Best AI for field service in 2026
Every field service suite now has AI in it, and a handful of specialists sit on top of them. Which is best depends on two things: the system your work orders already live in, and whether you need summaries and scheduling or an answer to the fault in front of the technician. This guide compares 12 tools on what their makers actually publish.
The short answer
If you run one of the big field service suites, its own AI is the obvious first step: Salesforce, Microsoft, ServiceNow, IFS, SAP, Oracle and ServiceMax all brief the technician and write the summary from the data already in the system. If the hard part is the fix itself, look at a specialist that answers from your own service history: Kenner, which builds a knowledge graph on top of whatever systems you run, for equipment service teams, Aquant for manufacturers' service organisations, Neuron7 for the very largest.
- Equipment service teams that want answers from their own job history, on any system: Kenner
- Service organisations of equipment manufacturers: Aquant
- Enterprises with 1,000 or more technicians and complex equipment: Neuron7
- Teams on Salesforce Field Service: Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service
- Teams on Dynamics 365 Field Service: Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service
- Teams on ServiceNow: ServiceNow Field Service Management
- Teams on IFS Cloud: IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai
- Teams on SAP: SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule
- Teams on Oracle Fusion Field Service: Oracle Fusion Field Service
- Asset-centric service teams on ServiceMax: PTC ServiceMax AI
- In-house maintenance teams: MaintainX Assist
- Trade contractors on Simpro: Simpro Lightning
AI for field service, side by side
Every cell comes from the vendor's own pages, checked on the date above. Where a vendor does not publish something, the table says so.
| Tool | Type | Answers from | How technicians use it | Writes the job report | Published price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenner | Assistant on a knowledge graph of your own systems | Your company's own knowledge base, which Kenner builds: units, past jobs, alarms, parts and manuals from all your systems, linked in a knowledge graph | A normal phone call, or WhatsApp, iMessage, Teams or RCS. No new app | Yes. From a voice note, written back to your FSM, ERP or CRM | Free while in beta, starting with a two-week pilot for 5 to 10 technicians. Prices after the beta are not published |
| Aquant | Specialist troubleshooting platform | Your manuals, service records and service history, plus expert knowledge Aquant captures | A voice call, SMS, web or an embedded view, with the phone camera for visual guidance. No app required | Yes. Documents the repair and updates the service record | Not published. A free trial sign-up is offered |
| Neuron7 | Specialist troubleshooting layer | A graph built from your manuals, case history, tickets and technician notes | Inside the CRM or field service system technicians already use, including on a phone, and in Microsoft Teams | Not stated. It records which steps worked and learns from them | Not published. Sold as a service priced by deployment scope |
| Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service | Built into the field service suite | Your Salesforce data: service history, assets and knowledge base, with manuals, similar repairs and sensor data for troubleshooting | Inside the Salesforce Field Service mobile app, by chat or voice. It can read photos | Yes. Drafts the post-work summary and the pre-work brief in Salesforce | $125 per user per month, on top of Field Service licences pricing page |
| Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service | Built into the field service suite | The work orders, bookings and activities stored in Dynamics 365 Field Service | The Copilot button in the Field Service mobile app, by text or speech, and a side pane on the web | Yes. Work order summaries, and work order updates by voice or text (in preview) | Included in the $105 per user per month Field Service licence pricing page |
| ServiceNow Field Service Management | Built into the field service suite | ServiceNow data: assets, service history, work history and job details | ServiceNow's mobile experience, with an AI chat and voice prompts | Yes. Summaries and notes, work orders from text and images, forms filled from photos | Not published. Two packages, by custom quote pricing page |
| IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai | Built into the field service suite | IFS Cloud data such as asset history, warranty and SLA commitments | A Copilot for service technicians and AI summaries in the IFS mobile service report | Yes. A work briefing before the job and a summary on the service report | Not published. The technician AI needs the IFS.ai Activation Pass or token add-on |
| SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule | Built into the field service suite | SAP records of past activities, similar tasks and equipment history. Joule also answers from SAP documentation | The SAP mobile app, which works offline. The daily briefing arrives by email | Yes. Equipment, activity and service call summaries, and a daily technician briefing | Not published. Summaries, the briefing and Joule are premium AI features |
| Oracle Fusion Field Service | Built into the field service suite | Your knowledge base articles and Oracle Field Service data such as activities, parts and inventory | The Oracle mobile app, with AI Field Assist in its chat and handoff to a person | Yes. Draft work orders and a start-of-day brief that reserves parts | Not on the product page. Oracle publishes a global price list |
| PTC ServiceMax AI | Built into the field service suite | Your ServiceMax data: work orders, parts replaced, installed products and service events | A chat assistant inside the ServiceMax tools technicians already use | Yes. Work summaries and asset history briefings | Not published |
| MaintainX Assist | Built into the maintenance software (CMMS) | Your asset manuals, maintenance history, work orders and technician comments in MaintainX, with sources cited | The Ask MX Assist button in the MaintainX mobile and desktop apps, by text, voice note or photo | No. Its documented limits say it recommends but cannot create or edit data | MaintainX plans from $0 to $65 per user per month, then custom. Which plans include Assist is not clear pricing page |
| Simpro Lightning | Built into the trade field service software | Your Simpro data: job history, site notes, parts needs and previous visits | Simpro mobile. A brief before the job and voice capture on site | Yes. Writes up the job from the technician talking, and sends the customer a summary | Custom. Announced as a percentage uplift on existing contracts |
What we compared
- What it answers from. Only the records in one suite, or your manuals, past jobs and expert knowledge wherever they live. This decides whether it can help with the fault or only with the paperwork.
- How a technician reaches it. Inside the field service mobile app, in a messenger, or on a phone call. A tool nobody opens on site helps nobody.
- Whether it does the paperwork. Briefs before the job, summaries and reports after it, and whether they land in the system of record.
- What you need first. Most suite AI needs that suite, and often an add-on licence on top.
- Price. As published by the vendor. Most do not publish one.
The full method, and what this guide does not claim, is on the method page.
The 12 tools, one by one
1 Kenner Our product
Best for: Equipment service teams that want answers from their own job history, on any system
Kenner builds your company's own knowledge base, a knowledge graph on top of the systems you already run, and gives every technician a personal assistant to message or call like a colleague. It answers from the history of the unit in front of them. It is not limited to HVAC knowledge or to your FSM: with general web search and a connection to your CRM and ERP, it also orders parts, prepares quotes and shows what breaks across your units. We make it, so read this entry with that in mind. It started in commercial HVAC and refrigeration and also works with teams in data center cooling, elevators, fire protection, medical devices and industrial equipment. Of the tools in this guide, only Kenner and Aquant answer an ordinary phone call.
- Type
- Assistant on a knowledge graph of your own systems
- Answers from
- Your company's own knowledge base, which Kenner builds: units, past jobs, alarms, parts and manuals from all your systems, linked in a knowledge graph
- How technicians use it
- A normal phone call, or WhatsApp, iMessage, Teams or RCS. No new app
- Writes the job report
- Yes. From a voice note, written back to your FSM, ERP or CRM
- Published price
- Free while in beta, starting with a two-week pilot for 5 to 10 technicians. Prices after the beta are not published
What it does well
- Builds your company's own knowledge base. Units, past jobs, alarms, parts and manuals from your FSM, ERP, CRM and other systems are linked in one knowledge graph, so the answer is what fixed this fault on this unit before, with the source of each part shown.
- You can call it. A normal phone call when your hands are busy, or the messenger technicians already have. Nothing to install or learn.
- Writes the job report, the refrigerant record (EPA 608, F-gas), parts and follow-ups back to the FSM, ERP or CRM the company already runs.
- Works beyond the FSM. With general web search and a connection to your CRM and ERP, it orders parts and prepares quotes for you, so the technician does not have to stop and do it.
- Shows service leaders what breaks across your units, which faults take longest to diagnose, and first-time fix by team, fault type, model and site.
- A young startup, and that works in the customer's favour: custom integrations are built for the systems you run, and support comes straight from the engineering team that builds the product.
Where it stops
- No self-serve sign-up: it starts with a demo and a pilot, so it is not for a single technician who wants an app tonight.
- It answers from your own service history, so it needs a connection to your FSM, CRM or ERP before it is useful.
- A young startup, with what that means on paper: ISO 27001 certification is in progress, its SOC 2 audit is in preparation, and it has not published what it will cost after the beta.
Pick it if your knowledge lives in old work orders and a few senior heads, your technicians will not open another app, and you want the report written back to the system you already run.
Look elsewhere if you want scheduling and dispatch optimisation, a tool you can sign up for and try today, or a vendor with finished security certifications.
Checked against: getkenner.com · Kenner website
2 Aquant
Best for: Service organisations of equipment manufacturers
Aquant is an AI platform for equipment service that guides technicians through troubleshooting by voice, text and phone camera, and gives service leaders analytics on teams, assets and parts. It is the closest alternative to Kenner in this guide: a specialist that answers from your own service data and reaches the technician by voice.
- Type
- Specialist troubleshooting platform
- Answers from
- Your manuals, service records and service history, plus expert knowledge Aquant captures
- How technicians use it
- A voice call, SMS, web or an embedded view, with the phone camera for visual guidance. No app required
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Documents the repair and updates the service record
- Published price
- Not published. A free trial sign-up is offered
What it does well
- Voice and phone-camera guidance on the technician's own smartphone, with no headset or smart glasses.
- Answers are built from the customer's own manuals, service records and expert knowledge.
- Documents the repair automatically and updates the service record.
- Scorecards for technicians and teams, parts usage trends and cost leakage for service leaders.
Where it stops
- Positioned for companies that manufacture physical products and service them, more than for independent contractors.
- Aquant's pages describe troubleshooting, knowledge capture and analytics, not scheduling or dispatch.
- Prices are not published.
Pick it if you make the equipment you service, you want voice and camera guidance without an app, and you want analytics on technicians, parts and cost alongside it.
Look elsewhere if you are an independent service contractor, or you need to see a price before you talk to sales.
Aquant or Kenner?
Choose Aquant if you manufacture equipment and service it, and you want troubleshooting guidance by voice, text and phone camera plus analytics across teams, assets and parts.
Choose Kenner if you are an independent commercial HVAC or refrigeration contractor. Aquant positions itself for manufacturers that service their own products.
Checked against: Aquant for field technicians, Aquant channels, Aquant conversational AI for field service · Aquant website
3 Neuron7
Best for: Enterprises with 1,000 or more technicians and complex equipment
Neuron7 is a resolution-guidance layer for complex equipment: it walks technicians and support agents step by step to a fix, inside the CRM or field service system the company already runs. It sits inside the CRM or field service system as a guidance layer and does not replace it.
- Type
- Specialist troubleshooting layer
- Answers from
- A graph built from your manuals, case history, tickets and technician notes
- How technicians use it
- Inside the CRM or field service system technicians already use, including on a phone, and in Microsoft Teams
- Writes the job report
- Not stated. It records which steps worked and learns from them
- Published price
- Not published. Sold as a service priced by deployment scope
What it does well
- Guidance is grounded in fixes the customer's own team has already performed.
- Runs inside Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft and SAP, so there is no separate app.
- Learns from every step a technician accepts, changes or skips.
- Implementation, compute and support are part of the service.
Where it stops
- Built for very large service organisations: Neuron7 says most of its customers have 1,000 or more technicians.
- It is about getting to the resolution. Neuron7 says it does not do scheduling or dispatch.
- Prices are not published.
Pick it if you are a very large service organisation on Salesforce, ServiceNow, Microsoft or SAP with years of case history, and resolution time on complex equipment is the problem.
Look elsewhere if you have tens or hundreds of technicians and not thousands, or the job report is what you want written: Neuron7's pages do not describe that.
Neuron7 or Kenner?
Choose Neuron7 if you have 1,000 or more technicians and want resolution guidance inside the CRM or Microsoft Teams they already use.
Choose Kenner if you are a smaller commercial HVAC/R team that wants to start with a two-week pilot for 5 to 10 technicians, and you want the report written too, which Neuron7's pages do not state.
Checked against: Neuron7, Neuron7 on field service AI · Neuron7 website
4 Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service
Best for: Teams on Salesforce Field Service
Agentforce for Field Service is the AI in Salesforce Field Service: it helps dispatchers schedule and gives technicians a brief before the job, step-by-step troubleshooting on it and a drafted summary after it. Of the suites in this guide, it has the most fully described AI for the technician: a brief before, troubleshooting during and a summary after.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- Your Salesforce data: service history, assets and knowledge base, with manuals, similar repairs and sensor data for troubleshooting
- How technicians use it
- Inside the Salesforce Field Service mobile app, by chat or voice. It can read photos
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Drafts the post-work summary and the pre-work brief in Salesforce
- Published price
- $125 per user per month, on top of Field Service licences pricing page
What it does well
- A pre-work brief with customer history and asset insights before the technician arrives.
- A troubleshooting dialogue that can use photos, manuals, similar repairs and sensor data.
- Drafts the post-work summary and lets the technician refine it in plain language.
- The per-user price is published.
Where it stops
- It runs in the Salesforce Field Service mobile app, so it is for companies on Salesforce Field Service.
- The $125 per user per month is listed separately from the Field Service licences themselves.
- Starting it by voice through Siri is described for iPhone only.
Pick it if you already run Salesforce Field Service and your service history, assets and knowledge articles are in Salesforce.
Look elsewhere if you are not on Salesforce, or $125 per user per month on top of the Field Service licences does not fit the budget.
Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service or Kenner?
Choose Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service if you are on Salesforce Field Service and will pay $125 per user per month for briefs, summaries and troubleshooting inside its mobile app.
Choose Kenner if you are not on Salesforce Field Service, or your technicians would rather text or call than open another app.
Checked against: Salesforce Field Service, Agentforce for Field Service pricing, Agentforce for Field Service announcement · Salesforce Agentforce for Field Service website
5 Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service
Best for: Teams on Dynamics 365 Field Service
Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service summarises work orders, lets technicians update them by speaking or typing, answers questions about the data in the system and turns PDFs or images into inspection templates. It is the only suite here that lists its AI as included in the licence price.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- The work orders, bookings and activities stored in Dynamics 365 Field Service
- How technicians use it
- The Copilot button in the Field Service mobile app, by text or speech, and a side pane on the web
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Work order summaries, and work order updates by voice or text (in preview)
- Published price
- Included in the $105 per user per month Field Service licence pricing page
What it does well
- Included in the Field Service licence, with no separate AI price.
- Technicians can update a work order by voice or text and confirm before anything changes.
- Work order summaries on demand, with suggested next actions.
- The price is published.
Where it stops
- Updating work orders with AI is still a preview feature.
- The documented features are summaries, record updates, data questions and inspection templates. Guidance on troubleshooting the equipment is not among them.
- Copilot needs a paid Field Service environment and is not available in trials.
Pick it if you run Dynamics 365 Field Service and want work order summaries and updates by voice at no extra licence cost.
Look elsewhere if you want the AI to help diagnose the equipment. Microsoft's documented Copilot features do not include that.
Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service or Kenner?
Choose Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service if you are on Dynamics 365 Field Service: Copilot's work order summaries and updates are included in the $105 licence.
Choose Kenner if you want help diagnosing the equipment, which is not among Copilot's documented features.
Checked against: Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service overview, Work order update with Copilot, Dynamics 365 Field Service pricing · Microsoft Copilot in Dynamics 365 Field Service website
6 ServiceNow Field Service Management
Best for: Teams on ServiceNow
ServiceNow Field Service Management runs on the ServiceNow AI Platform, with AI agents for planning, scheduling and dispatch and, for technicians, guidance, summaries and data capture from images. ServiceNow says its Otto AI replaces Now Assist. It suits companies that already run their service operations on the ServiceNow platform.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- ServiceNow data: assets, service history, work history and job details
- How technicians use it
- ServiceNow's mobile experience, with an AI chat and voice prompts
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Summaries and notes, work orders from text and images, forms filled from photos
- Published price
- Not published. Two packages, by custom quote pricing page
What it does well
- AI guidance for technicians in the flow of the job.
- Summaries of work history and job details.
- Reads field data from a photo and fills the form.
- AI agents for assignment, scheduling and dispatch.
Where it stops
- It is part of a ServiceNow Field Service Management package, so it is for companies on ServiceNow.
- ServiceNow's pages do not say whether technician guidance draws on equipment manuals.
- Pricing is by custom quote.
Pick it if your assets, work orders and service history are in ServiceNow and you want guidance, summaries and scheduling agents in the same place.
Look elsewhere if you are not on ServiceNow, or your technicians mostly need answers from equipment manuals.
ServiceNow Field Service Management or Kenner?
Choose ServiceNow Field Service Management if you run field service on ServiceNow and want summaries, work orders from photos and an AI chat in its mobile experience.
Choose Kenner if you want answers that draw on equipment manuals, which ServiceNow's pages do not confirm, or you are not on ServiceNow.
Checked against: ServiceNow Field Service Management, ServiceNow FSM pricing, ServiceNow Otto · ServiceNow Field Service Management website
7 IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai
Best for: Teams on IFS Cloud
IFS Cloud Field Service Management has IFS.ai built in: a Copilot for service technicians, AI-written work briefings, service report summaries and scheduling optimisation. The technician features arrived with the IFS Cloud 25R2 release.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- IFS Cloud data such as asset history, warranty and SLA commitments
- How technicians use it
- A Copilot for service technicians and AI summaries in the IFS mobile service report
- Writes the job report
- Yes. A work briefing before the job and a summary on the service report
- Published price
- Not published. The technician AI needs the IFS.ai Activation Pass or token add-on
What it does well
- A Copilot that gives technicians guidance and troubleshooting support.
- An AI-written work briefing before the job.
- An AI summary on the service report for the customer to sign off.
- AI optimisation of workforce planning and scheduling.
Where it stops
- The technician AI features need a paid IFS.ai Activation Pass or token add-on.
- It is available inside IFS Cloud, so it is for companies on IFS.
- IFS's pages do not detail what the technician Copilot's answers are based on, and prices are not published.
Pick it if you run IFS Cloud Field Service Management and want a briefing before the job and a summary on the service report.
Look elsewhere if you are not on IFS Cloud, or you need to know exactly what the Copilot's answers are based on before you buy the add-on.
IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai or Kenner?
Choose IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai if you run IFS Cloud with the IFS.ai Activation Pass and want briefings and report summaries in the IFS mobile app.
Choose Kenner if you want to see what an answer is based on. IFS's pages do not detail the Copilot's sources, and Kenner shows the source of each part of its answer.
Checked against: IFS Field Service Management, IFS Cloud 25R2 announcement, IFS Cloud 25R2 for field service · IFS Cloud Field Service Management with IFS.ai website
8 SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule
Best for: Teams on SAP
SAP Field Service and Asset Management, previously SAP Field Service Management, plans and dispatches field work and adds generative AI summaries, a daily briefing for technicians and the Joule copilot. Its base AI functions are free to use and the generative ones are premium.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- SAP records of past activities, similar tasks and equipment history. Joule also answers from SAP documentation
- How technicians use it
- The SAP mobile app, which works offline. The daily briefing arrives by email
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Equipment, activity and service call summaries, and a daily technician briefing
- Published price
- Not published. Summaries, the briefing and Joule are premium AI features
What it does well
- A daily briefing for each technician with the tools needed, similar past tasks and equipment history.
- Equipment and activity summaries on demand in the mobile app.
- Joule can answer from summaries that technicians have written, such as the fix for an error code.
- The mobile app works fully offline.
Where it stops
- Most of the generative features, Joule included, are premium AI functionality.
- Joule answers from SAP's product documentation or from activity summaries, not from equipment manuals.
- The daily briefing is delivered by email once a business rule is set up.
Pick it if you run SAP Field Service and Asset Management, your technicians work offline a lot, and a daily briefing and on-demand summaries would save them time.
Look elsewhere if you want answers from equipment manuals, or you are not on SAP.
SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule or Kenner?
Choose SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule if you run SAP Field Service Management and want equipment and activity summaries, a daily briefing and a mobile app that works offline, which Kenner's site does not mention.
Choose Kenner if you want answers from the equipment manual and the unit's alarms. Joule answers from SAP's product documentation or from activity summaries.
Checked against: SAP Field Service and Asset Management, SAP help: AI functionalities, SAP help: Joule in field service · SAP Field Service and Asset Management with Joule website
9 Oracle Fusion Field Service
Best for: Teams on Oracle Fusion Field Service
Oracle Fusion Field Service has AI for planning, scheduling and routing, and for technicians: answers from the knowledge base, AI-guided troubleshooting in Field Assist and a brief at the start of the day. It pairs AI troubleshooting with a handoff to a person when the technician needs one.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- Your knowledge base articles and Oracle Field Service data such as activities, parts and inventory
- How technicians use it
- The Oracle mobile app, with AI Field Assist in its chat and handoff to a person
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Draft work orders and a start-of-day brief that reserves parts
- Published price
- Not on the product page. Oracle publishes a global price list
What it does well
- AI-guided troubleshooting for technicians, with handoff to a live operator.
- Answers from the customer's knowledge base, linked to the articles they came from.
- A start-of-day brief that checks parts availability and reserves them.
- Predictive scheduling and routing.
Where it stops
- The Field Assist agents are set up in Oracle AI Agent Studio.
- Knowledge answers come from the customer's knowledge base, so they are as good as its articles.
- It is for companies on Oracle Fusion Field Service.
Pick it if you run Oracle Fusion Field Service and have a knowledge base worth answering from.
Look elsewhere if you are not on Oracle, or your knowledge is in work orders and people's heads and not in articles.
Oracle Fusion Field Service or Kenner?
Choose Oracle Fusion Field Service if you run Oracle Fusion Field Service and have a well-kept knowledge base for AI Field Assist to answer from.
Choose Kenner if your knowledge is in old work orders, not in written articles. Oracle's answers come from the knowledge base, Kenner's from the service history itself.
Checked against: Oracle Field Service, Oracle AI for customer experience · Oracle Fusion Field Service website
10 PTC ServiceMax AI
Best for: Asset-centric service teams on ServiceMax
ServiceMax AI is generative AI inside ServiceMax, PTC's asset-centric field service software: a plain-language assistant for technicians, automated work summaries, asset history briefings and scheduling suggestions. It is the natural choice where the installed base record in ServiceMax is the source of truth.
- Type
- Built into the field service suite
- Answers from
- Your ServiceMax data: work orders, parts replaced, installed products and service events
- How technicians use it
- A chat assistant inside the ServiceMax tools technicians already use
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Work summaries and asset history briefings
- Published price
- Not published
What it does well
- The assistant draws on the whole ServiceMax record of work orders, parts, installed products and service events.
- Automated work summaries and asset history briefings.
- Can do simple tasks such as rescheduling an appointment or looking up an error code.
- Can use product data from PTC's PLM and SLM software.
Where it stops
- It is available inside ServiceMax, which is built on the Salesforce platform.
- PTC's pages do not say which ServiceMax offerings include the AI.
- Prices are not published.
Pick it if you run ServiceMax and want an assistant that answers from work orders, parts replaced and installed products.
Look elsewhere if you are not on ServiceMax.
PTC ServiceMax AI or Kenner?
Choose PTC ServiceMax AI if you run ServiceMax and want work summaries and asset history briefings in the tools technicians already use.
Choose Kenner if you are not on ServiceMax, or you want the manual and alarms in the answer as well as the work order history.
Checked against: ServiceMax AI, ServiceMax · PTC ServiceMax AI website
11 MaintainX Assist
Best for: In-house maintenance teams
MaintainX Assist is the assistant inside the MaintainX maintenance software. It searches asset manuals and maintenance history, helps diagnose a problem from a photo or description and writes procedures. MaintainX is the only vendor in this guide with a free plan and a published price for every tier below enterprise.
- Type
- Built into the maintenance software (CMMS)
- Answers from
- Your asset manuals, maintenance history, work orders and technician comments in MaintainX, with sources cited
- How technicians use it
- The Ask MX Assist button in the MaintainX mobile and desktop apps, by text, voice note or photo
- Writes the job report
- No. Its documented limits say it recommends but cannot create or edit data
- Published price
- MaintainX plans from $0 to $65 per user per month, then custom. Which plans include Assist is not clear pricing page
What it does well
- Searches the customer's own manuals and maintenance history and cites where the answer came from.
- Diagnosis help from a photo or a description of what the technician sees.
- Works in the mobile and desktop apps, with voice prompts.
- Published prices, including a free plan.
Where it stops
- Recommendations only: MaintainX's limitations table says it cannot create or edit data.
- MaintainX is maintenance software for in-house teams, not a dispatch system for customer-facing field service.
- Its answers depend on how complete the work orders, comments and notes in MaintainX are.
Pick it if you maintain your own plant or buildings, want to start small and cheaply, and are happy for the assistant to advise without writing to records.
Look elsewhere if you dispatch technicians to customers' sites and need a field service system, or you want the AI to write the report for you.
MaintainX Assist or Kenner?
Choose MaintainX Assist if you run an in-house maintenance team on MaintainX: Assist answers from your asset manuals and work orders with sources cited, on plans from $0 to $65 per user per month.
Choose Kenner if you are a service contractor visiting customer sites, or you want the report written for you. MaintainX Assist recommends but cannot create or edit data.
Checked against: MaintainX Assist help, MaintainX AI basics, MaintainX pricing · MaintainX Assist website
12 Simpro Lightning
Best for: Trade contractors on Simpro
Simpro Lightning is the AI layer in the Simpro field service platform, launched in May 2026, with agents for pre-job briefs, voice job documentation, customer summaries, technician training and plain-language reporting. It is built for trade businesses, where the other suites in this guide are built for large enterprises.
- Type
- Built into the trade field service software
- Answers from
- Your Simpro data: job history, site notes, parts needs and previous visits
- How technicians use it
- Simpro mobile. A brief before the job and voice capture on site
- Writes the job report
- Yes. Writes up the job from the technician talking, and sends the customer a summary
- Published price
- Custom. Announced as a percentage uplift on existing contracts
What it does well
- A pre-job brief for every technician from job history, site notes and parts data.
- Captures the job from the technician talking on site, so there is no write-up afterwards.
- A post-job summary sent to the customer automatically.
- Questions and actions on Simpro data in plain language, with approval before sensitive actions.
Where it stops
- An upgrade for existing Simpro, AroFlo and BigChange customers.
- The agents cover briefs, documentation, training, reporting and customer updates. Troubleshooting the equipment is not among them.
- Pricing is custom.
Pick it if you are a Simpro, AroFlo or BigChange customer and want job briefs and voice write-ups without changing software.
Look elsewhere if you are on a different system, or you want help diagnosing equipment.
Simpro Lightning or Kenner?
Choose Simpro Lightning if you are an existing Simpro, AroFlo or BigChange customer and want job briefs and spoken write-ups.
Choose Kenner if you want troubleshooting help, which is not among Lightning's agents, or you are not a Simpro customer. Kenner is also not tied to the FSM: through your CRM and ERP it orders parts and prepares quotes.
Checked against: Simpro, Simpro Lightning announcement · Simpro Lightning website
Which one fits your situation
We already run a big field service suite
Start with the AI your suite ships. It already has your work orders and it is the cheapest thing to switch on. Then look at where it stops: most suite AI summarises what is in the record, and if the answer your technician needs is in a manual, an old job or a colleague's head, a specialist that reads those will go further.
Our knowledge is in senior technicians' heads and old work orders
This is what the specialists are for. Kenner, Aquant and Neuron7 all build their answers from your own service history. Kenner and Aquant also capture what the technician says on the job, so the next person gets it.
Our technicians will not open another app
Look at how the tool reaches them. Kenner works in WhatsApp, iMessage, Teams, RCS or a phone call. Aquant works by voice call or SMS. Neuron7 and the suite assistants sit inside the system the technician already uses.
We mainly want less paperwork
Most tools here now draft the summary. Microsoft Copilot does it at no extra licence cost, Simpro Lightning writes the job up from the technician talking, and Kenner writes the report from a voice note and puts it back in your FSM, ERP or CRM.
We maintain our own equipment and do not dispatch to customers
MaintainX Assist is built for that and cites the manual or work order its answer came from. MaintainX publishes its prices and has a free plan, so check which plan includes Assist.
Questions and answers
What is the best AI for field service?
There is no single best one. For most companies the best first step is the AI in the field service suite they already run. For equipment service teams whose problem is the fix itself, a specialist that answers from their own job history, such as Kenner, Aquant or Neuron7, does more. This guide is published by Kenner, so weigh that.
What does AI actually do in field service?
Four things, mostly. It briefs the technician before the job from the history of the customer and the asset. It helps troubleshoot the fault. It writes the summary or report afterwards. And in the office it helps plan, schedule and dispatch.
Is the AI built into my field service software enough?
For briefs and summaries, often yes. For troubleshooting it depends on where your knowledge is. Suite AI answers from what is in the suite. If the fix is in a PDF manual, in a ten-year-old work order in another system or in someone's head, check whether the tool can read it.
How much does AI for field service cost?
Few vendors say. On the pages we checked, Salesforce lists Agentforce for Field Service at $125 per user per month on top of its Field Service licences, Microsoft includes Copilot in the $105 per user per month Dynamics 365 Field Service licence, and MaintainX has plans from free to $65 per user per month. Kenner, which we make, is free while in beta and has not published prices for afterwards. The rest quote on request.
Does field service AI work offline?
Several vendors say their mobile app works offline. None of the pages we checked says that the AI features themselves do. If your technicians work in basements and plant rooms, ask the vendor that exact question.
Will AI replace field service technicians?
No. Every tool here works by giving a technician information or taking paperwork off them. The repair, the safety decisions and the responsibility stay with the person on site.
How should we evaluate an AI tool for field service?
On your own jobs. Pick one team, connect the tool to your real work orders, and measure something you already track, such as first-time fix, callbacks or time spent on reports, before and after. A demo on the vendor's data tells you little.