MaintainX vs Coast (2026): a CMMS with parts and Assist, or cheaper seats with chat

I ask the same twelve questions on every comparison. For MaintainX I went back to help.getmaintainx.com and the live pricing page. For Coast I went back to help.coastapp.com and the live rate card. 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 MaintainX help: procedure fields, about procedures, about work orders, MaintainX Assist, AI basics, about messaging and the live pricing page, then with Coast help: work orders, field types, sub forms, chat, assets, PMs, Zapier and the live pricing page. I have not lived in a paid MaintainX or Coast account for this write-up. I am telling you what their docs say.

MaintainX sells a CMMS for work orders, assets, parts and preventive maintenance. Coast sells work orders, assets, PMs and chat as maintenance software. They overlap on work orders, assets, chat and proof. They split on purchase orders, Assist and seat price. I built Pilla for a different job: AI acting inside the run.

MaintainX holds work orders, procedures, assets, parts and purchase orders in one place. You prove the work with photos, signatures and timestamps. You schedule calendar and meter-based preventive maintenance. MaintainX Assist, on Enterprise, answers questions from manuals and work history, suggests steps, and drafts procedures and summaries. Autodesk completed the acquisition on 3 August 2026. You still log into MaintainX at getmaintainx.com.

I would keep MaintainX if I needed a CMMS with assets, parts, purchase orders and Assist from one vendor. That stack is a fair reason to stay.

Coast holds work orders, assets, preventive maintenance and parts in one place. You prove the job with photos and signatures. You talk in DMs and group chats on the same workspace. You can turn on scheduling and a time clock from the Workflow Library if you want those. On 16 September 2026 Coast is still Coast App at coastapp.com.

I would keep Coast if I needed work orders, assets and chat, with cheaper seats and an optional time clock. That bundle is a fair reason to stay.

If the job is a CMMS with assets, parts, purchase orders and Assist, keep MaintainX. If the job is work orders, assets and chat with cheaper seats, keep Coast. 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 shift scheduling, payroll, HR, a parts room or sensors. If you need those, keep them on MaintainX, Coast 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 MaintainX if I needed a CMMS with assets, parts, purchase orders and Assist from one vendor. I would keep Coast if I needed work orders, assets and chat, with cheaper seats and an optional time clock. If I wanted the work drawn on a canvas and AI acting inside the run, with MCP, I would use Pilla, and I would keep assets, parts, rotas and punches somewhere else.