Softwr

Energy · head to head

AVEVA PI System vs QuestDB

AVEVA PI System logo

AVEVA PI System

Energy

Industrial data infrastructure for real-time insights

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
QuestDB logo

QuestDB

Databases

Fast open source time-series database for high throughput ingestion

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only QuestDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: AVEVA PI System pricing is not published and comes through an account representative; QuestDB open-source edition lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features
  • They diverge on capability: AVEVA PI System covers Real-time data collection, QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where AVEVA PI System and QuestDB differ
AttributeAVEVA PI SystemQuestDB
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelone-timeopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsDesktop, Web, Mobile, ApiDocker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP)
CategoryEnergyDatabases
Founded19672014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 QuestDB

  • High Throughput Ingestion
  • SQL Support
  • Time-series Optimization
  • SIMD Vectorization
  • Column-oriented Storage
  • Built-in Web Console
  • InfluxDB Line Protocol
  • PostgreSQL

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 QuestDB
  • Real-time operational data visualization and HMI dashboardsnot QuestDB
  • Supply chain and asset performance monitoring across sitesnot QuestDB
  • Compliance and audit trail management for regulated industriesnot QuestDB
  • Integration with SCADA systems and manufacturing executionnot QuestDB

QuestDB

  • Time-series analytics ingesting up to 20M rows/second from IoT sensors or financial data feedsnot AVEVA PI System
  • Real-time dashboarding with 32ms time-to-first-row latency for minute-level analyticsnot AVEVA PI System
  • Applications requiring multi-tier storage (hot ingest, real-time SQL, cold Parquet archive)not 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

QuestDB

  • Open-source edition lacks high-availability, distributed architecture, and enterprise security features
  • Enterprise edition pricing not published; requires contacting sales for custom quote
  • Ingestion limit of 20M rows/sec platform-dependent; may not scale to extreme throughput requirements

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

QuestDB

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the QuestDB review.

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 QuestDB if

  • You need high throughput ingestion.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP).
  • You also want sql support.
QuestDB review

Questions people ask

Is AVEVA PI System or QuestDB better?
Neither clearly leads. AVEVA PI System starts at On request and QuestDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AVEVA PI System or QuestDB?
QuestDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for AVEVA PI System and Free for QuestDB.
Does AVEVA PI System or QuestDB run on more platforms?
AVEVA PI System runs on Desktop, Web, Mobile, Api. QuestDB runs on Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Can I use QuestDB for free?
Yes. QuestDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. AVEVA PI System starts at On request.
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 QuestDB is typically brought in for.
What can AVEVA PI System do that QuestDB cannot?
AVEVA PI System covers Real-time data collection, Time-series data storage, Asset framework, Visualization. QuestDB covers High Throughput Ingestion, SQL Support, Time-series Optimization, SIMD Vectorization.

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
QuestDB: How much does QuestDB Enterprise cost?

QuestDB does not publish specific pricing for the Enterprise tier. Customers must contact QuestDB via their enterprise contact form to receive a custom quote.

Source
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
QuestDB: Does QuestDB offer a free version?

Yes, QuestDB Open Source is completely free and recommended for evaluation, prototyping, and pilot projects. Enterprise features, high availability, security, and dedicated support require the paid Enterprise tier.

Source
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
QuestDB: What deployment options does QuestDB offer?

QuestDB offers open source deployment, Enterprise deployment, and Bring Your Own Cloud (BYOC) deployment. Pricing details for BYOC and Enterprise tiers are not published and require direct contact with sales.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on AVEVA PI System

More on QuestDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads