Users often don’t realize how much thought and precision go into making the “simple” products that they use every day. The shampoo you use in the morning shower, the coffee that energizes you for the whole day, and the headphones that you plug in during your commute all go through a rigorous lifecycle of product development.
Now imagine how companies that make complex products like airplanes, software systems, and medical devices manage the process. If you’re wondering how they do that, the answer lies in product lifecycle management (PLM).
PLM software streamline processes and make sure product information is managed and accessible efficiently throughout the lifecycle. Our team has been working with different PLM tools both as official partners and for professional requirements for 15+ years.
So, you can say we are sort of PLM specialists. Based on our experience, we have our opinions on what makes a top PLM software. We are always monitoring the market for new PLM software solutions to see which vendor is offering what.
In this blog, we have finalized a top five PLM software list as our picks for the most reliable PLM software providers in 2025.
What makes a top PLM software?
Okay, time to put our money where our mouth is. As professional PLM users, we’ve encountered several challenges that some PLM platforms solved very smoothly, while others took their time.
The ones that solved them quickly and effectively all had these core features.
1. Collaboration
Product development involves engineers, designers, supply chain managers, and marketers. The best PLM software allows them to share data, so everyone works from the same product story to cut miscommunication and wasted time.
2. Change and BOM management
A top PLM system must handle BOM creation, revisions, and engineering change management with precision. Without this, teams risk building the wrong product, using outdated components, or missing compliance requirements.
We consider flexible BOM management an essential feature because in real life PLM teams come across many complex BOMs related to different products.
3. Real-time visibility
Top PLM systems have dashboards and reports that update instantly. A real-time PLM shows the latest designs, BOMs, and approvals. This keeps teams from acting on outdated information and prevents costly rework.
4. Quality management
Finished products must be safe to use and meet all regulatory or industry standards. If a PLM software doesn’t track regulatory requirements, and automates audits, the final product will be prone to risks, errors, and customer dissatisfaction.
5. Scalable and flexible
Our team once worked with a mid-sized U.S. client that had operations in three countries. But they relied on an on-premise PLM system, which created data siloes between their engineers at home, and suppliers abroad.
We won’t go into the details of how we solved it due to legal commitments, but an efficient PLM system offers cloud-native deployment as modern businesses have expanded product lines and global teams.
Scalable, cloud-based PLM flexes with new teams, sites, and processes for product development without disruption.
6. Integration with enterprise systems
A new product doesn’t live in isolation. It connects with sales forecasts, supply chain orders, and customer data. The best PLM systems gel in with other enterprise software in your workflows like ERP, CRM, and SaaS platforms.
7. Ease of use
This is a common factor across all products. Simple to use PLM software have intuitive interfaces, in-app guidance, and automation options. This keeps product development moving as both engineers and non-technical staff can adopt the new platform quickly.
Top 6PLM software to manage your product in 2025
Now, let’s get down straight to the chase. These ten PLM software are our picks that tick all the checkboxes of a top PLM software in 2025.
TL;DR: Top 6 PLM software list
- Aras Innovator: Best user-friendly PLM software with great reviews
- Propel: Best for those in the Salesforce ecosystem
- Oracel Fusion Cloud PLM: Best PLM software for manufacturing
- OpenBOM: Best for dynamic BOM management
- Siemens Teamcenter: Best for companies with advanced needs
1. Aras Innovator
Overview
- Free Community Plan
- Gartner rating 4.5/5
- Subscription based
Aras Innovator is a modern PLM platform because it is built for adaptability as much as control. While older systems like Oracle Agile PLM excelled at enforcing structure in regulated industries, they often struggled when businesses needed change.
In contrast, Aras flips this equation by offering a platform designed to evolve quickly. New workflows, business objects, or user interfaces can be modeled without destabilizing the system, and these changes persist through upgrades.
A key differentiator for Aras is its Digital Thread capability. It links product data, processes, and decisions across every phase of the lifecycle to create a living, traceable record of how a product evolves.
Another core strength of Aras Innovator is its low-code development environment. Unlike traditional PLM systems that require extensive custom coding, Aras empowers organizations to configure, customize, and even build new applications rapidly.
Aras also addresses a long-standing pain point in PLM: the trade-off between customization and stability. In most systems, making changes introduces risk of future failures. With Aras, configurations are handled through the platform itself rather than heavy custom code, so new item types, workflows, or forms can be created without undermining long-term system reliability.
Visibility and decision-making are another area where Aras excels. Instead of treating dashboards and reporting as secondary, Aras puts them at the center of the user experience. Real-time, interactive dashboards allow engineers, managers, and executives alike to track product changes, quality issues, and release status.
Finally, Aras fosters collaboration at the point of work. Built-in features like discussion threads, Visual Collaboration, and role-based notifications keep communication tied directly to the data it affects.
2. Propel
Overview
- Free Demo Available
- Rating: 4.4/5
- Pricing Upon Request
Propel is the cloud-native product solution that provides its users an opportunity to bring in and streamline new product introductions while working across the company levels, crafting quality data-driven databases, and using efficiency tools.
The most prominent feature of Propel is that it is built natively on Salesforce. It uses the Salesforce’s infrastructure, security, UI, and low-code tools so you don’t have to leave the Salesforce ecosystem while working on your PLM solutions. Propel is also listed on the Salesforce AppExchange, which allows you integrate custom apps without coding.
Propel even accesses it with your phone, thanks to their smart mobile app and mobile app developers.
It is an easy-to-use software that will keep you organized using workflow customization features, enabling you to provide customers with better services, track product details and operations, and even compare revision details.
Propel provides free demos, as well as quotes for customized pricing. Keep in mind that Propel has its packages with a minimum of 10 users.
3. Oracle Fusion Cloud PLM
Overview
- Pricing upon request
- Rating: 4.3/5
Oracle is a huge name in the PLM industry. Its Agile PLM was the leading platform used by companies for well over two decades. While the veteran PLM system is approaching its end-of-life in late 2027, Oracle has already introduced Fusion Cloud PLM as its successor.
It is a modern, cloud-native product lifecycle management platform built to help companies innovate, commercialize new products, and ensure high quality. Oracle links together product data across ideation, development, manufacturing, and service. This provides a living, traceable record of how products evolve.
Oracle Fusion Cloud PLM stands out in manufacturing because it is deeply integrated with Oracle’s full ERP and Supply Chain Management ecosystem, ensuring that product data flows seamlessly from design through sourcing, production, and distribution.
Moreover, the PLM platform has an enhanced user experience with its Redwood UX. It has more intuitive dashboards, search interfaces, and document previews, which helps in adoption and reduces friction.
As a SaaS/cloud offering, updates roll out regularly. Cloud deployment enables global access, scalability, lower infrastructure overhead, and keeps features current.
4. OpenBOM
Overview
- Free Avialable Plan
- Rating: 4.2/5
- Starting from $75/user/month
OpenBOM is a SaaS cloud-based platform for managing all product data, including bills of materials (BOM) and product data management as well as agile product lifecycle management. It integrates with many CAD, ERP, and PDM systems and suits industries such as machine design and high-tech electronics.
OpenBOM makes it possible for your team to flexibly manage complex BOMs. It allows you to create and update multi-level BOMs that evolve along with your products, while also collaborating in real time with teams.
You can work with engineers, designers, or suppliers, and with OpenBOM, everyone is on the same page with accurate product data.
The platform is specifically beneficial for tracking materials and maintaining the inventory, making it best suited for managing the lifecycle of your product.
Costs, quantities, and even supplier details can be tracked directly from the platform, which makes it possible for OpenBOM to automatically generate the purchase orders when it is the time to order parts.
Flexibility helps you handle production changes, supplier updates, or shifts in material availability.
OpenBOM supports integrations with most of the popular tools on the market, such as Autodesk Fusion 360, Altium Designer, Autodesk Eagle, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Revit, SOLIDWORKS, Kubotek KeyCreator, Onshape, Siemens Solid Edge, Oracle NetSuite, and QuickBooks.
5. Siemens Teamcenter
Overview
- 30 days free trial
- Rating: 4.4/5
- Pricing upon request
Teamcenter is the adaptable PLM software of Siemens deployed on-premises by cloud SaaS. That means it has the capacity to manage BOM changes and document management features; that also includes integration among other features with NX among many others.
It is, therefore, promising in connectivity from people and processes toward cross-domain and cross-department throughout your supply chain.
Siemens Teamcenter is very easy to comprehend and use due to the simplicity of its interface, it is accessible and easy to import and export CAD history as well as revisions, one can customize toolbars.
This makes Teamcenter among the best in the market, also for viewing 3D models without the need for integrations.
Because Siemens Teamcenter serves for more complex and sophisticated requirements, opening large data files, 3D models, tends to cause delay and lag. The program can be a bit difficult to navigate due to the many features that are offered in the program.
Siemens Teamcenter offers free 30-day trials; pricing is tailored to the needs of each customer.
6. SureFront
Overview:
- Free Trial
- Rating: 5/5
- Starting from $125/user/month
Surefront is an integrated product collaboration platform that integrates PLM, PIM, and CRM to enhance various business processes such as merchandising, product development, vendor management, and sales management.
It equips teams with robust features that enable collaboration on each product attribute, aligning all teams.
With Surefront, any historical conversation about products and attachments is securely stored and quickly found. This feature enhances cross-functional collaboration, ensuring everyone is on the same page from the product’s conception at development to the end of production when the supplier markets the product.
It also comes with catalog management for organizing product information and the capability for order and quote management so businesses can handle such processes effectively within one platform.
Workflow management allows users to tailor workflows for products, quotes, and orders to ensure tasks are assigned to the appropriate internal teams and external suppliers.
It also offers free licenses to all suppliers to promote greater participation and collaboration within the supply chain.
It further enables users to collaborate with Surefront on new ideas by using its image markup feature, which helps prototype concepts, designs, innovations, and quality assurance improvements.
Conclusion
The right PLM software is a transformative step in your business, which means streamlined processes, improved collaboration, and efficiency.
Each tool has different features suited to various industries, team sizes, and operational needs, so there are bound to be the ideal PLM solutions for every use case.
The options available range from New Relic, with real-time analytics, to Surefront’s robust collaboration capabilities and Siemens Teamcenter’s enterprise-level advanced solutions. Discover and use the most suitable
PLM software in 2025 for your success in better product lifecycle management and more accurately attaining your goals.
If you need further help, you can contact us at [email protected]. We will schedule a free consultation session to explore how Xavor can assist you in this matter.