Softwr

Energy · head to head

AVEVA PI System vs Cutsforth InsightCM

AVEVA PI System logo

AVEVA PI System

Energy

Industrial data infrastructure for real-time insights

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cutsforth InsightCM logo

Cutsforth InsightCM

Energy

Multi-physics condition monitoring for generators and rotating plant, moved from National Instruments to Cutsforth

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AVEVA PI System pricing is not published and comes through an account representative; Cutsforth InsightCM ownership moved from National Instruments to Cutsforth while NI itself was absorbed by Emerson, so support contracts, documentation and any assumption of NI or Emerson backing need reconfirming from scratch.
  • They diverge on capability: AVEVA PI System covers Real-time data collection, Cutsforth InsightCM covers Multi-physics correlation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AVEVA PI System and Cutsforth InsightCM actually diverge.

Attributes where AVEVA PI System and Cutsforth InsightCM differ
AttributeAVEVA PI SystemCutsforth InsightCM
Pricing modelone-timequote
PlatformsDesktop, Web, Mobile, ApiWindows, Web, Cloud
Founded1967Unknown

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

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 AVEVA PI System

  • Real-time data collection
  • Time-series data storage
  • Asset framework
  • Visualization
  • Analytics
  • Event management
  • Notifications
  • Data integration

Only in Cutsforth InsightCM

  • Multi-physics correlation
  • Continuous waveform capture
  • NI hardware compatibility
  • Electromagnetic interference analysis
  • On-premise or cloud
  • Configurable acquisition
  • Automated alarming
  • Fleet view

What people use each for

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

AVEVA PI System

  • Industrial data collection and storage for oil, gas, and chemical processingnot Cutsforth InsightCM
  • Real-time operational data visualization and HMI dashboardsnot Cutsforth InsightCM
  • Supply chain and asset performance monitoring across sitesnot Cutsforth InsightCM
  • Compliance and audit trail management for regulated industriesnot Cutsforth InsightCM
  • Integration with SCADA systems and manufacturing executionnot Cutsforth InsightCM

Cutsforth InsightCM

  • A generating station correlating partial discharge, EMI and vibration on a turbine generator in one diagnosis rather than three separate systemsnot AVEVA PI System
  • A nuclear operator needing continuous waveform retention as evidence for a condition-based maintenance casenot AVEVA PI System
  • An industrial site with legacy NI acquisition hardware already installed on critical machinesnot AVEVA PI System
  • Comparing identical generators across a fleet to separate a machine-specific fault from a design characteristicnot AVEVA PI System

Where each one falls short

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

AVEVA PI System

  • Pricing is not published and comes through an account representative
  • The vendor is moving to a subscription commercial model, so perpetual licence expectations no longer hold
  • Made up of several separately named components, including PI Server, PI Vision, Edge Data Store and the adapters and connectors needed per data source

Cutsforth InsightCM

  • Ownership moved from National Instruments to Cutsforth while NI itself was absorbed by Emerson, so support contracts, documentation and any assumption of NI or Emerson backing need reconfirming from scratch.
  • Cutsforth is a small specialist company, so a buyer standardising a fleet-wide monitoring platform is accepting a vendor with far less scale than Emerson, SKF or Bently Nevada.
  • The product depends on data acquisition hardware on the machine, and that hardware is typically the larger part of the cost, which the software conversation tends to obscure.
  • Its strength is high-value generation and large rotating assets; instrumenting a broad population of ordinary pumps and fans with it is disproportionately expensive.
  • Continuous multi-physics capture produces large volumes of waveform data, so storage sizing and retention policy are real deployment decisions rather than defaults.

Pricing, plan by plan

AVEVA PI System

On request
  • Data Archive$undefined/license
    • Time-series data storage
    • High-speed data collection
    • Data compression
  • Operations$undefined/license
    • PI Vision dashboards
    • AF analytics
    • Event frames
  • Enterprise$undefined/license
    • PI Integrator
    • Cloud connectivity
    • Advanced analytics

Cutsforth InsightCM

On request
  • InsightCM$undefined/year
    • Priced per monitored machine and channel count rather than per user
    • Data acquisition hardware quoted separately and often the larger cost
    • On-premise and cloud deployments priced differently

Which should you pick?

Choose AVEVA PI System if

  • You need real-time data collection.
  • You work on Desktop, Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want time-series data storage.
AVEVA PI System review

Choose Cutsforth InsightCM if

  • You need multi-physics correlation.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Cloud.
  • You also want continuous waveform capture.
Cutsforth InsightCM review

Questions people ask

Is AVEVA PI System or Cutsforth InsightCM better?
Neither clearly leads. AVEVA PI System starts at On request and Cutsforth InsightCM at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AVEVA PI System or Cutsforth InsightCM?
AVEVA PI System starts at On request and Cutsforth InsightCM at On request.
Does AVEVA PI System or Cutsforth InsightCM run on more platforms?
AVEVA PI System runs on Desktop, Web, Mobile, Api. Cutsforth InsightCM runs on Windows, Web, Cloud.
What is AVEVA PI System best used for?
AVEVA PI System is most often used for industrial data collection and storage for oil, gas, and chemical processing, real-time operational data visualization and hmi dashboards, supply chain and asset performance monitoring across sites, compliance and audit trail management for regulated industries. Of those, industrial data collection and storage for oil, gas, and chemical processing and real-time operational data visualization and hmi dashboards are not what Cutsforth InsightCM is typically brought in for.
What can AVEVA PI System do that Cutsforth InsightCM cannot?
AVEVA PI System covers Real-time data collection, Time-series data storage, Asset framework, Visualization. Cutsforth InsightCM covers Multi-physics correlation, Continuous waveform capture, NI hardware compatibility, Electromagnetic interference analysis.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AVEVA PI System: What is AVEVA PI System pricing?

AVEVA does not list PI System pricing on its website. AVEVA markets industrial software through enterprise sales channels with custom quotes.

Source
Cutsforth InsightCM: Is InsightCM still a National Instruments product?

No. It was developed by NI but is now owned and developed by Cutsforth. NI itself became part of Emerson in October 2023.

AVEVA PI System: Does AVEVA offer a Flex Subscription Program?

AVEVA mentions Flex Subscription Program on its site for flexible product access, but pricing and terms are not published publicly.

Source
Cutsforth InsightCM: Does it require NI hardware?

It is compatible with NI-based acquisition systems and with Cutsforth monitoring hardware, so existing NI installations carry over.

AVEVA PI System: Is AVEVA PI System available in the cloud?

AVEVA offers cloud options for its products, but per-seat or usage-based pricing for cloud deployments is not disclosed on the vendor website.

Source
Cutsforth InsightCM: What makes it different from a vibration platform?

It correlates several measurement types, including partial discharge and electromagnetic interference, which matters on generators rather than on general rotating equipment.

Cutsforth InsightCM: Can it be deployed on-premise?

Yes, on-premise or cloud, which is why it remains viable for nuclear and utility sites with data residency rules.

Share

Related pages

More on AVEVA PI System

More on Cutsforth InsightCM

Keep looking

Other head to heads