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Government · head to head

CKAN vs SAP for Government

CKAN logo

CKAN

Government

Open Source Data Portal Platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SAP for Government logo

SAP for Government

Government

Intelligent Enterprise for Public Sector

From
$8000/month
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; SAP for Government sAP's own G-Cloud 14 SuccessFactors pricing document lists Employee Central at £59.76 per user per year for the public sector, with Recruiting and Onboarding modules charged per transaction at £142.00 and £72.00 respectively
  • They diverge on capability: CKAN covers Dataset Management, SAP for Government covers Financial Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CKAN and SAP for Government actually diverge.

Attributes where CKAN and SAP for Government differ
AttributeCKANSAP for Government
Starting priceFree$8000/month
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Desktop, Mobile
Founded20061972

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 CKAN

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

Only in SAP for Government

  • Financial Management
  • Procurement
  • Human Resources
  • Analytics
  • Grants Management
  • Microsoft
  • Oracle
  • Third-party Systems

Both cover

  • Web support

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 SAP for Government
  • Self-hosting a data catalogue with harvesting and an APInot SAP for Government

SAP for Government

  • Citizen Servicesnot CKAN
  • Records Managementnot CKAN
  • Public Safetynot CKAN
  • Civic Engagementnot 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

SAP for Government

  • SAP's own G-Cloud 14 SuccessFactors pricing document lists Employee Central at £59.76 per user per year for the public sector, with Recruiting and Onboarding modules charged per transaction at £142.00 and £72.00 respectively
  • RISE with SAP is listed on G-Cloud 14 as a subscription requiring a minimum three year contract term, per SAP's own pricing document

Pricing, plan by plan

CKAN

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

SAP for Government

$8000/month
  • Government Cloud$8000/month
    • ERP
    • Financial Management
    • Analytics

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 SAP for Government if

  • You need financial management.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
  • You also want procurement.
SAP for Government review

Questions people ask

Is CKAN or SAP for Government better?
Neither clearly leads. CKAN starts at Free and SAP for Government at $8000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CKAN or SAP for Government?
CKAN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for CKAN and $8000/month for SAP for Government.
Does CKAN or SAP for Government run on more platforms?
CKAN runs on Web. SAP for Government runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile.
Can I use CKAN for free?
Yes. CKAN has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SAP for Government starts at $8000/month.
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 SAP for Government is typically brought in for.
What can CKAN do that SAP for Government cannot?
CKAN covers Dataset Management, Data Harvesting, API Access, Visualization. SAP for Government covers Financial Management, Procurement, Human Resources, Analytics. Both handle Web support.

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
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
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
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