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Energy · head to head

Cognite Data Fusion vs SolarWinds

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
S

SolarWinds

Energy

Solar asset performance monitoring and management

From
$2/kW/month
Rated
-
Full review

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effort is a consulting project that regularly costs more than the first-year subscription.; SolarWinds website uses outdated NetObjects Fusion 2015 tools, suggesting legacy technical infrastructure
  • They diverge on capability: Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, SolarWinds covers Real-time monitoring.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cognite Data Fusion and SolarWinds differ
AttributeCognite Data FusionSolarWinds
Starting priceOn request$2/kW/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Mobile, Api
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: 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 SolarWinds

  • Real-time monitoring
  • Performance analytics
  • Alarm management
  • O&M workflows
  • Reporting
  • Benchmarking
  • Weather integration
  • Financial tracking

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

SolarWinds

  • Solar monitoringnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Performance optimizationnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • O&M managementnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Portfolio reportingnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Investor reportingnot 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.

SolarWinds

  • Website uses outdated NetObjects Fusion 2015 tools, suggesting legacy technical infrastructure
  • No specific product models, brands, or technical specifications listed for offered solutions
  • Geographic service area boundaries unclear; only mentions San Francisco Bay Area and Central California
  • Minimal customer engagement features; lacks testimonials, project galleries, financing calculators, or online quote forms
  • Email contact discrepancy between display text ([email protected]) and actual mailto link ([email protected])

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

SolarWinds

$2/kW/month
  • Monitor$2/kW/month
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Performance tracking
    • Alerts
  • Optimize$4/kW/month
    • Advanced analytics
    • Degradation analysis
    • Benchmarking
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Portfolio management
    • Custom integrations
    • Financial modeling

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 SolarWinds if

  • You need real-time monitoring.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want performance analytics.
SolarWinds review

Questions people ask

Is Cognite Data Fusion or SolarWinds better?
Neither clearly leads. Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and SolarWinds at $2/kW/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cognite Data Fusion or SolarWinds?
Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and SolarWinds at $2/kW/month.
Does Cognite Data Fusion or SolarWinds run on more platforms?
Cognite Data Fusion runs on Web, Cloud. SolarWinds runs on Web, Mobile, 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 SolarWinds is typically brought in for.
What can Cognite Data Fusion do that SolarWinds cannot?
Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Entity matching, P&ID parsing, 3D contextualisation. SolarWinds covers Real-time monitoring, Performance analytics, Alarm management, O&M workflows.

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.

SolarWinds: What geographic areas does SolarWinds Energy serve?

SolarWinds Energy serves the San Francisco Bay Area and Central California regions, but the exact service area boundaries are not clearly defined on their website.

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How is it priced?

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

SolarWinds: What solar and renewable products does SolarWinds Energy offer?

SolarWinds Energy specializes in energy efficiency and renewable technologies including solar energy systems and attic ventilation solutions, but specific product models and technical specifications are not published online.

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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