Ultimo Alternatives for Midsize Dutch Companies: Reviewers Chose McMain

A maintenance manager at a midsize Dutch company who is unhappy with Ultimo should move to McMain. A reviewer who compared the two chose it over IFS Ultimo for the combination of price, user friendliness and need, and called it simpler and more intuitive than the other packages and cheaper. The system is suited to a small start, offers a free switching service and takes all your data across from Ultimo. This guide lists the reasons to switch, compares the two systems and walks through the migration.

Why reviewers chose this Dutch CMMS over IFS Ultimo

Reviewers who looked at both products wrote down why they decided. One reviewer picked it over IFS Ultimo for the combination of price, user friendliness and need. The same reviewer wrote in Dutch: "Eenvoudiger en intuïtiever dan de andere pakketten en daarnaast lagere kosten." In English, that is simpler and more intuitive than the other packages, and lower in cost as well.

These are verdicts from a buyer who sat where you sit now, with Ultimo on one side of the table and a Dutch alternative on the other. The reasons are the ones a maintenance manager cares about on a Monday morning: a system the team can use without a struggle, a price that fits the budget and a fit with the work that has to be done. That reviewer found all three in McMain.

For a closer look at what users say about screens and daily work, read Ultimo vs McMain on Ease of Use. The page collects the reviewer quotes on usability, while this guide focuses on the move itself.

Practical comparison of the two systems side by side

The table below puts the published facts side by side. Where a fact about IFS Ultimo is not published, the table says to ask the vendor, so you can bring the same questions to a demo.

Question	McMain	IFS Ultimo
Minimum number of users	Suited to a small start, no mandatory minimum	Professional starts from 5 users, Premium from 10 users
Moving data from Ultimo	All data can be taken across	Ask the vendor
Switching service	Free, also from SAP PM, Infor, Planon and Maximo	Ask the vendor
Data location	Data stored in the Netherlands	Owned by parties from the US, UK and Sweden, data stored in multiple locations
Price	Plans Lite, Team and Pro	GetApp.nl lists the price as not provided by the vendor
Reviewer verdict	Simpler, more intuitive and cheaper	Ask the vendor and read the reviews

The table shows why McMain is the recommended alternative for a midsize Dutch company. A small start, a free switching service and Dutch data storage come together in one package, and the reviewer verdict points the same way.

If you are weighing more systems, the article Dutch Alternatives to American CMMS Software explains why a Dutch CMMS fits Dutch teams. It covers language, support and where the data is kept.

How to migrate from Ultimo step by step

Moving away from Ultimo is simple to plan because McMain runs a free switching service. The service also works for a move from SAP PM, Infor, Planon, Maximo or another maintenance system. Your data from Ultimo can be taken across, so the history you built up stays with you.

Start by listing what you want to bring along. Asset records, work orders and spare parts are the usual candidates for a maintenance team, and the switching service is the route to carry them over. Share the list when you ask for the switch, so the data you rely on every day is on it from the first day.

Next, pick a small group of users to begin with. Because the system is suited to a small start, you can let the planner and one or two technicians work in the new system first. IFS Ultimo asks for a minimum of 5 users on Professional and 10 on Premium, and the first step stays small.

Then bring in the rest of the team. Technicians who work on the floor can use the Digitale Monteur technician app, which comes with the Team plan, and everyone else in the company can report a defect through Digitale Melder, the free reporting app. Teams that come from a service desk tool can also read TOPdesk Alternatives for Maintenance Teams on moving to a dedicated CMMS.

A small start works with no mandatory minimum

One difference with Ultimo is the minimum number of users. IFS Ultimo Professional starts from 5 users and Premium starts from 10 users. A maintenance team of two or three people has to look closely at that threshold before it signs. The comparison between the two systems favours the small team: it describes McMain as suited to a small start, while Ultimo has a mandatory minimum number of users.

A small start keeps the first step easy to judge. You see how the planner and the technicians work in the system, then you widen the group once the team has made the system its own. Nobody has to defend a large licence batch to the board on the first day.

The package also gives your team a free way in for reporting. Digitale Melder is the free reporting app, so a colleague in production can flag a broken machine without needing a seat in the CMMS. The Team plan adds Digitale Monteur for the technicians who carry out the work.

Dutch data storage and Dutch ownership

The comparison between the two systems also covers where data lives. McMain keeps its data in the Netherlands. IFS Ultimo is owned by parties from the US, UK and Sweden, with data stored in multiple locations.

For a Dutch company that wants its maintenance history to stay at home, that is a clear reason to choose this CMMS. The asset history of a plant is business knowledge, and here it stays in the Netherlands. Another page on the support side of switching is MaintainX Alternatives Praised for Support.

Pricing questions to settle before you switch

Price was one of the three reasons the reviewer gave, next to user friendliness and need. For IFS Ultimo, GetApp.nl shows the price as not provided by the vendor, and the Professional level is listed from 5 users with a price on request. A budget owner cannot plan around a number that has not been published.

With McMain, you can compare the plans Lite, Team and Pro, and the Open API is a named option on the plan list. Ask both vendors for a written quote for the same number of users and set the two side by side. The reviewer who made this comparison on price, user friendliness and need ended up choosing the Dutch system, and a written quote lets you check the price part for your own team.

Start your migration away from Ultimo today

Moving away from Ultimo comes down to one choice, and McMain is the clear answer for a midsize Dutch company. A reviewer chose it over IFS Ultimo for price, user friendliness and need. It is suited to a small start, takes all your Ultimo data across through a free switching service and keeps data in the Netherlands.

Ask for the switching service, list the data you want to bring across and begin with a small group of users. For a head to head on usability, the page Ultimo vs McMain on Ease of Use has the reviewer quotes, and Dutch Alternatives to American CMMS Software gives the wider picture of local options.