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Manufacturing · head to head

ABB 800xA vs QAD Redzone

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
QAD Redzone logo

QAD Redzone

Manufacturing

Connected workforce platform for food and beverage plants, sold per production line with coaching included

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.; QAD Redzone licensing is per production line and per site, so a plant running many short lines pays far more than a plant with a few long ones producing the same volume, and the pricing unit is not comparable with per user or per machine products.
  • They diverge on capability: ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, QAD Redzone covers Line side tablets.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ABB 800xA and QAD Redzone actually diverge.

Attributes where ABB 800xA and QAD Redzone differ
AttributeABB 800xAQAD Redzone
PlatformsWindowsWeb, 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 QAD Redzone

  • Line side tablets
  • Crew based performance
  • Structured escalation
  • Digital quality checks
  • Coaching programme
  • Plant and network reporting

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 QAD Redzone
  • A pulp and paper mill consolidating process, electrical and safety monitoring into a single operator workplacenot QAD Redzone
  • A mining operation that needs SIL 3 safety functions on the same network as process control rather than a separate safety systemnot QAD Redzone
  • A marine or offshore platform where ABB already supplies the electrical distribution and IEC 61850 integration removes a second systemnot QAD Redzone

QAD Redzone

  • A food plant losing output to unrecorded short stoppages that nobody escalates during a shiftnot ABB 800xA
  • A CPG manufacturer wanting crews to own line targets rather than receive them from a weekly reportnot ABB 800xA
  • A plant replacing paper food safety and quality check sheets with time stamped digital recordsnot ABB 800xA
  • A multi site group looking for comparable productivity reporting across plants running similar linesnot 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.

QAD Redzone

  • Licensing is per production line and per site, so a plant running many short lines pays far more than a plant with a few long ones producing the same volume, and the pricing unit is not comparable with per user or per machine products.
  • The result depends on a change programme, and where plant leadership treats it as a software rollout and skips the coaching discipline, the tablets become expensive downtime logs and the promised gains do not appear.
  • Data comes largely from crew input plus simple sensors rather than deep controller integration, so a plant expecting automatic capture from its process control system will need additional work or a different product.
  • QAD acquired it in 2022 and QAD is owned by a private equity firm, so buyers who do not run QAD ERP should ask directly how long standalone deployments remain a strategic priority and what integration commitments exist in writing.
  • It suits repetitive process lines and fits badly in low volume high mix discrete manufacturing, where crews, targets and changeover patterns do not have the regularity the model assumes.

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

QAD Redzone

On request
  • QAD Redzone$undefined/year
    • Per production line and per site licensing
    • Line side tablet application
    • Initial coaching and deployment programme

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 QAD Redzone if

  • You need line side tablets.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want crew based performance.
QAD Redzone review

Questions people ask

Is ABB 800xA or QAD Redzone better?
Neither clearly leads. ABB 800xA starts at On request and QAD Redzone at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ABB 800xA or QAD Redzone?
ABB 800xA starts at On request and QAD Redzone at On request.
Does ABB 800xA or QAD Redzone run on more platforms?
ABB 800xA runs on Windows. QAD Redzone runs on 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 QAD Redzone is typically brought in for.
What can ABB 800xA do that QAD Redzone cannot?
ABB 800xA covers Extended Automation, AC 800M controllers, Connectivity servers, Safety integration. QAD Redzone covers Line side tablets, Crew based performance, Structured escalation, Digital quality checks.

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.

QAD Redzone: Who owns Redzone?

QAD acquired it in 2022. QAD itself is owned by Thoma Bravo.

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.

QAD Redzone: Is the coaching optional?

In practice no. The customers who skip it are the ones who report no measurable improvement.

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.

QAD Redzone: Does it connect to my PLCs?

It can take signals from equipment, but the model is built around crew input at line side tablets rather than deep controller integration.

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.

QAD Redzone: How is it priced?

Per production line and per site, not per user, which changes the comparison against most other manufacturing software.

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