Maintenance Management
Best Facility Management Software in 2024: Features, Comparison & Best Practices
You walk into your office, ready to tackle the week ahead. But instead of getting productive, you're greeted by chaos. The air conditioning isn't working, there's a leak in the restroom, and the meeting room you booked is already occupied. This scenario is a real-life struggle for many tenants and occupants in a poorly run facility.
In this situation, facility managers are greeted with equal frustration with the flood of tenant complaints. You would have to juggle countless responsibilities—from maintaining equipment to ensuring a comfortable work/livable environment. But as the demands pile up, so does the stress.
With every missed maintenance task or overlooked issue, the risk of disruptions and dissatisfaction among occupants increases.
That's why you need good facility management software—one that can effectively organize tasks, schedule maintenance, and ensure your facility runs smoothly.
In this post, discover the top facility management software available and learn how to choose one for your business.
What is facility management?
Facility management is the planning, coordination, and control of the operations and maintenance of a facility, such as an office building, factory, or school. Its primary goal is to ensure resources are used wisely and the facility stays tip-top.
1. Developing and implementing maintenance plans
2. Managing budgets and resources
3. Identifying the best vendors & forging lasting relationships
4. Tracking and analyzing data to optimize facility operations
5. Managing energy consumption and sustainability efforts
6. Creating a seamless tenant/occupant experience
Top facility management software: a quick comparison
Before crafting this guide, we meticulously examined user reviews for each software. However, we didn't stop there. We deep searched the internet for forum conversations, expert takes, and other reputable publications via video and written content to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each product.
While we might not have had the opportunity to test each software personally, our comprehensive research has allowed us to distill a wealth of insights and compile them into a succinct and informative comparison.
Best facility management software in 2024
- Facilio
- Brightly Asset Essentials
- eFACiLiTY
- QuickFMS
- Hippo CMMS
- AkitaBox
- FMX
- IBM Tririga
- ServiceChannel
- RAM Facilities Management
The reviews below are sourced from GetApp and G2 (unless otherwise indicated).
*The reviews may be edited for clarity.
1. Facilio
Facilio is a user-friendly, cloud-based SaaS CMMS platform with operations across 150 million square feet globally. It integrates all aspects of facility management on one platform, enabling 360-degree views of portfolio-wide operations for multi-site FMs.
Legacy systems were built to be systems of record, so naturally, most operational tasks happen outside the CMMS. This makes it challenging for businesses to realize real value.
In contrast, Facilio offers tools for basic maintenance management within its connected CMMS system. It provides operational visibility for everyone involved. No more siloed data or confusion. You get real-time reports and role-based dashboards, ensuring that every stakeholder has the insights they need to make informed decisions quickly.
With dedicated tenant portals and automated notification features, your facility’s issues can be addressed promptly.
The software's integrated inventory management feature allows you to avoid messy inventory records and shrinkage headaches. Keep track of inventory requests, issue items directly to maintenance activities, and monitor spares and replacements—seamlessly through a maintenance workflow.
Recommended Read: Parts Inventory Management Software for Your Facilities
Facilio also helps you stay on top of your maintenance budgets, track financial transactions, and analyze spending trends—all from one convenient dashboard.
Using Facilio's facility management solution, you can:
- Schedule preventive maintenance
- Maintain task checklists
- Perform asset tracking through barcodes
- Perform property management
- Track notifications
- View floorplans
- Perform workspace management
- Streamline maintenance requests
- Track key metrics
- Configure APIs
Facilio helps you stay on top of all team tasks, regardless of your location. You don’t have to rely on emails and spreadsheets to keep track of information from work orders, assets, and tickets. The platform delivers everything a facilities company needs, such as planned and unplanned maintenance, SLA compliance, contract management, and energy insights.
What users love about Facilio
"Innovative Software for contemplating various features that we only found if we had 2 or 3 different software".
– Fernando M., GetApp review
Rating - 4.0 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐(Based on Capterra reviews )
See why top CRE leaders are betting their future on data-driven O&M, Check out
Ready to upgrade to a modern, connected FM solution?
Talk to a Facilio product expert today!
Get a demo2. Brightly Asset Essentials
Brightly Asset Essential is an asset management platform that helps operation professionals manage facilities, handle maintenance costs, boost productivity, and make better decisions. Its advanced reporting tools give detailed information and analysis to plan and allocate resources strategically. The solution also connects with platforms like Microsoft Excel and ArbiterSports.
Brightly Asset Essentials best features
- Easy to integrate any solution through its APIs
- Review and access work order location data using the mapping system
Brightly Asset Essentials limitations
- Performance issues like delayed notifications
- Entering meter readings is a cumbersome process
Brightly Asset Essentials ratings and reviews
G2: 4.0/5 (211+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Manufacturing, education, and government sectors.
3. eFACiLiTY
eFACiLiTY is a facility management solution that provides a complete perspective on all your facilities' operations by combining space, people, assets, and maintenance in a single solution. This FM software can handle space, assets, and maintenance tasks in a unified manner, serving as a comprehensive solution for facilities of diverse sizes and types.
eFACiLiTY best features
- Connects with various third-party business tools
- Modules function autonomously but can also work together when needed
- Centralized system to track and store staff information for supervisors
eFACiLiTY limitations
- The user interface is not intuitive
eFACiLiTY ratings and reviews
G2: 4.5/5 (15+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Organizations in the IT, management consulting and import-export industries.
4. QuickFMS
QuickFMS is a cloud-based facility management solution that lets you organize, structure, and handle all your business components and across portfolios for efficiency, ROI, and performance.
QuickFMS best features
- Includes modules for occupancy tracking, space allocation, and lease management
- Real-time analytics and reporting capabilities
- Proper escalations of issues within set levels in the helpdesk module
QuickFMS limitations
- Modules are affected by system updates and product changes
- Occasional slowness, especially in loading maps
QuickFMS rating and reviews
Capterra: 4.3/5 (12+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Small to large enterprises and suits companies in IT, education, and financial services.
5. Hippo CMMS
Hippo CMMS is a facility management software that helps organizations manage maintenance tasks, schedules, and assets. It is designed to streamline maintenance processes and improve efficiency to save costs and improve facility performance.
Hippo CMMS best features
- Review, prioritize, delegate, and track work orders
- Automated notifications to the parts clerk when on-hand supplies are low
- Access to calendar-based scheduled preventive maintenance tasks
Hippo CMMS limitations
- Occasionally, priorities do not align with contractual service level agreements
- The menus can be a bit complex to navigate through
Hippo CMMS pricing
- Hippo starter: $35/user/month
- Hippo plus: 55$/user/month
- Hippo pro: $75/user/month
Hippo CMMS rating and reviews
G2: 4.2/5 (234+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Companies in manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, healthcare, hospitality and facilities services sectors.
6. AkitaBox
AkitaBox provides a solution that helps you optimize your facilities in real time. You get access to facility data, conditions, and more in their solution to simplify operations, manage risks, and solve facility issues.
AkitaBox best features
- Convert traditional paper floor plans into dynamic 2D digital maps
- Document import feature for straightforward upload
AkitaBox limitations
- Retrieving old completed work order information is challenging
- Not suitable for managing multiple facilities under one platform
AkitaBox pricing
Pricing is based on the sq. ft. you want to implement. Reach out to the sales team for a custom quote.
AkitaBox rating and reviews
Capterra: 4.7/5 (61+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Companies in retail, educational management, facilities services, healthcare, and food and beverage industries.
7. FMX
FMX is a cloud-based facility management software platform designed to help organizations manage the maintenance and operation of their facilities. It is designed to simplify upkeep operations and boost efficiency.
FMX best features
- Highly customizable with options to configure forms and settings
- Color-coded calendar view identifies what tasks require immediate attention
FMX limitations
- Failed inspections don't automatically generate work orders
- Reporting dashboard lacks easy customization, and it's slow and prone to crashes
FMX pricing
Contact the sales team for a personalized quote.
FMX ratings and reviews
Capterra: 4.7/5 (409+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Facility management of K-12 schools, higher education institutions, consumer services and religious institutions.
8. IBM Tririga
IBM TRIRIGA is a facilities management software that uses IoT and AI to give users better visibility into space and facilities, helping with occupant experience, administration, and more. It also has integrated workplace management system (IWMS) capabilities built in.
IBM TRIRIGA best features
- Lease manager module offers insights into asset values, amortization summaries, and upcoming lease updates
- Manages internal and external project activities, along with budget forecasts and schedules
IBM TRIRIGA limitations
- Unpleasant user interface with occasional slowdowns
IBM TRIRIGA pricing
Pricing plans are available on request.
IBM TRIRIGA ratings and reviews
G2: 3.8/5 (198+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Medium and large organizations in IT, retail, healthcare, banking and real estate industries.
9. ServiceChannel
ServiceChannel provides managers with a solution to handle their facilities across their company. It is a single solution that helps handle repair, management, and maintenance data.
ServiceChannel best features
- Unidirectional handling of work order requests from creation to final invoice
- User-friendly interface makes it accessible for store associates without technical expertise
- Mail reminders are automatically sent out when an ETA is missed or when it's time to invoice
ServiceChannel limitations
- The setup can be challenging for large portfolio companies
- The proposal platform lacks the capability to gather and monitor notes exchanged between the vendor and customer
ServiceChannel rating and reviews
G2: 4.0/5 (77+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Organizations with multiple locations, spanning various sectors such as grocery, convenience stores, banks, and health clubs.
10. MRI Asset4000 (formerly Real Asset Management Facilities)
MRI Asset4000 is a flexible fixed asset accounting solution available on-premises and in the cloud. Designed to modernize facilities and real estate management across industries, the software allows easy management of work orders across devices.
With features to handle key performance indicators (KPIs) and streamline processes, it helps reduce property management costs efficiently.
MRI Asset4000 best features
- Range of customizable reports are available
- The reporting functions are versatile and include the ability to import data from spreadsheets
MRI Asset4000 limitations
- The graphical interface is a bit old with no option to drag and drop items
- Processing reports takes longer than expected
MRI Asset4000 rating and review
Capterra: 4.6/5 (47+ reviews)
Best suitable for
Education, healthcare, and not-for-profit industries.
Reasons to upgrade your facility management software in 2024
Facility management software addresses key problems of facility managers through centralized and automated systems.
The struggles of modern facility management
- Rising costs & operational inefficiencies
Fixing poorly managed facilities requires a lot of money and can go against your budget. Moreover, maintaining equipment beyond its optimal lifespan can lead to decreased performance and operational inefficiencies, impacting the bottom line.
- Reactive maintenance & equipment downtime
Legacy systems often rely on reacting to problems because they lack real-time data and predictive analytics. Without proactive monitoring, issues often go unnoticed until it's too late, costing more in the long run than preventive maintenance would have.
- Communication gaps
When maintenance requests come in through various channels like email, phone calls, and visits, it's easy for communication to get scattered. This causes delays and frustration for facility managers and occupants. A facility management platform streamlines everything by bringing all communication channels together in one place, making it easier to track and respond to requests promptly.
- Growing compliance & sustainability standards
In 2020, a study found that 40% of real estate pros noticed more tenants wanting sustainability, and 47% saw the same trend among investors. This explains why the commercial real estate industry keeps pushing sustainability—it's not only eco-friendly but also profitable. With smart facility management software, you can easily tackle sustainability issues by analyzing risks and planning strategies, making compliance and environmental safety a breeze.
- Inadequate technology infrastructure for vendor management
Many organizations are dependent on legacy facility management systems where managing vendors is a hassle. You have to deal with manual onboarding processes, no real-time compliance checks, and slow approvals. Transitioning to modern FM software like Facilio, you can automate vendor onboarding, approve new vendors swiftly, and manage documentation effectively.
How modern facility management software helps you save time and money
- Improve tenant satisfaction with efficient work order management
Timely resolution of issues and requests is achieved by automated assignment of tasks to appropriate personnel and tracking the status of work orders in real time.
- Improve asset lifespan with proactive maintenance
Extending an asset's lifespan delays costly replacements or repairs. Proactive maintenance also reduces the frequency of reactive maintenance tasks and downtime.
- Improve resource optimization using data-driven decision-making
A modern FM software collects data on facility usage, equipment performance, and maintenance, helping managers spot trends and manage resources better. Tracking inventory data and maintenance schedules ensures timely supply procurement and avoids downtime.
- Improves compliance regulation management with real-time monitoring
For example, in retail sectors, you can stay in the loop with refrigerant regulations using modern FM software. It keeps tabs on EPA requirements and other Clean Air Act standards, ensuring compliance at all times. Plus, it sends alerts when action is needed, so you never miss a beat.
Key features of facility management software
- Work order management
- Asset tracking
- Energy management
- Workplace space management
- Maintenance schedule
- Reporting and analytics
1. Work order management
In one of the conference rooms, a light bulb flickers out. Work order management simplifies the process: swiftly logging maintenance issues, prioritizing by urgency, and assigning tasks to available technicians.
With real-time IoT monitoring, faults are promptly identified, and requests are managed through a tenant portal, ensuring no issue slips through the cracks and all maintenance tasks are promptly addressed.
Related Read: Top 10 Best Work Order Software
2. Asset tracking
Asset tracking gives you visibility over the location of your assets and their maintenance history. Facilio makes it easy with QR codes, storing all the info you need for each asset. This eliminates the hassle of manual tracking, minimizes errors, and provides quick access to detailed asset summaries.
3. Energy management
Energy management involves manually dealing with bills and logging into different provider portals to track usage.
Facilio automates these actions through a remote command center. The platform intelligently captures KPIs by standardizing energy meter data, allowing the O&M team to visualize and adjust reports, so they can take proactive steps to save energy.
Related Read: Energy Management Systems for Commercial Buildings
4. Workplace space management
Space management tools analyze how space is used, helping you spot areas that are underused or not used at all, along with the associated costs.
Facilio's visitor management systems enable you to track visitors or quickly find available workspaces through the platform room booking systems.
5. Maintenance schedule
Facilio's FM software helps by automating schedules for inspections, work orders, condition monitoring, and managing vendors and services. It does this by using real-time data from your assets through IoT sensors.
When Facilio detects equipment operating outside its normal parameters, it raises alarms and takes action automatically. This might include making corrections or scheduling work orders for available technicians.
Related Read: What is scheduled maintenance?
6. Reporting and analytics
Such tools identify areas for improvement and give you pointers on operating your facility at peak efficiency.
How to pick the right facility management software for your business
Many conventional facility maintenance software lack integration between the automation of enterprise operations and O&M applications. This disconnect results in fragmented information flows and inaccessible data throughout the system.
A smarter software solution addresses this issue by consolidating all facets of facility maintenance into a unified platform. This improves efficiency, decision-making, and operational streamlining.
Some modern softwares like Facilio also go a step further to enhance operations and maintenance by harnessing advanced technologies like IoT, AI/ML, and cloud computing. This enables real-time insights and predictive maintenance capabilities.
To future-proof your facility management strategy, it's crucial to select a software solution that not only keeps up with current maintenance demands but also dynamically adapts to market and technological changes.
So, how do you do that? Well, it starts by asking the right questions first:
- What are our future facility management goals, and how can software support them?
- What features and capabilities should the software offer to meet our evolving needs?
- How can we leverage software integration to streamline operations and data management?
- How does the software facilitate continuous improvement and innovation in facility management practices?
- What support and training options are available to ensure successful implementation and ongoing optimization?
- Can the software facilitate better collaboration and communication between internal teams, external vendors, and stakeholders?
- Can the software facilitate the implementation of smart building technologies to enhance occupant comfort and productivity?
- Can the software integrate with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems or other business-critical applications to facilitate seamless data exchange and workflow integration?
Facilio is a great example of a future-proof software solution that bridges the gap between disparate systems and allows you to focus less on the workflow engine and more on actual facility maintenance.
Their input can be valuable in ensuring that the software meets the organization's needs as a whole.
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Book a demoFAQs
Facility management vs. facility maintenance
Facility maintenance and facility management are related, but they are different.
Facility maintenance refers to the tasks and processes that are necessary to keep a facility in good condition and functioning properly. This includes tasks such as repairing equipment, replacing light bulbs, and cleaning.
On the other hand, facility management is a broader term that encompasses the planning, coordination, and control of the operations and maintenance of a facility. It involves strategic decision-making and the use of resources to ensure that a facility is being used effectively and efficiently.
?In short, facility maintenance is a specific set of tasks that are necessary to keep a facility functioning properly, while facility management is a broader concept that involves the overall management of a facility.
What is facility management software?
Facilities management software is used to track and schedule tasks, manage inventory and procurement, optimize energy consumption, and perform other tasks related to facility management.
Facility management software can be customized to meet the specific needs of an organization.
Who uses facility management software?
The stakeholders of facility management software include:
- Facility managers: Facility managers are responsible for the maintenance and operation of buildings and facilities. They are the primary users of facility management software and rely on it to help them manage tasks and optimize facility operations.
- Building owners: Building owners, such as landlords or property management companies, have a vested interest in the maintenance and operation of their buildings. They can use facility management software to track maintenance, energy consumption, and other aspects of building operations.
- Employees: Employees who work in facilities that use facility management software are stakeholders if the software impacts their work environment or processes. For example, employees can be affected by maintenance schedules or changes to building systems that are managed through the software.
- Customers: Customers of businesses that use facility management software are stakeholders if the software impacts their experience in some way. For example, if the software is used to manage customer service requests or reservations, customers can be affected by the efficiency of the software.
- Vendors: Vendors who provide services or supplies to facilities that use facility management software are stakeholders if the software impacts their work processes or payments. For example, vendors use the software to track orders or invoices.
- Regulators: Government regulators are stakeholders in facility management software if the software is used to track compliance with regulations, such as energy efficiency standards or building codes.
Benefits of facility management software
Facility management software offers numerous benefits to organizations that use it, including:
- Improved efficiency: Facility management software helps organizations streamline tasks and processes, reducing the time and effort required to manage facilities. This can lead to improved efficiency and productivity.
- Better asset management: It helps organizations track and manage their assets, including equipment, inventory, and space. This helps ensure that assets are used efficiently and effectively.
- Increased cost savings: The solution helps organizations reduce costs by optimizing energy consumption, minimizing equipment downtime, and automating tasks.
- Improved communication: It helps facilitate communication between different departments and stakeholders, making it easier to coordinate tasks and share information.
- Enhanced decision-making: The solution provides real-time data and analytics, helping organizations make informed decisions about facility operations and maintenance.
- Improved customer satisfaction: Organizations improve customer satisfaction and retention by using facility management software to track and respond to customer requests and feedback.
- Enhanced compliance: Facility management software helps organizations track and maintain compliance with regulations, such as energy efficiency standards and building codes.
Overall, facility management software helps organizations manage their facilities and resources better, improving efficiency and cost savings.
If you're looking for an FM software that is robust, flexible, and scalable, Facilio is the perfect match for you!Get in touch with our product experts today and learn how Facilio's Connected CMMS can unlock untold efficiencies for your facilities!
