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Databases · head to head

Canary Labs vs CosmosDB

Canary Labs logo

Canary Labs

Databases

Industrial process historian with published per-tag pricing and no client licence fees

From
$3000/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CosmosDB logo

CosmosDB

Databases

Globally distributed, multi-model database service from Azure

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CosmosDB has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Canary Labs pricing steps by tag band rather than actual tags, so a site sitting just above a threshold pays the next band in full; growth from 3,400 to 3,600 tags is a licence purchase, not a rounding error.; CosmosDB autoscale provisioned throughput enforces a minimum of 1,000 RU/s, billed hourly whether or not the database is used
  • They diverge on capability: Canary Labs covers Loss-less compression, CosmosDB covers Global Distribution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Canary Labs and CosmosDB actually diverge.

Attributes where Canary Labs and CosmosDB differ
AttributeCanary LabsCosmosDB
Starting price$3000/yearFree
Pricing modelPer tag band per yearusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb, Azure
FoundedUnknown1975

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

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 Canary Labs

  • Loss-less compression
  • Unlimited clients
  • Store and forward
  • Views service
  • Sparkplug B
  • Calculation engine
  • Axiom
  • ODBC and REST

Only in CosmosDB

  • Global Distribution
  • Multi-model APIs
  • Elastic Scaling
  • Five Consistency Levels
  • SLA-backed Latency
  • Automatic Indexing
  • Serverless
  • Azure Functions

What people use each for

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

Canary Labs

  • A manufacturer that needs a compliant historian but cannot justify a PI System enterprise agreementnot CosmosDB
  • A water utility replacing SCADA-embedded logging with a historian that survives the next SCADA replacementnot CosmosDB
  • An Ignition site that wants long-term storage and trending without paying per-client for dashboardsnot CosmosDB
  • A plant with regulatory data-retention obligations where swinging-door compression would not survive an auditnot CosmosDB

CosmosDB

  • Running a globally distributed multi model database on Azurenot Canary Labs
  • Serving low latency reads and writes from multiple Azure regionsnot Canary Labs
  • Storing document, key value and graph data behind a managed servicenot Canary Labs

Where each one falls short

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

Canary Labs

  • Pricing steps by tag band rather than actual tags, so a site sitting just above a threshold pays the next band in full; growth from 3,400 to 3,600 tags is a licence purchase, not a rounding error.
  • CustomerCare at 18 percent of licence cost is effectively mandatory on perpetual licences because lapsing it removes upgrades, so the perpetual option is not really a one-time cost.
  • The storage format is proprietary; getting data out at volume means the ODBC connector, an additional 2,500 USD one-time or 1,000 USD a year, or writing against the REST API.
  • Canary is a small vendor with a limited partner network outside North America, so support coverage and integrator availability in Europe and Asia are thinner than for AVEVA or Ignition.
  • It is a Windows-only server product with no Linux or container deployment, which complicates placing collectors in modern edge estates.

CosmosDB

  • Autoscale provisioned throughput enforces a minimum of 1,000 RU/s, billed hourly whether or not the database is used
  • Provisioned throughput is charged in every region the account is replicated to, so multi region accounts multiply the RU bill
  • Storage charges cover data, indexes and backups in each replicated region
  • Egress out of Azure and between regions is charged, though ingress is free
  • The free allowance is one account per Azure subscription, limited to 1,000 RU/s and 25 GB
  • RU/s rates vary by region and are only shown through the pricing calculator rather than a flat published rate

Pricing, plan by plan

Canary Labs

$3000/year
  • Subscription, 3,500 tags$3000/year
    • Unlimited Axiom clients
    • Unlimited Excel clients
    • Support and upgrades included
  • Perpetual, 3,500 tags$8730/one-time
    • 7,400 USD licence plus 1,330 USD first-year CustomerCare
    • CustomerCare renews at 18 percent of licence cost per year
    • Unlimited clients
  • Private cloud, 3,500 tags$12320/year
    • Hosted by Canary
    • 1,500 USD one-time setup fee per system
    • Scales to around 58,684 USD per year at 60,000 tags
  • Enterprise unlimited$undefined/year
    • Unlimited tags
    • Negotiated licensing terms
    • Quoted pricing

CosmosDB

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • 1000 RU/s
    • 25GB storage
    • First 12 months
  • ServerlessFree
    • Pay per request
    • Auto-scaling
    • Event-driven workloads

Which should you pick?

Choose Canary Labs if

  • You need loss-less compression.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want unlimited clients.
Canary Labs review

Choose CosmosDB if

  • You need global distribution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Azure.
  • You also want multi-model apis.
CosmosDB review

Questions people ask

Is Canary Labs or CosmosDB better?
Neither clearly leads. Canary Labs starts at $3000/year and CosmosDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Canary Labs or CosmosDB?
CosmosDB has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3000/year for Canary Labs and Free for CosmosDB.
Does Canary Labs or CosmosDB run on more platforms?
Canary Labs runs on Windows, Web. CosmosDB runs on Web, Azure.
Can I use CosmosDB for free?
Yes. CosmosDB has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Canary Labs starts at $3000/year.
What is Canary Labs best used for?
Canary Labs is most often used for a manufacturer that needs a compliant historian but cannot justify a pi system enterprise agreement, a water utility replacing scada-embedded logging with a historian that survives the next scada replacement, an ignition site that wants long-term storage and trending without paying per-client for dashboards, a plant with regulatory data-retention obligations where swinging-door compression would not survive an audit. Of those, a manufacturer that needs a compliant historian but cannot justify a pi system enterprise agreement and a water utility replacing scada-embedded logging with a historian that survives the next scada replacement are not what CosmosDB is typically brought in for.
What can Canary Labs do that CosmosDB cannot?
Canary Labs covers Loss-less compression, Unlimited clients, Store and forward, Views service. CosmosDB covers Global Distribution, Multi-model APIs, Elastic Scaling, Five Consistency Levels.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Canary Labs: What does Canary cost?

8,730 USD for a 3,500 tag perpetual system including first-year CustomerCare, or 3,000 USD a year on subscription.

CosmosDB: Is there a free tier for Azure Cosmos DB?

Yes, Cosmos DB offers a free tier with 1,000 RU/s of throughput and 25 GB of storage per month for the lifetime of the account, available to new accounts.

Source
Canary Labs: Are client licences extra?

No. Unlimited Axiom browser clients and unlimited Excel clients are included on every tier.

CosmosDB: How is Cosmos DB priced after the free tier?

Cosmos DB uses three billing models: provisioned throughput billed per request unit per second, vCore pricing for certain APIs, or serverless consumption pricing where you pay only for requests processed. Reserved capacity offers 20% discount for one year or 30% for three years.

Source
Canary Labs: Is perpetual cheaper than subscription?

Canary states perpetual pays off after roughly three years, and after that you still pay 18 percent CustomerCare annually.

CosmosDB: Can I change my pricing model after choosing one?

No. Once you select a compute pricing model and API, they cannot be changed. This choice is permanent for that database.

Source
Canary Labs: Does it use lossy compression?

No. Canary stores every collected value rather than approximating the trend, which matters for regulated data retention.

CosmosDB: Is there a trial period for Cosmos DB beyond the free tier?

Azure offers a 30-day free trial account for all Azure services. Additionally, Azure AI customers may be eligible for a 90-day free Cosmos DB subscription through the Azure AI Advantage program.

Source
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