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Energy · head to head

Cognite Data Fusion vs Johnson Controls Metasys

Cognite Data Fusion logo

Cognite Data Fusion

Energy

Industrial data platform that contextualises OT, IT and engineering data into an asset-centric knowledge graph

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Johnson Controls Metasys logo

Johnson Controls Metasys

Energy

Building management and control system platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cognite Data Fusion the platform is only as good as the contextualisation work, and that mapping effort is a consulting project that regularly costs more than the first-year subscription.; Johnson Controls Metasys a Metasys server supports 1,300 devices and 65,000 objects, so larger estates require additional servers
  • They diverge on capability: Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Johnson Controls Metasys covers HVAC control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cognite Data Fusion and Johnson Controls Metasys actually diverge.

Attributes where Cognite Data Fusion and Johnson Controls Metasys differ
AttributeCognite Data FusionJohnson Controls Metasys
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Mobile
FoundedUnknown1885

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Energy).

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 Cognite Data Fusion

  • Asset-centric data model
  • Entity matching
  • P&ID parsing
  • 3D contextualisation
  • Cognite Atlas AI
  • Data workflows
  • Open SDKs
  • Extractors

Only in Johnson Controls Metasys

  • HVAC control
  • Building automation
  • Energy management
  • Security integration
  • Analytics dashboard
  • SOC2
  • SSL encryption
  • On-premise deployment

What people use each for

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

Cognite Data Fusion

  • An operator that wants engineers to find the drawing, the sensor trend and the last work order for a valve from one searchnot Johnson Controls Metasys
  • A company standardising asset data across sites so an analytics team can build once and deploy to many plantsnot Johnson Controls Metasys
  • An upstream operator building a production-optimisation model that needs sensor data joined to equipment metadatanot Johnson Controls Metasys
  • A team replacing a stalled internal data-lake project where nobody could reconstruct what the tag names meantnot Johnson Controls Metasys

Johnson Controls Metasys

  • Building automation for offices, data centres, hospitals and universitiesnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Managing multi site campuses from one building management systemnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Meeting compliance and reporting requirements for regulated facilitiesnot Cognite Data Fusion

Where each one falls short

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

Cognite Data Fusion

  • The platform is only as good as the contextualisation work, and that mapping effort is a consulting project that regularly costs more than the first-year subscription.
  • Pricing is consumption-based and unpublished, so costs move with data volume and usage patterns you cannot forecast well until a year in.
  • It does not replace your historian, your ERP or your maintenance system, so Cognite is an additional recurring cost layered on systems you still pay for.
  • The reference base and data model lean heavily towards Norwegian and wider oil, gas and process industries; discrete manufacturing fit is weaker and the local partner network thinner outside energy.
  • Getting value out requires in-house Python and data engineering skill; organisations without a data team end up dependent on Cognite professional services for every new use case.

Johnson Controls Metasys

  • A Metasys server supports 1,300 devices and 65,000 objects, so larger estates require additional servers
  • No hardware requirement, licensing model, subscription term or price is published on the product page; the routes offered are a demo booking and a contact form

Pricing, plan by plan

Cognite Data Fusion

On request
  • Cognite Data Fusion$undefined/year
    • Consumption-based pricing on data volume, compute and users
    • Available through cloud marketplaces with private offers
    • Contextualisation and onboarding quoted as a separate engagement

Johnson Controls Metasys

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Johnson Controls Metasys review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Cognite Data Fusion if

  • You need asset-centric data model.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want entity matching.
Cognite Data Fusion review

Choose Johnson Controls Metasys if

  • You need hvac control.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want building automation.
Johnson Controls Metasys review

Questions people ask

Is Cognite Data Fusion or Johnson Controls Metasys better?
Neither clearly leads. Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Johnson Controls Metasys at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cognite Data Fusion or Johnson Controls Metasys?
Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Johnson Controls Metasys at On request.
Does Cognite Data Fusion or Johnson Controls Metasys run on more platforms?
Cognite Data Fusion runs on Web, Cloud. Johnson Controls Metasys runs on Web, Mobile.
What is Cognite Data Fusion best used for?
Cognite Data Fusion is most often used for an operator that wants engineers to find the drawing, the sensor trend and the last work order for a valve from one search, a company standardising asset data across sites so an analytics team can build once and deploy to many plants, an upstream operator building a production-optimisation model that needs sensor data joined to equipment metadata, a team replacing a stalled internal data-lake project where nobody could reconstruct what the tag names meant. Of those, an operator that wants engineers to find the drawing, the sensor trend and the last work order for a valve from one search and a company standardising asset data across sites so an analytics team can build once and deploy to many plants are not what Johnson Controls Metasys is typically brought in for.
What can Cognite Data Fusion do that Johnson Controls Metasys cannot?
Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Entity matching, P&ID parsing, 3D contextualisation. Johnson Controls Metasys covers HVAC control, Building automation, Energy management, Security integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cognite Data Fusion: Is Cognite a historian?

No. It reads from historians such as PI System and adds context. You still need the historian underneath.

Johnson Controls Metasys: How much does Johnson Controls Metasys cost?

Johnson Controls Metasys pricing is not published online. Contact Johnson Controls directly for enterprise building automation system pricing and licensing.

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How is it priced?

Consumption-based on data, compute and users, quoted per customer. Nothing is published.

Johnson Controls Metasys: What licensing models does Metasys offer?

Specific Metasys licensing models and pricing are available through Johnson Controls sales team. Contact Johnson Controls for custom quotes based on building management requirements.

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How long does a deployment take?

First useful graph in a few months is realistic; full plant contextualisation across a site is typically a year or more.

Cognite Data Fusion: Can we do the contextualisation ourselves?

Technically yes, the SDKs and matching tools are open, but most customers use Cognite or a partner for the first site.

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