The right computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) can make or break a food and beverage operation’s efficiency. When equipment goes down in a dairy processing plant or a meat works, every minute counts – not just in lost production, but in potential food safety compliance issues and spoiled product. Two systems often compared in this space are UpKeep and MainTrak.
UpKeep is a US-built CMMS known for its mobile-first design and quick setup. MainTrak is a New Zealand–developed platform created by engineers; it started life as a desktop-based system first released in 1996, and evolved into a cloud-based platform in 2022. Both can handle the basics of work orders, assets, and preventive maintenance — but they take very different approaches to user experience, priorities, and implementation.
This comparison focuses on what those differences mean in practice, particularly for food and beverage operations in and around New Zealand.
At a glance: key differences
| Category | UpKeep | MainTrak |
|---|---|---|
| Company background | US-based software startup, founded 2014 | NZ engineering firm, since 1996 |
| Pricing model | Per-user, tiered plans starting at US $20 / user/month | Flat per-site licence NZ $4 000 / yr – unlimited users |
| Implementation | Paid onboarding packages (US $500 – $5000) | Onboarding & data upload included |
| Ideal for | Small, mobile-heavy teams needing quick rollout | Multi-role maintenance operations |
#1 Background & experience
UpKeep entered the market in 2014 as one of the first mobile CMMS platforms, aimed at making maintenance management as simple as using a messaging app. It’s now used across many industries worldwide, supported by a large knowledge base and online community.
MainTrak’s story is different: it was built in New Zealand by maintenance engineers, for maintenance engineers; their original desktop product has been used in Australasia since the 1990s. In 2022, they re-engineered the platform into a cloud-based CMMS – keeping the engineering depth while making it easier to deploy and support.
#2 Pricing models & implications
UpKeep charges per user, per month, with four main tiers: Essential (US $20), Premium (US $55), Business Plus and Enterprise (on request). Implementation packages range from US $500 to US $5 000.
MainTrak’s model is simpler: per site, unlimited users. A single site licence costs NZ $4 000 per year, including onboarding and data upload and offers add-ons for the mobile app (NZ $800/year/site, only needed if you want extended maintenance management capabilities on your phone) and QR-code creation (NZ $500/year/site). Multi-site organisations can add extra sites at reduced rates.
At first glance, UpKeep’s entry price looks lower, but the math flips quickly:
- Premium US $55 / user / month ≈ NZ $1 140 / year per person.
- Four users = NZ $4 560 / year – already more than MainTrak’s full site licence.
For feature parity with MainTrak’s base offering, you’d typically need UpKeep’s Professional or Enterprise plan (price on demand), which includes advanced features like work tracking and comprehensive reporting that lower tiers do not include.
#3 Lean mobile-first vs. extensive engineer-built depth
UpKeep is mobile-first, meaning the interface was designed primarily for smartphones and later adapted for desktops. This makes it quick to learn and convenient for maintenance managers who spend the day on the move and need to track and close work orders from their phones.
But a mobile-first design also means the management interface is compact and simplified. Viewing full asset hierarchies, analysing downtime data, or planning maintenance across multiple lines can feel cramped. The desktop version largely mirrors the mobile layout rather than providing an expanded control panel for planners.
MainTrak takes the opposite path. It’s desktop-first, optimised for planning, analysis, and compliance documentation on larger screens. Maintenance managers can open multiple windows, drag across asset trees, and view live purchasing or stock data alongside work schedules. The browser version works best on desktop, laptop, or tablet.
The MainTrak mobile app is available as an add-on and has gotten great reviews; however, most maintenance managers report not needing it, as managing complex asset structures, placing orders, managing reports, and other advanced tasks simply feel lighter when you can sit down for them.
The mobile-first vs desktop-first approach has zero implications for field technicians; both CMMS allow them to easily enter work orders, log updates or add files to existing assets from their phone by scanning a barcode/QR-code.
#4 Onboarding & getting started
UpKeep offers several paid implementation tiers, from basic training (US $500) to advanced onboarding (US $5 000). It also provides self-help resources and community forums. Support hours are aligned with US time zones.
MainTrak includes onboarding and data upload in the licence price. The MainTrak team can import existing spreadsheets and set up the software before you even log in. They offer a data mapping service (price on request) where they come to your site to map all your assets and get things up and running in a matter of days. For organisations that struggle to find time for setup, this done-for-you approach is a major advantage.
#5 Audits, compliance & reporting
Food and beverage manufacturers face some of the toughest compliance requirements of any industry: HACCP, CCP monitoring, sanitation schedules, allergen control, and full traceability during audits.
UpKeep offers ready-made templates and dashboards that help you start documenting compliance quickly. Its AI-driven analytics highlight trends, such as assets generating repeated work orders. These features can be useful for teams standardising processes across multiple facilities.
MainTrak focuses on flexibility and linkage. Work orders can be directly tied to health & safety tasks, regulatory checks, or specific hazards. The audit trail is automatic, and optional Executive Reporting sends monthly or quarterly summaries straight to management. Because the team behind MainTrak has decades of experience with NZ food safety regulations, the system’s defaults already align with local audit expectations.
#6 CMMS capabilities compared (in short)
Both systems cover the CMMS basics — work orders, asset management, preventive maintenance, inventory, and reporting — but the depth and focus differ.
Work order management:
Both CMMS make it easy for technicians to raise and close work orders on the fly. They can attach photos, tick digital checklists, and scan barcodes to access equipment details. It’s fast and intuitive for day-to-day maintenance tasks.
MainTrak adds extra functionality like connecting each work order to assets, purchasing, safety regulations, and compliance records. Schedulers can balance workloads across shifts and teams, and materials can be ordered directly from the work order. This gives managers far greater visibility into how time and costs are allocated.
Asset management:
UpKeep’s asset records are straightforward, showing key details and history for each piece of equipment. For smaller operations, that simplicity is a plus.
MainTrak supports complex parent–child asset hierarchies, where one line might contain dozens of interconnected components. Each asset can have technical notes, meter readings, hazards, cost centres, and performance metrics such as mean time between failures (MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR). The system also links assets to relevant spare parts and suppliers, providing a much richer picture of plant reliability.
Preventive maintenance:
UpKeep supports calendar- and meter-based PMs and integrates with IoT sensors through its Edge platform, so you can automate work orders based on real-time readings.
MainTrak manages scheduling through next-due logic and frequency settings, then feeds actual cost and labour data into rolling budget forecasts. That forecasting ability is valuable when you need to justify maintenance spending to finance.
Inventory and spares:
UpKeep handles parts tracking with barcode scanning and low-stock alerts. It’s easy for technicians to see what’s available.
MainTrak adds more advanced stock control: tracking catalogue items, suppliers, lead times, and reorder points. It can automatically send restock requests to purchasing and gives you live stock-taking data across locations.
Purchasing:
UpKeep offers simple PO creation and QuickBooks integration, good enough for small teams. It also adds purchase order management at Enterprise Plan level (price on request).
MainTrak’s all-in CMMS includes a complete purchasing register with approvals, cost centres, line-by-line receiving, and invoice management. Because it’s native to the platform, maintenance and purchasing stay connected, eliminating manual double entry.
Compliance and reporting:
UpKeep provides built-in templates and dashboards; you can export standard reports or use AI insights to spot trends.
MainTrak allows standard reporting and links compliance checks directly to maintenance tasks, creating seamless audit trails. Its optional Executive Reporting Service allows you to fully customise reports and automate monthly or quarterly summaries.
IoT and predictive capabilities:
UpKeep has a clear advantage for companies already using sensors, thanks to its integrated Edge platform.
MainTrak doesn’t include IoT out of the box but can integrate with external systems if predictive maintenance becomes a focus later on.
Support and local relevance:
UpKeep’s global presence means lots of documentation and a wide community.
MainTrak’s smaller, NZ-based team offers direct support by engineers familiar with industry practices and compliance standards.
In summary
UpKeep
Works for mobile-centric teams that prioritise out-of-the-box IoT integration and are willing to pay per-user costs. It’s clean, simple, and widely supported, but the per-user model makes it expensive to scale and its mobile-first layout can feel restrictive when you need full-screen visibility or detailed analysis.
MainTrak
Best suited for operations with several maintenance staff or multiple roles interacting with the system. It delivers enterprise-level capabilities at a predictable flat rate, with onboarding included and support from engineers who know the industry inside out. Once you reach around 4-5 users, MainTrak generally becomes more cost-effective than UpKeep’s Premium plan while offering far more depth.
| Example cost (annual) | UpKeep Premium | MainTrak |
|---|---|---|
| 4 users | ≈ NZ $4 560 | NZ $4 000 per site (unlimited users + onboarding) |
| 10 users | ≈ NZ $11 400 + implementation | NZ $4 800 (with mobile add-on) |
Decision-making guide / checklist
Your team
- Fewer than 4 users, all mobile? → UpKeep might work if budget is tight.
- More than 4 users or multiple departments? → MainTrak is likely more cost-effective.
Your assets
- Simple equipment list → UpKeep’s flat asset view works fine.
- Complex lines with many components → MainTrak’s hierarchical structure gives needed visibility.
Purchasing
- Already handled in another system? → UpKeep acceptable.
- Want maintenance and purchasing integrated? → MainTrak.
Compliance
- Prefer ready-made templates → UpKeep.
- Need to match existing HACCP / QA processes exactly → MainTrak.
Budget predictability
- Per-user growth expected → MainTrak avoids cost creep.
Support style
- Comfortable with online forums & US-based help → UpKeep.
- Want local engineering support in NZ hours → MainTrak.
Mobile needs
- Most planning, purchasing, management from phone → either CMMS would work, but UpKeep UI is made for this.
- Most management tasks from larger screens → MainTrak fits better.
- (both CMMS allow logging work & capturing additional info from mobile)
Conclusion
Both systems can modernise maintenance management, but they serve different priorities.
UpKeep suits small, highly mobile teams that value simplicity and built-in IoT.
MainTrak is built for growing or complex operations that need deeper functionality, full audit trails, and predictable flat pricing.
For most food and beverage manufacturers where maintenance, QA, and production all need access to the same data, MainTrak’s unlimited-user model, engineering depth, and local support make it the stronger long-term fit.
If MainTrak feels like a good option for your team, watch the demo video here or get in touch with our team to try it for yourself.