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Government · head to head

CivicPlus Asset Management vs CKAN

CivicPlus Asset Management logo

CivicPlus Asset Management

Government

Local government asset and work order software, the former Beehive Industries platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
CKAN logo

CKAN

Government

Open Source Data Portal Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CKAN has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CivicPlus Asset Management the product changed owner and name in January 2025, so references, documentation and community knowledge are split between Beehive Industries and CivicPlus Asset Management.; 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: CivicPlus Asset Management covers Asset register, CKAN covers Dataset Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CivicPlus Asset Management and CKAN actually diverge.

Attributes where CivicPlus Asset Management and CKAN differ
AttributeCivicPlus Asset ManagementCKAN
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
FoundedUnknown2006

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

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 CivicPlus Asset Management

  • Asset register
  • Work order management
  • Preventive maintenance
  • Esri ArcGIS integration
  • SeeClickFix integration
  • Inventory and stores
  • Service request tracking
  • Utility billing link

Only in CKAN

  • Dataset Management
  • Data Harvesting
  • API Access
  • Visualization
  • Extensions
  • DataPusher
  • Harvester
  • Third-party Tools

What people use each for

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

CivicPlus Asset Management

  • A town of fifteen thousand that already runs its website and 311 line on CivicPlus and wants work orders in the same vendor relationshipnot CKAN
  • A rural utility district needing asset records and utility billing from one supplier with one support contactnot CKAN
  • A public works department converting citizen-reported potholes directly into scheduled work without an integration projectnot CKAN
  • A county replacing spreadsheets and paper work orders with a system its staff can learn in days rather than weeksnot CKAN

CKAN

  • Publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portalnot CivicPlus Asset Management
  • Self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an APInot CivicPlus Asset Management

Where each one falls short

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

CivicPlus Asset Management

  • The product changed owner and name in January 2025, so references, documentation and community knowledge are split between Beehive Industries and CivicPlus Asset Management.
  • Existing Beehive customers face a migration to CivicPlus Asset Management 2.0 that involves data mapping and retraining, not a routine upgrade, and the timing is set by the vendor rather than the customer.
  • It is designed for small and mid-sized municipalities, and larger utilities with complex linear assets or regulatory reporting will find the asset model too shallow.
  • CivicPlus is a private-equity-backed consolidator with many acquired products, so investment in any single acquired line depends on portfolio decisions the customer has no visibility into.
  • No pricing is published and it is frequently sold as part of a wider CivicPlus bundle, which makes a like-for-like comparison against a standalone CMMS difficult.

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

CivicPlus Asset Management

On request
  • CivicPlus Asset Management$undefined/year
    • Annual subscription sized by population served and module selection
    • Bundled pricing available alongside other CivicPlus municipal products
    • Implementation, data migration and training quoted separately

CKAN

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Data Management
    • API Access
    • Visualization

Which should you pick?

Choose CivicPlus Asset Management if

  • You need asset register.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want work order management.
CivicPlus Asset Management review

Choose CKAN if

  • You need dataset management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want data harvesting.
CKAN review

Questions people ask

Is CivicPlus Asset Management or CKAN better?
Neither clearly leads. CivicPlus Asset Management starts at On request and CKAN at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CivicPlus Asset Management or CKAN?
CKAN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CivicPlus Asset Management and Free for CKAN.
Does CivicPlus Asset Management or CKAN run on more platforms?
CivicPlus Asset Management runs on Web, 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. CivicPlus Asset Management starts at On request.
What is CivicPlus Asset Management best used for?
CivicPlus Asset Management is most often used for a town of fifteen thousand that already runs its website and 311 line on civicplus and wants work orders in the same vendor relationship, a rural utility district needing asset records and utility billing from one supplier with one support contact, a public works department converting citizen-reported potholes directly into scheduled work without an integration project, a county replacing spreadsheets and paper work orders with a system its staff can learn in days rather than weeks. Of those, a town of fifteen thousand that already runs its website and 311 line on civicplus and wants work orders in the same vendor relationship and a rural utility district needing asset records and utility billing from one supplier with one support contact are not what CKAN is typically brought in for.
What can CivicPlus Asset Management do that CKAN cannot?
CivicPlus Asset Management covers Asset register, Work order management, Preventive maintenance, Esri ArcGIS integration. CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CivicPlus Asset Management: Is Beehive Industries software still sold under that name?

No. CivicPlus acquired the asset management and utility billing products in January 2025 and sells them under the CivicPlus name.

CKAN: Is CKAN open-source and what license is it available under?

Yes, CKAN is an open-source data management system built on Python and available on GitHub. The license terms are available on their GitHub repository.

Source
CivicPlus Asset Management: Do I have to migrate from the legacy Beehive platform?

Yes. CivicPlus is transitioning customers to CivicPlus Asset Management 2.0, which requires data migration and retraining.

CKAN: Does CKAN offer commercial support for organizations?

Yes, CKAN offers commercial support through certified providers including Link Digital and Datopian. Support includes advisory services, application development, integration, managed hosting, and web development.

Source
CivicPlus Asset Management: Does it need Esri ArcGIS?

No, it integrates with ArcGIS but does not depend on it the way a GIS-centric product does.

CKAN: Who is responsible for hosting costs when running CKAN?

Organizations deploying CKAN are responsible for their own hosting infrastructure. Commercial providers like Datopian and Link Digital offer managed hosting services if organizations prefer not to self-host.

Source
CivicPlus Asset Management: Is utility billing included?

No, that is a separate product from the same acquisition and is licensed separately.

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