Why teams switch
Why teams are leaving SAP PM
SAP PM is built for massive enterprises with dedicated IT teams and deep pockets. For everyone else, these pain points are deal-breakers. AssetLab delivers enterprise-grade asset management without the enterprise price tag, timeline, or complexity.
How AssetLab solves these problems
Deploy in Weeks, Not Months
A small asset base can be running within hours, and larger imports take a few weeks with assisted onboarding. No consultants, no lengthy requirements phases. Configure as you go.
Published CAD Pricing
AssetLab CMMS at $45 and AssetLab 360 at $65 CAD per user per month, published - no annual maintenance surcharges, no consultant dependency. Predictable costs from day one.
Modern, Intuitive Interface
Built for maintenance teams, not SAP consultants. Clean, modern UI that technicians actually want to use. High adoption rates mean better data quality and faster ROI.
Configure It Yourself
Set up PM schedules, inspection forms and custom fields, assign each person one of four roles, and build reports (AssetLab 360) without external consultants. Your team controls the platform - not a consulting firm.
FCI Tracking & Capital Planning
Track Facility Condition Index across your entire portfolio. Forecast replacement costs over 20+ years and build defensible capital plans backed by real asset data.
Canadian-Owned, PIPEDA-Aligned
AssetLab is Canadian-owned and headquartered in Vancouver, follows PIPEDA-aligned privacy practices, prices in CAD and contracts under Canadian law. The Trust Center names where data is hosted and every service that processes it outside Canada.
Where SAP PM falls short
Prohibitive Implementation Cost
SAP PM implementations typically cost $500K to $2M+ for licensing, configuration, and deployment. Add 22% annual maintenance fees and ongoing consultant costs, and total cost of ownership quickly becomes unsustainable for mid-market organizations.
6-18 Month Implementations
SAP PM deployments are measured in quarters, not weeks. Between requirements gathering, customization, testing, and training, organizations wait 6-18 months before seeing value from their investment.
Requires SAP Consultants
Configuration, customization, and ongoing changes require specialized SAP consultants billing $200-400/hour. Internal teams cannot easily modify workflows, reports, or business rules without external help.
Overly Complex UX
SAP PM was designed for enterprise process engineers, not maintenance technicians. The interface is dense, unintuitive, and creates adoption barriers. Frontline workers often resist using it, undermining the investment.
Outdated Interface
Despite SAP Fiori modernization efforts, many SAP PM screens still reflect the legacy GUI paradigm. The user experience lags behind modern cloud CMMS platforms by a generation.
Vendor Lock-In
Once embedded in the SAP ecosystem, switching costs are enormous. Data extraction is complex, integrations are proprietary, and organizations feel trapped - even when the platform no longer serves their needs.
Feature by feature
Feature comparison
8
In both
7
Only in AssetLab
3
With caveats in SAP PM
0
Only in SAP PM
Both platforms cover
- Work Order Management
- Preventive Maintenance
- Asset Management
- Parts & Inventory
- Multi-site Management
- Reporting & Analytics
- Vendor Management
- Contract Management
Where they differ
| Feature | AssetLab | SAP PM |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic Capital Planning | 360 & Enterprise plans | Not available |
| FCI Tracking & Forecasting | 360 & Enterprise plans | Not available |
| Risk Assessment (LoF x CoF) | 360 & Enterprise plans | Not available |
| 20+ Year Replacement Forecasting | 360 & Enterprise plans | Not available |
| Uniformat Classification | Included | Not available |
| Self-Service Configuration | Included | Not available |
| Setup Without Consultants | Included | Not available |
| QR Code Scanning | Included | Add-on |
| PIPEDA Aligned | Included | Varies |
| Mobile App | iOS & Android | SAP Fiori |
| ERP Integration | Custom, via REST API (Enterprise or add-on) | Included |
| Custom Report Builder | 360 & Enterprise plans | Requires consultant |
| Project Management | Enterprise plan or add-on | Via PS module |
| REST API & MCP | Enterprise plan or add-on | BAPI/RFC |
Pricing
Pricing comparison
AssetLab pricing
- Per User
- From $45 CAD/user/month
- Free Trial
- Yes - no credit card
- Plans
- Simple published tiers
All prices in CAD and published; any migration services are quoted up front.
SAP PM pricing
- Implementation
- $500K - $2M+
- Annual Maintenance
- 22% of license cost
- Consultants
- $200 - $400/hour
- Timeline
- 6 - 18 months
Costs vary by deployment size. Excludes training, change management, and ongoing customization.
AssetLab differentiators
AssetLab differentiators
Advantages AssetLab has over SAP PM:
Weeks, Not Quarters
Go live in weeks, not quarters: hours for a small asset base, a few weeks for larger imports. No lengthy requirements phases, no consultant dependency, no infrastructure provisioning.
FCI Tracking & Forecasting
Calculate and track Facility Condition Index across your portfolio. Forecast replacement costs over 20+ years. Build defensible capital budgets backed by asset data - a capability SAP PM does not offer natively.
Modern Interface, High Adoption
Built for maintenance teams, not ERP consultants. Clean, intuitive UI that frontline workers actually want to use. Higher adoption means better data and faster ROI.
Canadian-Owned, PIPEDA-Aligned
AssetLab is Canadian-owned and headquartered in Vancouver, follows PIPEDA-aligned privacy practices, prices in CAD and contracts under Canadian law. The Trust Center names where data is hosted and every service that processes it outside Canada.
Zero Consultant Dependency
Set up PM schedules and forms, assign roles, and build reports (AssetLab 360) yourself. No $200-400/hour consultants needed for routine changes.
Risk Assessment (LoF x CoF)
Score assets using Likelihood of Failure x Consequence of Failure matrix. Multi-dimensional impact assessment for objective capital investment prioritization.
Fit
Who is AssetLab best for?
- Mid-market organizations that need enterprise-grade capabilities without SAP-scale costs
- Teams that want to deploy in weeks instead of waiting 6-18 months for value
- Organizations tired of paying $200-400/hour for consultants to make basic changes
- Facilities teams that need FCI tracking and 20-year capital replacement forecasting
- Canadian public sector, healthcare, and education requiring PIPEDA-aligned privacy practices
- Maintenance teams that need a modern interface frontline workers will actually adopt
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can AssetLab really replace SAP PM?
For mid-market organizations, yes. AssetLab provides comprehensive work order management, preventive maintenance, asset lifecycle tracking, and goes beyond SAP PM with built-in FCI tracking and capital planning. However, organizations deeply embedded in the SAP ecosystem for finance, HR, and procurement may still need SAP integration - which AssetLab supports via REST API.
How long does migration from SAP PM take?
A small asset base can be running on AssetLab within hours; larger data migrations, configuration and team onboarding take a few weeks with guided onboarding. Compare this to 6-18 months for a typical SAP PM implementation or major upgrade.
How does AssetLab pricing compare to SAP PM?
AssetLab CMMS is $45 and AssetLab 360 is $65 CAD per user per month, published. SAP PM typically requires $500K-$2M+ for licensing and implementation, plus 22% annual maintenance fees and ongoing consulting costs at $200-400/hour.
Do we need IT infrastructure for AssetLab?
No. AssetLab is 100% cloud-native. No servers to maintain, no software to install, no patches to apply. This eliminates the infrastructure overhead that comes with on-premise or hybrid SAP deployments.
Next step
Ready to switch to AssetLab?
Start a free trial and see why organizations choose AssetLab over SAP PM for modern asset management, faster deployment, and predictable pricing.
No credit card required
AssetLab wrote this comparison, so read it knowing who it comes from. Competitor details are taken from each vendor's public website and documentation and can change without notice. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
