Software · head to head
CentralSquare vs CKAN
CentralSquare
Software
Public Safety and Administration Software
- From
- $1500/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only CKAN has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: CentralSquare pricing for all editions (Public Safety Suite Enterprise, Public Safety Suite Pro, Public Safety Suite ONESolution) is gated behind Request a Demo or Schedule a Call, with no figures published; CKAN the package install path requires Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 64-bit specifically; other operating systems must use the source install
- They diverge on capability: CentralSquare covers Computer-Aided Dispatch, CKAN covers Dataset Management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CentralSquare and CKAN actually diverge.
| Attribute | CentralSquare | CKAN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $1500/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop, Ios, Android | Web |
| Founded | 2018 | 2006 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 CentralSquare
- Computer-Aided Dispatch
- Records Management
- Jail Management
- Fire RMS
- Community Development
- Esri ArcGIS
- FBI CJIS
- NCIC
Only in CKAN
- Dataset Management
- Data Harvesting
- API Access
- Visualization
- Extensions
- DataPusher
- Harvester
- Third-party Tools
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
CentralSquare
- Citizen Servicesnot CKAN
- Records Managementnot CKAN
- Public Safetynot CKAN
- Civic Engagementnot CKAN
CKAN
- Publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portalnot CentralSquare
- Self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an APInot CentralSquare
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CentralSquare
- Pricing for all editions (Public Safety Suite Enterprise, Public Safety Suite Pro, Public Safety Suite ONESolution) is gated behind Request a Demo or Schedule a Call, with no figures published
CKAN
- The package install path requires Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 64-bit specifically; other operating systems must use the source install
- Only Solr 9 and Solr 8 are supported, and from CKAN 2.10 they are the only Solr versions supported at all
- A working deployment requires PostgreSQL, Solr, Redis, nginx, supervisor and uWSGI to be installed and maintained separately
- Python 3.10 or later is required
Pricing, plan by plan
CentralSquare
$1500/month- Public Safety Suite$1500/month
- CAD
- Records Management
- Mobile Solutions
CKAN
Free- Open SourceFree
- Data Management
- API Access
- Visualization
Which should you pick?
Choose CentralSquare if
- You need computer-aided dispatch.
- You work on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android.
- You also want records management.
Choose CKAN if
- You need dataset management.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want data harvesting.
Questions people ask
- Is CentralSquare or CKAN better?
- Neither clearly leads. CentralSquare starts at $1500/month and CKAN at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, CentralSquare or CKAN?
- CKAN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1500/month for CentralSquare and Free for CKAN.
- Does CentralSquare or CKAN run on more platforms?
- CentralSquare runs on Web, Desktop, Ios, Android. CKAN runs on Web.
- Can I use CKAN for free?
- Yes. CKAN has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CentralSquare starts at $1500/month.
- What is CentralSquare best used for?
- CentralSquare is most often used for citizen services, records management, public safety, civic engagement. Of those, citizen services and records management are not what CKAN is typically brought in for.
- What can CentralSquare do that CKAN cannot?
- CentralSquare covers Computer-Aided Dispatch, Records Management, Jail Management, Fire RMS. CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization. Both handle Web support.