Softwr

Government · head to head

CKAN vs MyRec.com

CKAN logo

CKAN

Government

Open Source Data Portal Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
MyRec.com logo

MyRec.com

Government

Recreation management for small parks departments, priced on your annual revenue with no contract

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only CKAN has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: CKAN the package install path requires Ubuntu 20.04 or 22.04 64-bit specifically; other operating systems must use the source install; MyRec.com the annual fee scales with department revenue, so a successful department pays more for the same software as its programme income grows.
  • They diverge on capability: CKAN covers Dataset Management, MyRec.com covers Revenue-based annual fee.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CKAN and MyRec.com actually diverge.

Attributes where CKAN and MyRec.com differ
AttributeCKANMyRec.com
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreePer year by department annual revenue
Free tierYesNo
Founded2006Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), 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 CKAN

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

Only in MyRec.com

  • Revenue-based annual fee
  • Programme registration
  • Facility reservations
  • Point of sale
  • League scheduling
  • Everything included

What people use each for

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

CKAN

  • Publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portalnot MyRec.com
  • Self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an APInot MyRec.com

MyRec.com

  • A town recreation department of one or two staff moving off paper registration forms and a shared spreadsheetnot CKAN
  • A department that wants to choose its own payment processor rather than accept the software vendor ratenot CKAN
  • Replacing a system that charges per module, where every new programme type triggered an upsellnot CKAN
  • A department needing field permits and league scheduling without buying a facilities management suitenot CKAN

Where each one falls short

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

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

MyRec.com

  • The annual fee scales with department revenue, so a successful department pays more for the same software as its programme income grows.
  • It is built for small and mid-sized departments and lacks the permitting, aquatics and multi-facility depth a large city requires.
  • Credit card processing is explicitly excluded from the fee, so the total cost depends on a merchant agreement the department must source and negotiate itself.
  • Integration surface is thin, with no meaningful connection to municipal ERP or finance systems, meaning revenue reconciliation is a manual export.
  • The vendor is small, so there is limited third-party consulting capacity and a narrow bench for support during peak registration periods.

Pricing, plan by plan

CKAN

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

MyRec.com

On request
  • MyRec.com$undefined/year
    • Single annual fee calculated from department annual revenue
    • Third parties report entry around 2,850 to 3,445 USD per year
    • Site build, onboarding and training included

Which should you pick?

Choose CKAN if

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

Choose MyRec.com if

  • You need revenue-based annual fee.
  • You also want programme registration.
MyRec.com review

Questions people ask

Is CKAN or MyRec.com better?
Neither clearly leads. CKAN starts at Free and MyRec.com at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CKAN or MyRec.com?
CKAN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CKAN and On request for MyRec.com.
Does CKAN or MyRec.com run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use CKAN for free?
Yes. CKAN has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. MyRec.com starts at On request.
What is CKAN best used for?
CKAN is most often used for publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal, self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api. Of those, publishing open government datasets in a searchable public data portal and self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an api are not what MyRec.com is typically brought in for.
What can CKAN do that MyRec.com cannot?
CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization. MyRec.com covers Revenue-based annual fee, Programme registration, Facility reservations, Point of sale.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
MyRec.com: How is MyRec priced?

A single annual fee calculated from your department annual revenue, using a calculator on the MyRec site. Third parties report entry around 2,850 to 3,445 USD a year.

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
MyRec.com: Is there a setup fee?

No. Site build, onboarding and training are included in the annual fee.

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
MyRec.com: Are card fees included?

No. Credit card processing is separate and you arrange your own merchant account.

MyRec.com: Is there a contract?

No long-term contract is required, which is unusual in municipal software.

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