# ION Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is ION the right Manufacturing Execution solution for you? Explore 28 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/205019/ion/reviews --- ION 4 (28) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of ION Ease of use 3.9 Customer Service 4.8 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JC Jasmine C Manufacturing EngineerIndustrial Automation, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “The clean interface, seamless procedure integration, and run/issue capabilities are only a few if the features that make my team work fast and efficiently.“ May 24, 2021 Charlie G Stealth Engine Chief Engineer and Production ManagerAviation & Aerospace, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “The GUI can be very clunky on older modules.“ June 3, 2021 NR Nick R Sr Software EngineerAviation & Aerospace, 201 - 500 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Great UI, intuitive design, responsive team consistently rolling out new features, first in class integration platform.“ May 20, 2021 KM Konstantinos M StudentAviation & Aerospace, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I liked the overall layout of the interface and thought the part tracking feature would be very helpful for our organization.“ May 21, 2021 Charlie G Stealth Engine Chief Engineer and Production ManagerAviation & Aerospace, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Every update increases usability and functionality, though sometimes comes with some workflow changes.“ June 3, 2021 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 28 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Charlie G. Stealth Engine Chief Engineer and Production Manager Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Ion is a powerful manufacturing workflow tool with a very bright future." June 3, 2021 4.0 Even where Ion has rough edges, it is far superior in usability and feature richness to the competition. In the months we have been using Ion the robust feature roadmap has been borne out. Every update increases usability and functionality, though sometimes comes with some workflow changes. I can unreservedly recommend this software. It is good now with the potential to be great. I have had a very good experience with the First Resonance team and believe they are an excellent team to work with. Pros The traceability, work instruction, and issue ticket modules work together well and provide the needed functionality. The Ion team is highly responsive and actively adding features. They provide real time support on both bugs and usability concerns. The technician facing interface is highly functional. Setting up and scaling the software instance is easy. The First Resonance team makes export control compliance easy. Cons The GUI can be very clunky on older modules. Minor program errors are not uncommon while working in the tool. Data entry from our PDM system is very manual and time consuming. The lack of strong mobile support is a significant opportunity for the software, but a frustrating omission at the moment. Review Source WC Wade C. Manufacturing Engineer Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Clean, intuitive, feature rich, and constantly improving!" July 7, 2020 5.0 The team is very supportive, blazing fast response time, and it has greatly improved our shop floor activity tracking. Pros Easy to deploy and get acquainted with. Integrates well with our developing company process. Feature implementation, changes and fixes are extremely fast. Cons Some functions are not super intuitive, but are still maturing. Not a major con but a function of a developing software platform. Reason for choosing ION Team Support, Cost, Functionality, paradigm change compared to historical and monolithic MES systems. Switched from [Electronic Work Instructions](https://www.capterra.com/p/142117/Electronic-Work-Instructions/) Software was very limited in functionality, did not include many of the functions required for our MVP, and the team was not willing to customize. Review Source MH Mia H. Manufacturing Engineer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "It's an okay start" June 3, 2021 3.0 Pros Very clean look. First Resonance has also been extremely receptive to feedback, even for new features that can take a while to implement. It's clear that this software is in it's early stages, but getting feedback and responding to it is a great wat to improve. Cons There are soooo many improvements need to make this software productions ready. The instruction editor is still pretty annoying to use when incorporating images, ordered list, and any non-basic formatting needs. I wish there was an option to create a field that can take multiple inputs. I have never tried to used the part tracking and traceability in ION, but from what I have seen it does not look ready to go. I wish the devs did more controlled roll outs of improvements/changes. Sometimes, I feel that things are rolled out really quickly and result in a lot of glitches upon implementation. Review Source BG Ben G. Additive Manufacturing Engineer Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "A good product with a lot of room to grow" June 3, 2021 4.0 Pros The interface is simple and the software is generally pretty easy to navigate. Creating items and procedures is smooth and I can generate work orders with no problem. The First Resonance team is responsive and updates are dropped frequently, so issues that I might have one week may get resolved the next. Always nice to wake up to new functionalities and have an evolving UI. Cons The filtering is not great. Creating items or work orders is easy enough, but going back and finding work that was done previously is not an easy task. At the moment, this generally consists of scrolling through long lists. The search bar also is a little inflexible and queries have to be precisely defined, otherwise, it's back to scrolling through a long, long list. It's also not apparent what's going on in the backend of Ion and it's easy to mess up links among different items that are linked (i.e. it is pretty fragile). Review Source SN Sohil N. Staff Software Engineer Machinery Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Easiest way to set up a production workflow" May 24, 2021 4.0 ION has brought great value to our company. It's very easy to use and set up. The customer service is amazing! The team really listens to your feedback in order to improve the product. If ION can't do something you need right now, it will likely get added or there is a sufficient work around. Highly recommend using ION! Pros ION is super easy to set up! You can get running with it within a few days and immediately make an impact on your production workflow. Having your work instructions directly in the software and not in some other system is a huge benefit. The ability to track the as-built BOM and collect data during the execution of runs is extremely valuable. Cons There are some edge cases and bugs that still need to be sorted out. There are some features that are lacking like in app reports, but there are good workarounds until they get a chance to implement it. Consumption of material for 3D printing applications needs to be improved. Review Source TH Tim H. certified badass Defense & Space Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The future of manufacturing is bright" June 2, 2021 3.0 We were decently early adopters with Ion and have seen the software grow into a more and more powerful toolbox. Pros Ion is going to revolutionize the field of work instructions and inventory management. The support team is knowledgeable, helpful, and easy to work with. While working with the team, it feels like they're part of your internal team when finding solutions within Ion. Cons The price seems to be a little aggressive for the software when compared with alternatives. The per user price keeps the software from being fully adopted by the company to find solutions of their own. Alternatives considered [Fusion Operations](https://www.capterra.com/p/153796/Fusion-Operations/) Reason for choosing ION ProdSmart didn't have a US Engineering support team. Review Source IS Ian S. Quality Engineer Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Ion User Review" July 14, 2020 3.0 Ion has done a really good job at providing us what we need when we need it. Very responsive and amazing customer support. Ion has also helped us create a tool that can aid in data capture far better then we were doing before. Pros Ion has great features for developing work instructions fast. It is very easy and intuitive to use. I like the data field collection option that Ion gives you which helps better track the data inputs that need to be captured when executing processes. I also think the nested step functionality is great and helps organize the work instruction a lot better in addition to the dependencies functionality. Cons I feel that some of the data field validations are not fully developed. Min/Max values can be mistakenly entered and in result the operators using the work instruction may not be able to capture process data correctly. There are often bugs when new tools are released and although these are usually corrected pretty quickly it slows down the operators when performing work. Editing functionality when creating work instructions could use a lot of improvement. Alternatives considered [Electronic Work Instructions](https://www.capterra.com/p/142117/Electronic-Work-Instructions/) Reason for choosing ION Easier to set up. Ability to customize our work instruction development and MES system with the First Resonance team. Review Source JC Jasmine C. Manufacturing Engineer Industrial Automation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "The MES That Evolves With Your Manufacturing Needs" May 24, 2021 4.0 Pros I really appreciate the attention to detail the First Resonance Team devotes to customizing our Ion interface. The clean interface, seamless procedure integration, and run/issue capabilities are only a few if the features that make my team work fast and efficiently. It did not take much time for the team to integrate Ion into our day-to-day start-up life, and more importantly, grows with us as we scale-up production. Cons My current struggle with the software is something I know the First Resonance team is working on already - the import parts feature. If we could possibly have a verification tab or import history implemented to the software, it could possibly help minimize the confusion relating to whether or not a item line was imported correctly. I will relay an addition to this customer request to the Ion support. Review Source ZA Zack A. Sr. Manager Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Up and coming MES solution" May 21, 2021 4.0 Ion has been a real partner for us and is very responsive to our feedback. Pros I love that this is a simple, cloud-based solution for manufacturing execution, that DOESN'T have too much bloat! Cons A lot of the core functionality is there, but I'm wishing for some usability features like better organization and filtering of runs, better tracking for different workcenters, and some "quirk-reduction" as there are a lot of little things you just need to know how to do or how to massage the system. Review Source SC Shane C. Propulsion Design Engineer Intern Defense & Space Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "This Software Has Great Potential" June 3, 2021 4.0 Pros I like how easy it is to create new runs and procedures, as well as the usefulness of the runs. I also appreciate the how receptive to feedback the team is and how quickly they implement changes to make the software better. Cons My biggest complaint is that there is no way to view the history of a part. We often make an assembly, use it, then strip it down to use the parts elsewhere. When we try to go back to see where that part had been used in the past, there's no way to find out. Review Source LO Lars O. Propulsion Design Engineering Lead Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Ion fills gaps that I have been struggling with my whole career" May 22, 2021 4.0 I have found that documenting my processes has generally slowed me down, we need to figure out a better way to use Ion in the prototyping and R&D stage. Pros Ion is a unique tool that solves a lot of problems that have been bothering me my whole career, writing procedures, releasing them, revision control, and tracking data related to the as-built product. I love that First Resonance is highly responsive to user requests and help, and has the vision to help companies just like ours make manufacturing process control easy. Cons I wish FR did a bit more testing on new features before pushing them to beta groups. I may as well have access to FR's Jira if we are going to be writing bug descriptions that often. A good mobile experience will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the software, as well as more/improved hooks to import BOMs from a design. Review Source NN Nahush N. Composites Manufacturing Engineer Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "First Resonance ION review" May 20, 2021 3.0 Pros I love that First Resonance takes our feedback and continuously updates their software to match our needs. it is also intuitive for the most part which is a bonus. Cons The software can be quite buggy sometimes which is understable as it is still indevelopment. Would be great if the changes suggested get implemented into the datagrid structure soon. The datagrid will quite likely be the most used feature across the company and it needs to be solid. Review Source PB Prashanth B. Lead Propulsion Analyst Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Good product with potential to grow" June 30, 2021 4.0 Pros Home UI is easy to understand. Easy place to keep track of completed and in-progress work. Cons Lack of ability to link different runs which could help move from one run to another without the use of going back to the run table. Review Source JL Joshua L. Technician Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Ion review" May 20, 2021 5.0 Pros Extremely intuitive software that's helps our company keep track and manage workflows Cons Ion has a hard time rendering images and would benefit from an API that could allow users to automate specific tasks. Review Source CH Christopher H. Manufacturing Engineer Airlines/Aviation Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "In Work, but looking good so far!" July 10, 2020 4.0 Simple enough to use for wide applications of work instructions. Pros Simple, easy to use. The options for QA checks are very feature rich and very useful. Cons Some strange UI things, but nothing serious. They will be worked out in time. Alternatives considered [Electronic Work Instructions](https://www.capterra.com/p/142117/Electronic-Work-Instructions/) Reason for choosing ION Custom features and 1:1 support. Review Source AS Acacia S. Procurement Agent Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "ION as a new user" May 20, 2021 5.0 Pros This product is very easy to use. I believe when we roll this out to more of our team, it will be straightforward. Questions to the ION team are also answered promptly and all requests seem possibly to enact. Cons As a newer user, there is not too much I have found to be unlikable at this time. The only thing that poses a challenge is the need to refresh a purchase order after placing it, instead of it updating real time as I edit. Review Source WY Wilson Y. Avionics Hardware Development Engineer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Reliable Robotics - Avionics" June 3, 2021 4.0 Pros Procedures and Runs. I like how we are able to have a common location and format for these things. Cons Parts creation and list. It's clunky and I would rather we have unique pn. Review Source CC Chris C. Sr. Propulsion Engineer Defense & Space Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Great quality for such a young company" May 24, 2021 4.0 Pros The software simplifies, and improves the quality of our procedures with simple click-based movement through the procedure when your hands are busy Cons There are still some minor bugs that could be worked out that are expected with a new software. Review Source MS Mark S. Senior Tech/ Machinist Printing Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Why we like Ion" July 16, 2021 5.0 Pros Organization. No annoying people bothering me Cons Complexity of the product. Annoying reviews. Review Source GD Grant D. Senior Mechanical Engineeer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Ion Review" July 7, 2020 5.0 Pros Very responsive customer service. Intuitive software, and easy to implement into our workflow. Cons Since the software is still being developed, there are a lot of areas of improvement, so capabilities can be a little lacking at first. The team at First Resonance however is very receptive to recommendations, and implementations occur quickly. Review Source ET Eli T. Quality Engineer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Still in development with great promise" July 14, 2020 4.0 The heavy focus on data and metrics, and features like Trace, showcase Ion's value to quality as well as manufacturing departments. Pros easy to begin using and customizing. The development team is responsive and value and use your suggestions for bettering the program. Cons As it is still in development, some features do not exist and others are not fully fleshed out yet. Review Source DY Dmitriy Y. Director, HW Mechanical or Industrial Engineering Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Initial sw trials" June 4, 2021 4.0 Manufacturing builds, procedures. Pros Easy to start and create procedures. Basic traceability process in place. Cons search function. Trace non-confirming materials. Review Source NR Nick R. Sr Software Engineer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The future of manufacturing systems" May 20, 2021 4.0 Great software and support, will be rolling it out across the organization over the next year. Pros Great UI, intuitive design, responsive team consistently rolling out new features, first in class integration platform. Cons Some robust features found in similar enterprise systems are not yet available. Alternatives considered [Infor CloudSuite](https://www.capterra.com/p/235778/Infor-Cloud-ERP/) Review Source RJ Robin J. Robotics Programmer Aviation & Aerospace Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "First Time Ion-User" July 6, 2020 4.0 Using Ion to dictate certification workflow is proving to work very well with our accelerated timeline. We have faith that the integration continues to flow as easily as it has been so far. Pros This is my fist time working with work-instructions software and I found it very easy to learn and to integrate with our developing manufacturing processes. Cons Incorporating this software with all of our other software was challenging but the Ion team is very helpful and responsive. Review Source JV Jaime V. Production Engineer Automotive Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Ion is a must have!" May 20, 2021 5.0 The FR team is amazing and truly helpful. Highly responsive and very intimate with the software. Pros The software is the highly useful for config tracking, mfg documentation and build tracking. It is the bridge between manual tracking and an expensive PLM system. Cons The product was not the issue, it was the timing that was not right. Review Source Similar Products Featured