. With large buttons, clear icons and a simplified menu structure, the desktop version keeps a consistent, modern design, making it easy to use.

Updating work orders on the go is remarkably simple — technicians can change the status, add comments and upload photos with just a few taps. We particularly appreciated the logical workflow progression when completing tasks in the field. 

The mobile interface displays most of the essential information found on the desktop; however, larger screens better showcase some advanced reporting features. You’ll get notifications at the top of the screen, with bold icons and optional sound alerts, making it easy to stay on top of everything.

MaintainX Core Features & Functionality

MaintainX delivers several key capabilities essential for effective maintenance management. Here’s our assessment of the platform’s core features:

Work Order Management

Work order tracking uses an intuitive color-coded system for status visibility. During testing, we appreciated the clean interface that shows all relevant information at a glance. Comprehensive filter options allow you to sort by status, priority, location, asset or assignee, making it easy to focus on critical tasks.

When creating a work order, we saw that priority levels are limited to None, Low, Medium and High — there’s no way to customize this to match internal terms like “Urgent.” That said, you can require a signature for completion, which adds a nice layer of accountability. Overdue tasks are clearly flagged with a red date, making them easy to spot in the list view.

Preventive Maintenance

The system guides you through creating preventive maintenance schedules with logical steps, and we set up a daily inspection routine within minutes. Recurring work orders based on time intervals or meter readings are user-friendly, and upcoming tasks are clearly visible on the calendar. The feature proves valuable for optimizing planned maintenance.

We noticed that templates can’t be duplicated, so if you want to reuse a schedule with minor tweaks, you’ll need to recreate it manually. On the plus side, checklists within recurring tasks help ensure consistency, and missed maintenance is flagged on the calendar in red, so it’s easy to stay on top of compliance.

Asset Management & Tracking

We found the asset categorization system particularly helpful. Its intuitive color-coded icons for different maintenance types (i.e.., Damage, Electrical, Inspection) facilitate quick visual identification. Creating assets involves filling out a simple form with options for uploading photos and documents. The hierarchical organization helps manage complex relationships with equipment.

When editing an asset, you can assign specific work order types, locations or even link manuals and inspection reports. You can also attach barcodes to individual assets to pull up detailed information in the field.

Communications Within Work Orders

The persistent navigation sidebar and clear section headers made it easy to find and contribute to ongoing maintenance conversations. Communication options include comments, mentions and photo attachments as well as document uploads for procedural reference.

Each comment thread is tied directly to the work order itself, which helps reduce scattered updates across emails or group chats. We also liked that image attachments open in a preview window without needing to download them, streamlining communication between maintenance technicians and supervisors.

Reporting & Analytics

The reporting section impressed us with its analytical capabilities, offering clean graphs and intuitive filtering options that required no training. Basic reporting is available in the free version, while advanced analytics are only available in higher-tier plans. The visual presentation makes tracking accessible.

Most reports can be exported as CSVs, but customization is limited — fields are fixed, and filters reset each time you revisit the page. We’d like to see more saved views or export templates. Still, real-time updates and asset performance tracking help identify issues before they become chronic.

Unique Features to MaintainX

We tested the Automations interface and found it exceptionally well-designed. It has a clean layout with enabled and disabled tabs as well as a visual workflow builder. The meter reading system automatically triggers work orders based on equipment usage thresholds.

One standout feature: You can create branching automation flows based on specific conditions like asset location or task status. We created a test rule to notify a supervisor anytime an inspection failed. Set up took less than 5 minutes. Automations are available only on paid tiers, but the drag-and-drop interface is surprisingly robust.

MaintainX Adaptability & Customization

MaintainX offers moderate flexibility for adapting the platform to specific organizational needs, with some limitations based on subscription tier. We successfully created a custom purchase order with complete item details, costs and shipping information during our testing. The intuitive form fields made the process straightforward, even for first-time users. 

Work order forms can be customized by adding or removing fields, making them adaptable to specific maintenance scenarios. Users can select from predefined field types or create custom fields with minimal effort.

Although automation features are mostly only available in higher-tier plans, we liked the visual indicators for status while creating custom workflows. The system allows for robust asset categorization, which maintenance teams can tailor to their specific industry requirements. Field renaming aligns terminology with existing organizational nomenclature across the platform. During our testing, we created custom views for different team roles, ensuring that technicians, managers and executives each saw the information most relevant to their responsibilities. 

Despite solid customization options, organizations with highly specialized workflows may find some limitations compared to more adaptable competitors.

MaintainX Customer Support

Enterprise customers can also get phone support, while lower-tier plans rely on live chat and the platform’s extensive help center. Support is quick, with issues usually resolved within hours. The team demonstrated excellent responsiveness during implementation.

Despite the detailed documentation in the MaintainX Help Center, many users prefer direct support. The quality of customer support stands out as a significant differentiator for MaintainX, with positive support experiences often cited as a key factor in customer satisfaction.

Support ratings across feedback platforms are overwhelmingly positive, emphasizing the team’s knowledge and responsiveness when troubleshooting issues or answering questions.

MaintainX Pricing

There are four tiers of MaintainX software: Basic, Essential, Premium and Enterprise. Essential covers basic work order management, while Premium adds preventive maintenance and advanced reporting. Enterprise customers get API integration, SSO and dedicated support.

Compared to UpKeep and Fiix, MaintainX sits in the mid-range of the pricing spectrum. Some users feel the platform could be more affordable, though the efficiency gains, improved organization and enhanced team communication provide substantial value that justifies the investment.

A notable concern is that newer features often require higher-tier subscriptions, limiting access for teams on lower plans. When selecting a subscription level, organizations should carefully evaluate which features are must-haves and which are nice-to-haves.

Coast: The Better MaintainX Alternative

While MaintainX offers solid functionality for maintenance teams, Coast provides a more adaptable platform specifically designed for deskless workers. Coast excels in customization capabilities and mobile-first design, making it particularly suitable for teams that need flexibility in their maintenance management solution.

Ease of Use
Mobile Experience
Core Features & Functionality
Adaptability & Customization
Customer Support
Pricing
Current Reviews

Coast stands out, particularly in its adaptability. It allows maintenance teams to create fully customized workflows that match their existing processes rather than forcing them to adapt to the software. The platform also offers superior mobile functionality, ensuring that on-the-go workers have the same powerful experience in the field as they would at a desk.