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Energy · head to head

Cognite Data Fusion vs OSIsoft PI System

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
OSIsoft PI System logo

OSIsoft PI System

Energy

Real-time operational intelligence for industrial operations

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.; OSIsoft PI System oSIsoft is now AVEVA and osisoft.com redirects to the AVEVA PI System pages
  • They diverge on capability: Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, OSIsoft PI System covers Real-time data collection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cognite Data Fusion and OSIsoft PI System actually diverge.

Attributes where Cognite Data Fusion and OSIsoft PI System differ
AttributeCognite Data FusionOSIsoft PI System
PlatformsWeb, CloudWindows, Web, Api
FoundedUnknown1980

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 OSIsoft PI System

  • Real-time data collection
  • Time-series data storage
  • Advanced analytics
  • Asset framework
  • Visualization tools
  • Event frames
  • Data compression
  • Notifications and alerts

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 OSIsoft PI System
  • A company standardising asset data across sites so an analytics team can build once and deploy to many plantsnot OSIsoft PI System
  • An upstream operator building a production-optimisation model that needs sensor data joined to equipment metadatanot OSIsoft PI System
  • A team replacing a stalled internal data-lake project where nobody could reconstruct what the tag names meantnot OSIsoft PI System

OSIsoft PI System

  • Collecting and historising high frequency industrial process and sensor datanot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Operations dashboards and trend analysis for plants and utilitiesnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Feeding real time operational data into analytics and digital twin applicationsnot 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.

OSIsoft PI System

  • OSIsoft is now AVEVA and osisoft.com redirects to the AVEVA PI System pages
  • No pricing is published; osisoft.com/pricing resolves to AVEVA product pages with no rate, minimum or cost driver
  • Licensing runs through the AVEVA Flex Subscription Program rather than a published per-seat or per-tag price
  • The PI System is split across separately listed products including PI Server, PI Vision, PI Data Infrastructure and Edge Data Store

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

OSIsoft PI System

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the OSIsoft PI System 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 OSIsoft PI System if

  • You need real-time data collection.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want time-series data storage.
OSIsoft PI System review

Questions people ask

Is Cognite Data Fusion or OSIsoft PI System better?
Neither clearly leads. Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and OSIsoft PI System 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 OSIsoft PI System?
Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and OSIsoft PI System at On request.
Does Cognite Data Fusion or OSIsoft PI System run on more platforms?
Cognite Data Fusion runs on Web, Cloud. OSIsoft PI System runs on Windows, Web, Api.
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 OSIsoft PI System is typically brought in for.
What can Cognite Data Fusion do that OSIsoft PI System cannot?
Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Entity matching, P&ID parsing, 3D contextualisation. OSIsoft PI System covers Real-time data collection, Time-series data storage, Advanced analytics, Asset framework.

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.

OSIsoft PI System: How much does the AVEVA PI System cost?

AVEVA PI System (formerly OSIsoft PI System) operates on a subscription-based commercial model with customized pricing. The company structures subscriptions to match specific use cases and business needs, requiring direct contact with account representatives.

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How is it priced?

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

OSIsoft PI System: What is AVEVA PI System's pricing model?

AVEVA offers subscription-based licensing for software components running on-premises or in the cloud. Subscriptions are customized per customer use case, and pricing is determined through consultation with local account representatives.

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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