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Energy · head to head

Cognite Data Fusion vs Sunrun EnergyBase

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
-
Sunrun EnergyBase logo

Sunrun EnergyBase

Energy

Residential solar and energy management platform

From
On request
Rated
-

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.; Sunrun EnergyBase no specific pricing published on website; mentions locked-in rates but does not disclose dollar amounts
  • They diverge on capability: Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Sunrun EnergyBase covers Solar design and simulation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Cognite Data Fusion and Sunrun EnergyBase differ
AttributeCognite Data FusionSunrun EnergyBase
PlatformsWeb, CloudWeb, Mobile
FoundedUnknown2007

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 Sunrun EnergyBase

  • Solar design and simulation
  • Project management
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Customer portal
  • Financial analysis
  • Salesforce
  • Google Maps
  • SSL encryption

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

Sunrun EnergyBase

  • Residential solar salesnot Cognite Data Fusion
  • Energy managementnot 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.

Sunrun EnergyBase

  • No specific pricing published on website; mentions locked-in rates but does not disclose dollar amounts

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

Sunrun EnergyBase

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Sunrun EnergyBase 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.

Choose Sunrun EnergyBase if

  • You need solar design and simulation.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want project management.

Questions people ask

Is Cognite Data Fusion or Sunrun EnergyBase better?
Neither clearly leads. Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Sunrun EnergyBase 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 Sunrun EnergyBase?
Cognite Data Fusion starts at On request and Sunrun EnergyBase at On request.
Does Cognite Data Fusion or Sunrun EnergyBase run on more platforms?
Cognite Data Fusion runs on Web, Cloud. Sunrun EnergyBase 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 Sunrun EnergyBase is typically brought in for.
What can Cognite Data Fusion do that Sunrun EnergyBase cannot?
Cognite Data Fusion covers Asset-centric data model, Entity matching, P&ID parsing, 3D contextualisation. Sunrun EnergyBase covers Solar design and simulation, Project management, Real-time monitoring, Customer portal.

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.

Sunrun EnergyBase: How much does Sunrun EnergyBase cost?

Sunrun does not publish specific pricing for EnergyBase on its website. The company mentions predictable monthly payments with locked-in rates and add-on battery options available for as little as $0 down, but exact costs are not disclosed.

Source
Cognite Data Fusion: How is it priced?

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

Sunrun EnergyBase: How can I get a Sunrun EnergyBase price quote?

To obtain pricing details, interested customers must use the quote request form or contact a Sunrun solar advisor directly through the website.

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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