ThingConnect

Comparison

Best CNC machine monitoring software in India (2026)

Five tools Indian CNC shops shortlist — Leanworx, sfHawk, Fabrico, MachineMetrics and ThingConnect — compared on price, setup and how they connect to your machines.

By ThingConnect · Updated November 2026 · 7 min read

We make one of the five, so read this with that in mind. Every statement about the other four was read on their own website and is linked in How we checked. Where a company doesn’t publish something, we say so instead of guessing.

The short answer

There is no single best tool — the right one depends on how you want to buy, where your data must live, and how your machines connect. Two are Indian companies with Indian customers on their sites (Leanworx, sfHawk); two are foreign platforms with no India office stated (Fabrico, MachineMetrics); ThingConnect is a Coimbatore team that reads each CNC controller directly and installs and supports every system itself.

Side by side

As published on each company’s own website. Prices are shown in the currency each company uses.

LeanworxsfHawkFabricoMachineMetricsThingConnect
Based inBengaluru, IndiaPune, IndiaBulgaria (EU); no India office statedMassachusetts, USA; no India office statedCoimbatore, India
Price published?Yes — Lite free (1 machine); SME $55 per machine per month or $540 per year; Pro on requestNo — quoted by machines and modulesNo — “every Fabrico quote is built for your plant”NoYes — ₹79 per machine per day (about ₹2,400 a month; ₹28,835 a year); ₹67 at 11–25 machines, ₹59 at 26+
Try before buyingFree tier on 1 machine; free 5-working-day trialNot statedPilot on one line, under 6 weeks; price not statedNot stated₹50,000 60-day pilot, credited in full if you continue
SetupSelf-install; “goes live in under 30 minutes”Edge device plus a Windows server for its servicesAbout a month to connect devices; full rollout 3–4 monthsEdge device or a virtual machine on your own serversSite survey, gateway install and training by our engineers; one-time ₹40,000–₹75,000
Cloud or on-premiseCloudEither, as standardCloud only; data hosted in Germany or the USACloud — “nothing to host” on your sideCloud by default; on-premise for larger fleets or strict data policies
How machines connectOPC UA, MTConnect and a CNC maker’s own protocol; a device for machines without EthernetMTConnect, OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT, PLC and serialPLC via OPC UA, Modbus and other industrial protocols, or its own sensors; no CNC-specific protocol namedThe widest list: MTConnect, OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT, several CNC makers’ protocols; sensors for older machinesDirectly from each CNC controller — no sensors or clamps; confirmed machine by machine in the survey
Named on their siteOEE, downtime reasons, alerts, maintenance, role dashboardsOEE, operator downtime popup, andon TV, production planning, SPC, energyOEE, downtime reasons, operator tablet, TV screens, built-in maintenance, light MESOEE, downtime, operator guidance, scheduling, work orders, ERP connectors, AI assistantOEE, downtime reasons, andon, tool life, operator tablets and TV screens at no extra licence cost
Indian customers namedYes (7 on their about page)Yes (3 testimonials)None namedNone namedNot yet

Choose it if…

  • Choose Leanworx if you want to try one machine free and install it yourself today.
  • Choose sfHawk if you need the system on your own servers, or want measuring instruments connected too.
  • Choose Fabrico if you want machine monitoring and maintenance work orders in one cloud tool, and are fine with data hosted outside India.
  • Choose MachineMetrics if you run a large, mixed fleet and need ready-made ERP connectors and the widest list of machine protocols.
  • Choose ThingConnect if you run modern networked CNC controllers, want transparent per-day pricing with WhatsApp alerts, or plan to connect machine data directly to preventive maintenance and tool-life tracking.

Where others are stronger

A comparison that finds no weaknesses in its author’s product isn’t worth reading. These are the places the others do something we don’t:

  • Leanworx lets you start free, on your own. Its Lite plan monitors one machine at no cost, and it says installation takes under 30 minutes. ThingConnect has no free tier, and every install starts with a site survey by our engineers.
  • sfHawk treats on-premise as standard and lists connections to measuring instruments as well as machines. ThingConnect keeps on-premise for larger fleets or strict data policies.
  • Fabrico puts maintenance in the same tool — work orders, preventive maintenance and spare parts sit next to OEE. ThingConnect focuses on the machines and connects to a separate maintenance system.
  • MachineMetrics connects to more kinds of machine and has ready-made ERP connectors; it says over 10,000 machines are connected worldwide.
  • Leanworx and sfHawk name Indian customers. ThingConnect doesn’t name customers on this site yet — ask us for a reference instead.

Where ThingConnect fits

ThingConnect is built for CNC machine shops that want the numbers to come from the machine itself. It reads state, part count and alarms directly from each controller, with no sensors or current clamps, so a stop is recorded with its exact time and the controller’s own alarm. Operators add the reason in a couple of taps.

Our engineers do the site survey, connect every machine and train your team, so dashboards are live on install day. There are no per-user licences — unlimited operators, supervisors, tablets and TV screens. If the plant internet drops, the gateway keeps collecting and syncs when the line is back, and support comes from the same team that installed it.

Pricing is on the site: ₹79 per machine per day, falling with volume, plus a one-time deployment fee, and a ₹50,000 60-day pilot credited in full if you continue.

It fits less well if you want to self-install, want a free plan for one machine, or need on-premise for a small shop. See what OEE software costs in India and cloud versus on-premise.

How to run a fair pilot

  1. Pick your hardest machines, not your newest — the oldest control and the one that stops most.
  2. Agree what success means in writing before install: which numbers, measured how, by when.
  3. Ask how each machine will connect — controller, extra device or sensors — and who wires it.
  4. Get a full-year price for your machine count, including setup, hardware and per-device fees.
  5. Check where the data lives and who can see it.
  6. Talk to a customer like you — same machines, similar size, ideally nearby.

How we checked

Every competitor fact was read on the company’s own website on 11–12 November 2026. We did not use review sites or our own earlier notes. Pages used:

Prices and features change. If anything here is out of date, write to hello@thingconnect.io and we will correct it.

Frequently asked questions

Only Leanworx and ThingConnect publish prices, in different currencies, so compare a full year for your machine count — including setup and any hardware — rather than the headline rate. Leanworx’s free tier covers one machine; for a whole floor you will be on a paid plan with any vendor.

Not always. Modern CNC controls can report state, part count and alarms over the network, which is how ThingConnect connects. Older machines without a usable port often need an extra device or signal wiring. Ask any vendor to confirm the method for each of your machines before you sign.

sfHawk offers on-premise as a standard option. ThingConnect runs in the cloud by default and offers on-premise for larger fleets or strict data policies. Fabrico is cloud-only, hosted in Germany or the USA. Leanworx and MachineMetrics describe cloud services.

Talk to our team

See how ThingConnect reads your own machines — before you commit

A 30-minute call: your controllers, your shift pattern, your numbers.

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