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Accela vs IFS Cloud Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Accela
Ranking in Local Government CRM
5th
Average Rating
7.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IFS Cloud Platform
Ranking in Local Government CRM
8th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
CRM (20th), Customer Experience Management (7th), Field Service Management (1st), Help Desk Software (12th), ERP (13th), Activity Based Costing Software (7th), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) (2nd), IT Asset Management (10th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (11th), License Management (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Local Government CRM category, the mindshare of Accela is 2.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IFS Cloud Platform is 0.8%, down from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Local Government CRM
 

Featured Reviews

Sajjad Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
A superb platform for low-code development, but needs to improve its pricing and support
It was a customized solution like a VPN. We used some open-source tools and some paid tools. But we mostly had custom-developed tools. As for why we switched from Accela, this is a very important question because that was a legacy system, and it was running for 11 years. Of course, we reached a point where we wanted to scale our applications, and we had a legacy system that could not support scaling and required more time to implement any applications. That was one of the reasons we chose a low-code platform. We evaluated multiple solutions in the market. As part of the bidding, Accela was the lowest with more features.
Brendan Fisher - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust, customizable, and modern
IFS is a very large and complex software, and implementation of IFS can be challenging and may lead to a difficult lengthy project. It can take between 12 and 24 months in some cases to deploy. I have found that not all clients are fully aware of how big the task is that they're undertaking when they make a decision to move to software like this. Companies need to be more aware of the complexity of an ERP implementation project and while I fully recommend moving to IFS, it is not easy and does require business change when adopting an ERP solution. New features are a difficult ask - I work across multiple industries and everyone would probably choose a different feature. Maybe BIM in Construction or Customs link-ups for importers/exporters.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The Accela's most valuable features are visual inspection and workflow."
"We can develop features in very little time."
"What I like about IFS Applications is that it's easier to use and implement than SAP. I also like that the IFS Applications team is more flexible than the SAP team."
"Individual user profiles that can be configured as templates to minimize data entry."
"We could quickly understand what was going on and what the customer wanted to do."
"The best feature is the maintenance module, which is essentially an industry-specific workflow designed with a manufacturing module as per industry standards. It's very precise and specific without having complex functionalities. It's straightforward. Field Service Management is definitely a wonderful product that IFS has developed because it caters to field services. The energy and utility sectors can answer their business needs using the software."
"The most valuable features of IFS Applications in the latest version are the new user Arena interface. It's from Apps 9, but it brings more flexibility in usage, especially around different devices, such as mobile usage, which doesn't restrict you from using a computer. We are it for the HR side, and it's proving quite good. It has a new modern feel to it similar to a standard cloud application which enhances the user experience."
"All the modules are valuable in their own right, but everything has to go through the ERP. IFS has done an excellent job integrating the various modules to complete these processes. My expertise is in the finance module, but I have used the other verticals. It's an all-around good product."
"The platform is reliable and stable."
"When it comes to financing, the solution has helped us to concentrate finance functions like accounting processes in one system. This includes about 70 internal entities around the world."
 

Cons

"I would like to see integration with analytics and the Power BI dashboard."
"The tool's performance becomes slow with usage. Its deployment is also complicated."
"There are certain digital features that need to be incorporated, such as IOP."
"Sometimes from the sales perspective, clients don't always fully understand how large a task or a project they're getting involved in when they decide, "We're going to switch across to IFS." They could probably do a little bit more, maybe around preparing people for these projects."
"The integration is a bit complex, and post-implementation support services need to be improved. They have a service center based out of Sri Lanka. The support aspect is good, but the response time is a little slower than we anticipated. In the next release, it would be better if Warehouse Management could be improvised. They have a product line that's a data warehouse management system, but it's still premature and requires a bit of enhancement."
"We would like to see AI-driven CSI functions built into the tool that would allow us to quickly tie our improvement goals to metrics and activities, so Assyst will suggest the next steps to help us get closer to our goals."
"We have upgraded to the latest version right now. We have issues with the quality. We tried to enroll in their Evergreen program which was meant to help us adopt any service update or anything that the tool’s providers come up with."
"The user interface can be improved. When you're clicking through the screens, there are some icons or symbols that really need updating and would be more useful and noticeable if they are aesthetically pleasing."
"Customization needs to be improved."
"The support provided by IFS Applications has room for improvement. I'm based in Poland, and when my company had an issue, finding people from IFS to give my company the support it needed was difficult."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When we chose Accela, it was affordable. But with new solutions in the market, we can see cheaper ones with the same features."
"There's an additional yearly cost for support."
"IFS Applications are competitive in terms of pricing compared to other vendors, such as SAP, Oracle, and Epicor. They are generally cheaper, especially for licensing costs."
"Compared to SAP, the pricing for IFS Applications was very affordable. People using the solution would find that it's worth the money."
"The product is reasonably priced."
"There are varying license levels that you can purchase."
"I consider it to be a well-priced solution compared to other mid-range or high-end ERP solutions."
"Licensing is on an annual basis, with no additional costs."
"Pricing is an area that could be improved. They could be more competitive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
38%
Pharma/Biotech Company
12%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Energy/Utilities Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Accela?
The Accela's most valuable features are visual inspection and workflow.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Accela?
When we chose Accela, it was affordable. But with new solutions in the market, we can see cheaper ones with the same features. Previously, Accela was on-premises, and we faced infrastructure costs ...
What needs improvement with Accela?
The tool's performance becomes slow with usage. Its deployment is also complicated.
What do you like most about IFS Applications?
Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine or ten out of ten since it is an extremely scalable solution that can be used for various use cases with thousands of users.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IFS Applications?
The product is reasonably priced. The costs are justified by the value provided, considering the comprehensive features and minimal need for customization. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.
What needs improvement with IFS Applications?
I am not able to recall much about batch. Documentation-wise, they need more. There is not much available online, and the documentation availability is on the lower side compared to other products,...
 

Also Known As

No data available
IFS Applications, Assyst, IFS Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Accela is used by over 1,000 government agencies in the United States and Canada. Some of its customers include the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and the City of Toronto.
China Airlines, Electrolux Group, Babcock, Cimcorp, Sky, Multiplex, Veolia. 
Find out what your peers are saying about Accela vs. IFS Cloud Platform and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
862,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.