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Manufacturing · head to head

ABB 800xA vs GENESIS Version 11

ABB 800xA logo

ABB 800xA

Manufacturing

Distributed control system and process automation platform for continuous and hybrid process plants

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
GENESIS Version 11 logo

GENESIS Version 11

Manufacturing

Iconics SCADA and visualisation under Mitsubishi Electric, now sold with unlimited tag licensing

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ABB 800xA licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.; GENESIS Version 11 the name has changed twice, from GENESIS64 to GENESIS Version 11 with an Iconics-to-Mitsubishi ownership shift, so documentation, forum answers and integrator experience are split across three product identities.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, GENESIS Version 11 covers Unlimited tag licensing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB 800xA and GENESIS Version 11 actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB 800xA and GENESIS Version 11 differ
AttributeABB 800xAGENESIS Version 11
PlatformsWindowsWindows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ABB 800xA

  • Extended Automation
  • AC 800M controllers
  • Connectivity servers
  • Safety integration
  • IEC 61850 electrical
  • Batch management
  • Information management
  • Asset optimisation

Only in GENESIS Version 11

  • Unlimited tag licensing
  • GraphWorX
  • Hyper Historian
  • AnalytiX
  • Web and mobile clients
  • BACnet and building protocols
  • Alarm and notification
  • Energy AnalytiX

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ABB 800xA

  • A refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in placenot GENESIS Version 11
  • A pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplacenot GENESIS Version 11
  • A mining operation that needs SIL 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety systemnot GENESIS Version 11
  • A marine or offshore platform where ABB already supplies the electrical distribution and IEC 61850 integration removes a second systemnot GENESIS Version 11

GENESIS Version 11

  • A university or hospital estate adding buildings every year that no longer wants a licence negotiation for each expansionnot ABB 800xA
  • A data centre operator needing power and cooling status overlaid on a 3D floor model rather than a line diagramnot ABB 800xA
  • A water utility wanting pump station status on a GIS map alongside historised flow and pressure datanot ABB 800xA
  • A Mitsubishi Electric factory automation site wanting supervisory visualisation from the same vendor as the controllersnot ABB 800xA

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ABB 800xA

  • Licensing is by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients, and none of it is published, so two plants of similar size can be quoted very differently with no external benchmark to argue against.
  • Engineering and commissioning typically cost more than the software and controller hardware together, and that share is not visible in the initial ABB quotation, which prices the system rather than the project.
  • It is Windows only for servers and workplaces, so the operating system lifecycle drives forced upgrade cycles that have nothing to do with your process.
  • Once configured, the aspect object model and the specific integrator conventions used make handing the system to a different service provider expensive; ABB service contracts are effectively sticky.
  • Software maintenance is an annual contract on top of the licence and lapsing it means you cannot take version upgrades, so the system quietly ages out of security support if the plant skips renewals to save money.

GENESIS Version 11

  • The name has changed twice, from GENESIS64 to GENESIS Version 11 with an Iconics-to-Mitsubishi ownership shift, so documentation, forum answers and integrator experience are split across three product identities.
  • Unlimited licensing sets a high floor: a small site with a few hundred points pays for capacity it cannot use, and tag-priced competitors remain cheaper below a few thousand points.
  • It is a Windows and Microsoft-stack product, depending on SQL Server and Windows services, so Linux-first or containerised deployment strategies do not apply to it.
  • Mitsubishi Electric now owns it outright, and roadmap priorities follow that group’s factory automation strategy rather than the independent building-automation direction Iconics previously set.
  • The 3D and GIS visualisation that distinguishes it takes real modelling effort to populate, and estates that skip that work end up with an expensive licence driving conventional 2D screens.

Pricing, plan by plan

ABB 800xA

On request
  • ABB Ability System 800xA$undefined/year
    • Licensed by I/O count, controller count and workplace clients
    • Sold as a project through ABB or a certified partner
    • Annual software maintenance contract priced separately

GENESIS Version 11

On request
  • GENESIS Version 11$undefined/year
    • Unlimited tags, users and connected devices within a licence
    • Licensed by product module rather than by point count
    • Sold and configured through Mitsubishi Electric and Iconics system integrators

Which should you pick?

Choose ABB 800xA if

  • You need extended automation.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want ac 800m controllers.
ABB 800xA review

Choose GENESIS Version 11 if

  • You need unlimited tag licensing.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want graphworx.
GENESIS Version 11 review

Questions people ask

Is ABB 800xA or GENESIS Version 11 better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB 800xA starts at On request and GENESIS Version 11 at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB 800xA or GENESIS Version 11?
ABB 800xA starts at On request and GENESIS Version 11 at On request.
Does ABB 800xA or GENESIS Version 11 run on more platforms?
ABB 800xA runs on Windows. GENESIS Version 11 runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
What is ABB 800xA best used for?
ABB 800xA is most often used for a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place, a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace, a mining operation that needs sil 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety system, a marine or offshore platform where abb already supplies the electrical distribution and iec 61850 integration removes a second system. Of those, a refinery replacing operator consoles and control room infrastructure while keeping working field controllers in place and a pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplace are not what GENESIS Version 11 is typically brought in for.
What can ABB 800xA do that GENESIS Version 11 cannot?
ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, AC 800M controllers, Connectivity servers, Safety integration. GENESIS Version 11 covers Unlimited tag licensing, GraphWorX, Hyper Historian, AnalytiX.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ABB 800xA: Is 800xA sold as a perpetual licence?

Yes, the system licence is perpetual, but a separate annual software maintenance agreement is required to receive updates and version upgrades.

GENESIS Version 11: Is GENESIS64 discontinued?

It has been superseded. GENESIS Version 11 is the current release and the name GENESIS64 is retired.

ABB 800xA: Can 800xA control non-ABB field hardware?

Yes. Connectivity servers front third-party PLC and DCS systems and legacy ABB families, which is the main reason it wins brownfield projects.

GENESIS Version 11: Does version 11 really have no tag limits?

Yes, tag, user and device counting was removed in version 11. Licensing is by module instead.

ABB 800xA: Does it replace a separate electrical SCADA?

It can. IEC 61850 substation integration is native, so many plants drop a separate electrical monitoring system.

GENESIS Version 11: Who owns Iconics now?

Mitsubishi Electric, which took full ownership. Iconics continues to operate under its own name from Massachusetts.

ABB 800xA: What is the realistic implementation timeline?

A full plant migration is measured in years, not months; phased cutovers of one unit at a time are the norm.

GENESIS Version 11: Can it act as a building management system on its own?

It is the supervisory and analytics layer. It reads BACnet and building controllers but does not replace field-level plant controllers.

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