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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Arena PLM and QMS

    Score8.5 out of 10
    N/AArena by PTC is a cloud-based PLM and QMS platform. Arena helps product companies that rely on distributed teams and global supply chains to develop products, ensure regulatory compliance, and respond to customer demands.N/A

    SOLIDWORKS

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ADassault Systemes offers SOLIDWORKS, a computer-aided design (CAD) system for education and manufacturing supporting 2D or 3D design, electrical design, simulations, and product development with collaboration tools.

    $1,295

    per year

    Pricing
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Editions & Modules
    Arena PLM Launch
    Contact Sales
    Arena PLM Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Arena QMS
    Contact Sales
    Arena QMS Enterprise
    Contact Sales
    Solidworks Annual Subscription
    1,295
    per year
    Solidworks Standard
    3,996
    per standalone license
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsArena's cloud-based PLM and QMS solutions include role-based subscriptions to meet diverse team needs. Their fixed-fee QuickStart™ implementations supports rapid deployment.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Considered Both Products
    Arena by PTC
    No answer on this topic
    Dassault Systemes
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    65 Answers
    97%
    Would buy again
    32 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    48 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    30 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    64 Answers
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    25 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    92%
    Implementation went as expected
    35 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    24 Answers
    Features
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Computer-Aided Design Software
    Comparison of Computer-Aided Design Software features of Arena PLM and QMS and SOLIDWORKS
    Feature
    Arena PLM and QMS
    -
    Ratings
    SOLIDWORKS
    8.8
    3 Ratings
    16% above category average
    3D Modeling00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    2D Drafting00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Rendering and Visualization00 Ratings7.93 Ratings
    Parametric Design00 Ratings7.62 Ratings
    Collaboration and Sharing00 Ratings9.62 Ratings
    Compatibility with other software and formats00 Ratings9.83 Ratings
    Assembly Design00 Ratings9.23 Ratings
    Simulation and Analysis00 Ratings6.22 Ratings
    Documentation and Annotation00 Ratings9.42 Ratings
    Customization and Extensions00 Ratings9.43 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Teamcenter
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Onshape
    Score6.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    SAP Integrated Product Development
    Score9 out of 10
    PTC Creo
    Score7.6 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.2
    (220 ratings)
    9.7
    (58 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    5.6
    (17 ratings)
    8.9
    (5 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (18 ratings)
    5.2
    (16 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    8.2
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.7
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Arena PLM and QMSSOLIDWORKS
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Arena by PTC
    Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    As a mechanical engineer, it is one of the best tools to just start modeling and engineering with. The UI tools are intuitive and engineering analysis such Mold Analysis, FEA, are great! Other 3D CAD modeling tools have a longer learning curve to master. All in all, if you're not planning to design an entire airplane with large assembly files, then Solidworks is your tool!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Arena by PTC
    • It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions.
    • It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses).
    • Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud.
    • There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers.
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • The collaborative work environment is a cool and useful feature where groups of people can work on the same model at the same time, and SOLIDWORKS ensures that you don't overwrite each other's work.
    • The ease and amount of customization options are very useful for creating a personalized and intuitive user interface, whether SOLIDWORKS is your native CAD package or not.
    • It is very easy to quickly edit a model you have already created. The software allows sketch and feature editing without having to take the time to actually enter the sketch/feature environment.
    • The use of configurations and configurations-specific dimensions in the same sketch is very useful for creating different forms of the same part
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Arena by PTC
    • In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots!
    • I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom.
    • In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • Save DWG 2D files in inches or metric easily, defaults to metric and has to be manually converted to inches
    • When using the sketch feature, the ability to disable ALL references. If I don't know the exact shape and I want to draw/adapt my design, it harshly interprets the references which have no value to me. The easiest exact is to think about when you have a Microsoft Word document that has a lot of formatting, photos, tabs, etc. If you accidentally hit the "enter" key, you can explode the formatting and everything goes crazy. SW does this to me, I just want to "doodle" my sketches, edit/delete/etc and not be bound by arbitrary references.
    • For the sketch feature, ability to use a DraftSight plugin of some sort. I'm super fast in DS, if I could draw using the commands in SW then I would probably never open DS again and convert to SW full time. Currently, I only use SW as a way to convert 3D files so I can build everything in DraftSight.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Arena by PTC
    We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    We have absolutely no reasons to not keep with SolidWorks for the foreseeable future.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Arena by PTC
    Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    I have been using SOLIDWORKS for around 12 years as of writing this review, so have learned where most things are and how they work. When first starting out it was quite daunting, but the interface is well laid out with like functions near each other which made finding new functions relatively easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Arena by PTC
    Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Arena by PTC
    We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Arena by PTC
    Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    We have an unusual arrangement. We don’t pay for support, but we’re partnered with a VAR for second-tier support.
    I work with other users if I have questions but when we’ve had to ask the VAR, they always have answers. It appears that all of the VARs have access to a support platform from DS SOLIDWORKS that helps them answer most questions.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Online Training
    Arena by PTC
    The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Arena by PTC
    Pretty straightforward, from OOB
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    Arena by PTC
    Arena is much better than QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    Onshape is a direct competitor. It has great entry level pricing and it is easy to access with no installation required. Being a web based app there is sometime some lag being based in NZ. Management also have concerns over where the data is stored on the cloud. With SW we can control where it is stored
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    Arena by PTC
    Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Arena by PTC
    • Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product.
    • Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs).
    • Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Dassault Systemes
    • Creation of small 3D pieces to generate cash flow.
    • Not being able to create 3D sculptures with this tool, and not being able to fulfill the client's requirements.
    • To be able to sell high visual quality simulations for companies that hire the service.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Arena PLM and QMS Screenshots

    Screenshot of Arena Bill of Materials (BOM) Management. Indented BOM displaying "in production" item status.Screenshot of Arena Engineering Change Management.  Engineering Change Order (ECO) approval with redlines.Screenshot of Arena Projects. Project schedule with status and progress.Screenshot of Arena Quality. Quality process showing a Corrective Action Report (CAR) with the issue details, affected items, and resolution progress/status.Screenshot of Arena Requirements. Tracks requirements and related product development issues for a complete product picture.Screenshot of Arena Analytics, Arena's business intelligence (BI) tool