Softwr

Databases · head to head

Canary Labs vs Ninox

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
Ninox logo

Ninox

Databases

The database for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Ninox 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.; Ninox free plan limited to 5 users and 5,000 records
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Canary Labs and Ninox differ
AttributeCanary LabsNinox
Starting price$3000/yearFree
Pricing modelPer tag band per yearfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb

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 Ninox

Nothing recorded that Canary Labs does not also cover.

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 Ninox
  • A water utility replacing SCADA-embedded logging with a historian that survives the next SCADA replacementnot Ninox
  • An Ignition site that wants long-term storage and trending without paying per-client for dashboardsnot Ninox
  • A plant with regulatory data-retention obligations where swinging-door compression would not survive an auditnot Ninox

Ninox

  • No-code database solutions for small to medium teamsnot Canary Labs
  • Workflow automation and process managementnot Canary Labs
  • Customer data and project tracking with custom viewsnot 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.

Ninox

  • Free plan limited to 5 users and 5,000 records
  • API call limits restrict automation on lower tiers (1,000/month free, 10,000/month team)
  • Only 7-day history on free plan vs. unlimited on Business

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

Ninox

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 5 users
    • 100 MB storage
    • Up to 5,000 records
  • Team$25/month
    • 5 GB storage per user
    • 50,000 records per user
    • 10,000 API calls per user per month
  • Business$40/month
    • 10 GB storage per user
    • 250,000 records per user
    • 50,000 API calls per user per month
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom pricing available
    • Dedicated support
    • Custom solutions and governance

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 Ninox if

  • You want to start without paying.
Ninox review

Questions people ask

Is Canary Labs or Ninox better?
Neither clearly leads. Canary Labs starts at $3000/year and Ninox at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Canary Labs or Ninox?
Ninox has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3000/year for Canary Labs and Free for Ninox.
Does Canary Labs or Ninox run on more platforms?
Canary Labs runs on Windows, Web. Ninox runs on Web.
Can I use Ninox for free?
Yes. Ninox 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 Ninox is typically brought in for.
What can Canary Labs do that Ninox cannot?
Canary Labs covers Loss-less compression, Unlimited clients, Store and forward, Views service.

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.

Ninox: How much does Ninox cost?

Ninox is free for individuals with up to 5 users. Team plan is 25 EUR per user per month (billed annually), and Business plan is 40 EUR per user per month (billed annually). Enterprise plans have custom pricing.

Source
Canary Labs: Are client licences extra?

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

Ninox: Is Ninox free?

Yes, Ninox offers a free plan for up to 5 users with 100 MB storage and 5,000 records. No payment required to start, and includes all core views: table, form, chart, kanban, maps, and calendar.

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.

Ninox: What is Ninox Team plan pricing?

The Team plan costs 25 EUR per user per month (billed annually). It includes 5 GB storage per user, 50,000 records, 10,000 API calls per month per user, and 30-day history. Annual billing is required.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on Canary Labs

More on Ninox

Keep looking

Other head to heads