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Energy · head to head

Cognite Data Fusion vs Portcast

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
Portcast logo

Portcast

Maritime

AI-powered container tracking and ETA

From
$500/month
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.; Portcast pricing not published on homepage or dedicated pricing page
  • They diverge on capability: Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Portcast covers Predictive ETAs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cognite Data Fusion and Portcast actually diverge.

Attributes where Cognite Data Fusion and Portcast differ
AttributeCognite Data FusionPortcast
Starting priceOn request$500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Api
CategoryEnergyMaritime
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Portcast

  • Predictive ETAs
  • Container tracking
  • Exception alerts
  • Port congestion data
  • TMS platforms
  • ERP systems
  • Shipping lines
  • Web support

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

Portcast

  • Real-time container and air cargo tracking across carriersnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Predicted ETAs and delay forecasting for ocean freightnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Port congestion monitoringnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Auditing freight invoices automaticallynot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Feeding predicted arrival data into a TMS or ERPnot 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.

Portcast

  • Pricing not published on homepage or dedicated pricing page
  • No free tier or trial information disclosed
  • Features and billing model not detailed publicly

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

Portcast

$500/month
  • Professional$1500/month
    • AI-powered ETAs
    • Container tracking
    • Analytics

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 Portcast if

  • You need predictive etas.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want container tracking.
Portcast review

Questions people ask

Is Cognite Data Fusion or Portcast better?
Neither clearly leads. Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Portcast at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cognite Data Fusion or Portcast?
Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Portcast at $500/month.
Does Cognite Data Fusion or Portcast run on more platforms?
Cognite Data Fusion runs on Web, Cloud. Portcast runs on 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 Portcast is typically brought in for.
What can Cognite Data Fusion do that Portcast cannot?
Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Entity matching, P&ID parsing, 3D contextualisation. Portcast covers Predictive ETAs, Container tracking, Exception alerts, Port congestion data.

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.

Portcast: Where can I find Portcast pricing?

Portcast does not display pricing information on their website. They direct inquiries to Book a demo or Get in Touch options on their homepage for pricing and plan details. Source: https://www.portcast.io

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How is it priced?

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

Portcast: Does Portcast offer a free trial or demo?

Portcast emphasizes booking a demo as the primary way to learn about features and pricing. No free tier details are described on their homepage. Source: https://www.portcast.io

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.

Portcast: Is Portcast supply chain visibility software priced per user or by usage?

Portcast does not disclose their pricing model publicly. Contact their sales team through their website's demo booking or contact form to discuss per-user, usage-based, or other billing options. Source: https://www.portcast.io

Source
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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