Free CMMS + OEE Software: the Loss and the Work Order in One Tool
Log a shift, see your OEE and downtime Pareto, and raise the work order against the biggest loss, all in the same free tool.
The short answer
- One log, two outputs: a single 2-minute shift entry gives you OEE, availability, performance, quality and a downtime Pareto, plus a work order you can raise straight off that Pareto.
- Genuinely free, no account: the free OEE tracker runs in your browser with a work order board, PM schedule and asset register built in.
- Honest limit: it is manual entry, manual cause-finding and manual work orders on one plant, one device, with no PLC/MES/ERP connection.
- Upgrade path: when a plant runs multiple lines or sites and needs automatic capture and a closed loss-to-fix loop, that is what Fabrico is built for.
Most plants run OEE tracking and maintenance work orders as two separate habits: a spreadsheet or app for the OEE math, and a whiteboard or a different app for the work order queue. Nobody links the two, so the loss you just measured and the fix you need to schedule live in different places, and things fall through the gap.
The free OEE tracker at OEE Lab puts both in one place. Log a shift in about 2 minutes, get your OEE, availability, performance, quality and a downtime Pareto instantly, then open a work order straight off the Pareto and drop it onto the same board as your preventive-maintenance schedule and asset register. No account needed, your data stays in your browser.
It is genuinely free and it is the fastest honest way to start. If you want to know exactly where it stops, and what changes once a plant runs this on real PLC data across more than one line, see the comparison below and read how to choose OEE and CMMS software.
What you get, free
One shift log, two outputs
Log a shift in about 2 minutes and get instant OEE, availability, performance and quality broken out, plus a downtime Pareto ranking your biggest losses, all from the same entry.
Work order board built in
See a loss on the Pareto, open a work order against it right there, no switching tools, no re-typing the downtime reason into a separate CMMS.
Preventive maintenance schedule
Set PM tasks against your asset register so planned maintenance and reactive work orders live on the same board instead of two disconnected systems.
Asset register
Track the machines and lines behind your OEE numbers so downtime, work orders and PM tasks all point back to a real asset, not a loose spreadsheet row.
World-class 85% benchmark and shareable scorecard
Every shift is compared against the world-class 85% OEE benchmark, and you can share a scorecard with your team or your boss with one link.
People, roles, export, installable PWA
Local sign-in for more than one person on the device with basic roles, CSV/JSON export whenever you want your data elsewhere, and it installs as a PWA for shop-floor use, no account required.
Log one shift and the free tracker shows your OEE, your loss Pareto and how you compare to world-class. Add work orders and preventive-maintenance reminders in the same place.
Where free stops, and Fabrico begins
The free tracker is built for getting started fast and for one plant on one device. When a site gets serious about its losses, the manual steps start to cost more than they save. This is exactly where Fabrico takes over.
| Capability | Free OEE Lab tracker | Fabrico |
|---|---|---|
| Data capture | Log each shift by hand in about 2 minutes, data stays in your browser. | Reads OEE automatically off your PLCs, no manual entry. |
| Micro-stop cause | You investigate sub-5-minute stops yourself and note the reason. | Computer vision identifies the true cause of each micro-stop, with video evidence. |
| Loss-to-fix loop | You spot the loss on the Pareto, then raise the work order yourself on the board. | A detected loss becomes an auto-routed work order, assigned automatically. |
| Scope and multi-site | One plant on one device and browser, best for a single line or shift. | Plant-wide and multi-site from one central cloud view. |
| Integrations | Standalone, run it on its own, export data when you need it elsewhere. | Integrates with PLCs, MES, and ERP so OEE flows with your stack. |
| Access and roles | Local device sign-in with people and roles on that one device. | Org SSO with roles across the plant and a full audit trail. |
| Reporting | Instant OEE, availability, performance, quality, a downtime Pareto, and CSV/JSON export you run yourself. | Live plant-wide dashboards plus scheduled reports delivered automatically. |
| Security and data residency | Data stays in your browser on your own device. | EU-built with EU data residency, and ISO 27001 / 20000-1 / 9001 to support audit-readiness. |
| Support and onboarding | Self-serve, start free with no account and no setup call. | Guided onboarding and ongoing support from the Fabrico team. |
Frequently asked questions
Is this really a combined CMMS and OEE tool, or two separate apps bolted together?
It is one tool. The same shift log that produces your OEE, availability, performance and quality numbers also feeds the same downtime Pareto that points you at what to fix, and the same screen lets you open a work order for it. You are not exporting from an OEE app and re-typing into a CMMS.
Do I need to create an account to use the free CMMS + OEE tracker?
No. Open the free OEE tracker and start logging a shift immediately. Your data stays in your browser on the device you use, no signup, no setup call.
What does the free version NOT do that a paid platform would?
You still type in the shift numbers by hand, you still work out the cause of a short stoppage yourself, and you still raise the work order yourself. It also runs on one plant, one device, with no PLC, MES or ERP connection. See the comparison table below for the full list.
How is this different from Limble, MaintainX, UpKeep or Fiix's free tiers?
Those tools are CMMS-first: they are built around work orders, PM schedules and asset records, with OEE as a secondary feature. This tool starts from the OEE math (availability x performance x quality) and pairs it directly with a work order board and PM schedule, so the loss number and the fix live on the same page. Each of those tools is genuinely useful, they were simply designed CMMS-first rather than OEE-first. Note that most free CMMS tiers are structured as on-ramps to paid plans, so they commonly cap users, assets or history.
What about Evocon or spreadsheets for OEE specifically?
Evocon is strongest for a first structured, real-time OEE measurement on a line, usually through a free trial. Spreadsheets are the true zero-cost default most plants start on. What OEE Lab adds for free is putting a work order board and PM schedule right next to the OEE number in the same tool, so the loss and the fix stay together.
When does a plant outgrow the free tracker and need Fabrico?
When manual entry, manual cause-hunting and manual work-order raising become the bottleneck, usually once you are running more than one line or site. That is when automatic PLC capture, computer-vision true-cause and an auto-routed work order loop start paying for themselves. Book a Fabrico demo to see it on your own line.
When free is not enough, Fabrico is the upgrade
The free tracker is the right way to prove the OEE math and get work orders off the whiteboard on one line, today. Once a plant is running this across more than one line or site, the manual steps (typing in the shift, chasing down the cause of every micro-stop, raising every work order by hand) become the bottleneck. Fabrico closes that loop: it reads OEE automatically off your PLCs, uses computer vision to find the true cause of sub-5-minute stops with video evidence, and auto-routes a detected loss into an assigned work order, plant-wide and multi-site, built and hosted in the EU with EU data residency. Book a Fabrico demo to see the closed loop running on your own line.
Book a Fabrico demoMore free software: All free software · Free downtime tracking software: log stops by reason, get a downtime Pareto instantly · Free maintenance management software: work orders, PM, and assets, no cost · Free maintenance scheduling software · Free OEE Software: Log a Shift, Get OEE and a Pareto in 2 Minutes
Open the free OEE tracker · OEE calculator · CMMS ROI calculator · Downtime cost calculator · How to choose OEE and CMMS software · What is OEE