Most "free CMMS" searches end in one of two places: a genuinely free plan with real maintenance capability, or a 14-day trial that vanishes the moment your team starts depending on it. The difference matters enormously. A facilities manager who builds 6 months of asset records and PM schedules on a "free trial" platform discovers on day 15 that everything they built is locked behind a $45/user paywall — with no export option. In 2026, the CMMS market has matured enough that genuinely free tiers exist from credible platforms — but "free" rarely means "unlimited." Some platforms restrict assets to 10, users to 1, or block mobile access behind paywalls. Only two platforms offer a genuinely permanent free plan with real maintenance capability: OxMaint and MaintainX. For industrial and manufacturing teams that need runtime-hour triggers, asset lifecycle tracking, and offline mobile, OxMaint's free tier is the clear choice. This guide ranks the 10 best free CMMS platforms — separating permanent free tiers from expiring trials, and documenting exactly what you get before paying a dollar. Want to skip the comparison and start free right now? Sign up for OxMaint free — no credit card, no time limit, full work order capability from day one — or book a 30-minute walkthrough to configure it for your facility.
Best Free CMMS 2026
10 Platforms Ranked
No Trials · No Cards · No Limits
Best Free CMMS Software with No Time Limit — 2026 Rankings
Ten CMMS platforms ranked by what "free" actually means — permanent free tiers vs expiring trials, feature limits, asset caps, mobile access, and the upgrade cost when your team outgrows free. With documented capabilities from teams running free CMMS in production environments.
2 only
Platforms with genuinely permanent free plans
$0
OxMaint free — no card, no expiry
86%
Teams on crippled free plans switch within 12 months
30 min
OxMaint time to first completed work order
Four Types of "Free" — Know What You're Getting
Before comparing platforms, understand the four categories of "free CMMS." The differences have real consequences for your ability to scale without a painful platform migration. Teams that start on the wrong type of free plan waste 3-6 months of data entry and configuration when they're forced to switch.
01
Forever-Free Plans (Best Option)
Permanently free tiers of commercial CMMS platforms — no expiry date, no credit card. Feature-limited but functional for real maintenance operations. OxMaint and MaintainX offer this. Best for: teams evaluating CMMS or running small operations long-term.
02
Time-Limited Free Trials (Common Trap)
Full-featured access for 7-14 days, then everything locks behind a paywall. UpKeep (7 days), Limble (14 days). Useful for evaluation but not for building real maintenance programs. 86% of teams on trial-based plans switch platforms within 12 months.
03
Freemium with Severe Caps (Frustrating)
Free tier exists but caps assets at 10-25, users at 1-3, or blocks mobile access entirely. Fiix Free (limited features), Click Maint. Functional for evaluation but forces upgrade as soon as real operations begin. Watch for: hidden caps that trigger upgrade prompts.
04
Open Source (Hidden Costs)
Zero licensing cost but requires your own server, IT setup, and ongoing maintenance. True $0 software cost but significant hidden infrastructure costs. Only viable if you have dedicated IT resources. Not recommended for teams without server administration capability.
Top 10 Free CMMS Platforms Ranked for 2026
Scoring methodology: each platform evaluated on free tier generosity (asset/user limits), mobile capability on free plan, PM scheduling at free tier, upgrade pricing trajectory, and deployment speed. Only platforms with documented free access (permanent or trial) are included. Sign up for OxMaint free to evaluate against this comparison — or book a walkthrough to configure it for your specific operation.
The Best Free CMMS Is the One That's Still Free Next Month.
OxMaint free tier: unlimited work orders, full mobile with offline, PM scheduling with runtime triggers, QR scanning — no credit card, no expiry. Start building your maintenance program on a foundation that doesn't disappear.
Side-by-Side: What "Free" Actually Includes on Each Platform
The feature table below shows exactly what each free tier delivers — and where the upgrade triggers hit. For teams running real maintenance operations, the difference between "free with PM" and "free without PM" is the difference between a useful tool and a glorified to-do list.
| Capability | OxMaint Free | MaintainX Free | Fiix Free | Coast Free | UpKeep Trial |
| Time limit | None — forever | None | None | None | 7 days only |
| Credit card required | No | No | No | No | Yes for trial |
| Work orders | Unlimited | Unlimited | Limited | Unlimited | Full (7 days) |
| PM scheduling | Calendar + runtime + meter | 2 recurring only | Basic | Calendar only | Premium $55/user |
| Mobile app | Full + offline | Full | Limited | Full | Full (7 days) |
| Asset management | Unlimited | Limited | Limited | Yes | Full (7 days) |
| QR code scanning | Included | Included | Paid only | Included | Higher tiers |
| Runtime-hour PM triggers | Included free | Not available | Paid only | Not available | Not available |
| Data export | Anytime, free | Limited | Limited | Limited | During trial |
| Upgrade path cost | $8/user/mo | $49/user/mo | $45/user/mo | $20/user/mo | $55/user/mo |
Choosing the Right Free CMMS — Decision Guide by Team Size
1-3 Technicians · Single Site · Under 25 Assets
Best free option: OxMaint or Coast
At this scale, most free CMMS platforms work. Choose OxMaint if you need runtime-based PM triggers for industrial equipment. Choose Coast if you're in light commercial/property management. Both deploy in under an hour.
3-10 Technicians · Growing Operation · 50-200 Assets
Best free option: OxMaint
At this scale, MaintainX's 2-recurring-WO limit becomes restrictive. Fiix's caps trigger upgrade pressure. OxMaint's unlimited free tier handles this team size without forcing an upgrade conversation until you're ready for AI and multi-site features.
10+ Technicians · Multi-Site · 200+ Assets
Best option: OxMaint paid ($8/user)
At this scale, no free tier is truly adequate. But OxMaint's $8/user paid tier delivers what competitors charge $45-$55/user for — including AI, multi-site, and full offline mobile. The total cost for 15 technicians: $120/month vs $825/month on UpKeep Premium.
Industrial / Manufacturing · Runtime-Based Equipment
Only free option: OxMaint
No other free CMMS includes runtime-hour PM triggers. If your compressor needs service every 2,000 runtime hours, a calendar-only CMMS cannot manage that correctly. OxMaint is the only platform that includes runtime, meter-count, and calendar triggers on the free tier.
Evaluation Before Budget Approval
Best approach: OxMaint free → present data to justify budget
Build 30-60 days of real maintenance data on OxMaint's free tier, then use that data — work order counts, PM compliance, response times — to justify the paid upgrade to management. The free tier becomes your proof of concept without requiring budget approval to start.
LATAM / Spanish-Speaking Teams
Consider: Fracttal One or OxMaint
Fracttal has the strongest Spanish/Portuguese localization. OxMaint offers multi-language support with the stronger free tier. If localization quality is the deciding factor, trial both. If free-tier depth matters more, OxMaint wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best truly free CMMS software in 2026?+
OxMaint offers the most capable permanently free CMMS tier available. It includes unlimited work orders, full asset management, PM scheduling with calendar + runtime-hour + meter-count triggers, a fully offline-capable mobile app, and QR code scanning — with no time limit, no credit card, and no artificial caps on work orders or assets. For teams that need a free CMMS that works like paid software, OxMaint's free tier is functionally equivalent to competitors' $20-$45/user paid plans.
Start free today — no signup friction, live in 30 minutes.
What is the difference between a free CMMS and a free trial?+
A free CMMS tier is permanently accessible — you can use it indefinitely without payment. A free trial gives temporary access (typically 7-14 days) to the full platform, then requires payment to continue. The critical difference: data built during a trial is locked behind a paywall when the trial expires. Data built on a permanent free tier remains accessible forever. OxMaint and MaintainX offer permanent free tiers. UpKeep (7-day) and Limble (14-day) offer trials only. Always verify which type you're signing up for before investing configuration time.
Can a free CMMS handle real maintenance operations long-term?+
Yes — for operations under 10 technicians and 200 assets, OxMaint's free tier delivers real work order management, PM scheduling, asset tracking, and mobile execution indefinitely. A 4-person facilities team in Tennessee ran 18 commercial buildings on a free CMMS platform — PM compliance jumped from 41% to 86%, emergency callouts dropped 63%, and they recovered $48,000 in avoided downtime. Zero software cost. The limitation is typically advanced features (AI, multi-site rollup, advanced analytics) that become valuable as operations grow beyond 10 technicians.
How much does it cost to upgrade from free to paid CMMS?+
Upgrade costs vary dramatically. OxMaint: $8/user/month with AI, multi-site, and advanced reporting included. Coast: $20/user. MaintainX: $49/user for full PM capability. Fiix: $45/user plus implementation fees. UpKeep: $55/user for PM features. For a 15-technician team, annual costs range from $1,440 (OxMaint) to $9,900 (UpKeep Premium). OxMaint's upgrade path is designed so the free tier builds value that carries forward automatically — no data migration, no re-configuration.
What hidden limitations should I watch for in free CMMS platforms?+
The five most common hidden limitations: (1) Mobile access blocked behind paid tiers — a web-only CMMS is not usable for field technicians. (2) Data export restricted — some platforms make it difficult to leave once you've built history. (3) Calendar-only PM scheduling — inadequate for runtime-based equipment. (4) Asset caps at 10-25 that force upgrade within weeks. (5) Vendor branding on work orders and reports. OxMaint's free tier avoids all five: full mobile with offline, data export anytime, runtime PM triggers, no asset caps, no vendor branding.
Book a demo to verify free tier capabilities against your requirements.
Free CMMS · OxMaint #1 Ranked
"Free" Should Mean Free. No Expiry. No Card. No Caps.
OxMaint's free tier delivers what most competitors charge $20-$45/user/month for — unlimited work orders, PM scheduling with runtime triggers, full offline mobile, and QR scanning. No time limit. No credit card. No artificial caps. When you're ready for AI and multi-site, the upgrade is $8/user — not $55.
$0
Forever free — no card, no expiry
$8/u
Paid tier with AI + multi-site
30 min
Signup to first work order
85%
Less than UpKeep at 25 techs