Limble vs UpKeep (2026): quoted CMMS with MCP, or priced CMMS with Nova

I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For Limble I went back to their help, product pages and API docs. For UpKeep I went back to their help, product pages and the live pricing page. I read those public docs on 16 September 2026. Where they stay quiet, I stay quiet.

I am Liam Jones. I founded Pilla after more than ten years running hospitality operations, food safety and frontline teams. On 16 September 2026 I sat with Limble's basic and advanced task instruction types, instruction sets, PM templates, comments on tasks, AI-powered PM Builder, anomaly detection, the MCP user setup guide, API keys and the live pricing page, then with UpKeep's checklist templates, conditional logic, required tasks, Nova modes, Nova Workflows, work-order Activity, External Chat, the public API and the live pricing page. I have not lived in a paid Limble or UpKeep account for this write-up. I am telling you what their docs say.

Limble sells a CMMS for work orders, assets, parts and preventive maintenance, and they quote you. UpKeep sells a CMMS for the same job, with public Essential and Premium prices and Nova on the platform. They overlap on work orders, proof and parts. They split on MCP versus Nova, and on 21 CFR and GPS check-in versus Safety, Fleet and sensors. I built Pilla for a different job: AI acting inside the run.

Limble holds work orders, assets, parts and preventive maintenance in one place. You prove the work with photos, signatures and timestamps. Premium+ adds spare parts, purchase orders, signatures, the REST API and MCP. Enterprise adds Maps, GPS check-in, resource-planning AI and 21 CFR records. Practical AI drafts PM templates from manuals, reads nameplates and flags odd meter entries. Hardware and IoT sensors are partner integrations.

I would keep Limble if I needed a CMMS with assets, parts, PMs and a read-only MCP server. That stack is a fair reason to stay.

UpKeep holds work orders, assets, parts and preventive maintenance in one place. You prove the job with photos, signatures and timestamps. Nova chats, speaks and drafts work orders, and in Agent mode it can change CMMS records. You can add Safety, Learn, Edge sensors and Fleet on the same platform. Labour timers and iOS GPS arrival prompts are why some teams stay.

I would keep UpKeep if I needed a CMMS with Nova, and I could add Safety, Fleet and sensors. That stack is a fair reason to stay.

If the job is a quoted CMMS with assets, parts, PMs and MCP, keep Limble. If the job is a priced CMMS with Nova, Safety, Fleet and sensors, keep UpKeep. I built Pilla for a different job. You draw the process on a canvas. The team runs it on a phone, tablet or the web app. Pilla checks the work as it comes in and follows up when something needs you. I did not build a CMMS, shift scheduling, payroll, HR or sensors. If you need those, keep them on Limble, UpKeep or another vendor. You can open Pilla the same day. Starter is £49 a month with 500 processed workflows. Pro is £99 with 1,000, and adds AI automations inside Pilla. Every new account gets a 14-day trial of every Pro feature, with no card. People are unlimited.

I would keep Limble if I needed a CMMS with assets, parts, PMs and a read-only MCP server. I would keep UpKeep if I needed a CMMS with Nova, and I could add Safety, Fleet and sensors. If I wanted the work drawn on a canvas and AI acting inside the run, with DMs and unlimited users, I would use Pilla, and I would keep assets, parts and PMs somewhere else.