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Manufacturing · head to head

COPA-DATA zenon vs Markforged Eiger

COPA-DATA zenon logo

COPA-DATA zenon

Manufacturing

HMI, SCADA and energy automation platform licensed by I/O tag count

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Markforged Eiger logo

Markforged Eiger

Manufacturing

Free cloud print preparation for Markforged printers, because the money is in the hardware

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Markforged Eiger has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: COPA-DATA zenon the I/O count that determines your licence band is a weighted calculation, not a variable tally, so projects sized from a tag list routinely land in a higher and more expensive band than budgeted.; Markforged Eiger eiger only drives Markforged printers, so the free software is a lock-in mechanism; the moment you want a different machine none of your prepared parts or fibre routing transfers.
  • They diverge on capability: COPA-DATA zenon covers I/O-banded licensing, Markforged Eiger covers Continuous fibre routing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which COPA-DATA zenon and Markforged Eiger actually diverge.

Attributes where COPA-DATA zenon and Markforged Eiger differ
AttributeCOPA-DATA zenonMarkforged Eiger
Starting priceOn requestFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebWeb, Windows, macOS, Cloud

Identical on both: pricing model (quote), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Manufacturing).

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 COPA-DATA zenon

  • I/O-banded licensing
  • IEC 61850 native
  • zenon Logic
  • Pharmaceutical compliance
  • Multi-project engineering
  • Redundancy

Only in Markforged Eiger

  • Continuous fibre routing
  • Cloud slicing
  • Fleet management
  • Part library
  • Material tracking
  • Simulation add-on
  • Eiger Offline
  • Access control

What people use each for

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

COPA-DATA zenon

  • A pharmaceutical plant needing audit trail and electronic signature in the SCADA layer without building a validation wrapper around a generic HMInot Markforged Eiger
  • A utility automating substations that wants IEC 61850 SCL import and DNP3 in the base product rather than as chargeable driver optionsnot Markforged Eiger
  • A machine builder shipping identical HMI applications to many customers who wants one engineering project reused across machine and line levelnot Markforged Eiger
  • A food and beverage site in German-speaking Europe where local integrator availability for zenon is strong and Rockwell coverage is notnot Markforged Eiger

Markforged Eiger

  • A tooling department printing carbon fibre reinforced jigs and fixtures strong enough to replace machined aluminiumnot COPA-DATA zenon
  • A defence contractor needing air-gapped print preparation because part geometry cannot leave the site, which requires Eiger Offlinenot COPA-DATA zenon
  • A manufacturing engineering group running several Markforged machines across sites from one queue and part librarynot COPA-DATA zenon
  • A maintenance team producing reinforced replacement brackets on demand rather than holding sparesnot COPA-DATA zenon

Where each one falls short

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

COPA-DATA zenon

  • The I/O count that determines your licence band is a weighted calculation, not a variable tally, so projects sized from a tag list routinely land in a higher and more expensive band than budgeted.
  • The integrator and engineering talent pool is concentrated in German-speaking Europe; a North American or Asian site can find itself dependent on a single partner with no competitive quote available.
  • English-language documentation and community material lag the German equivalents, which slows engineers who are learning the product without formal COPA-DATA training.
  • The annual software maintenance contract is a percentage of licence value, so a large I/O estate carries a recurring cost that does not fall even when the plant is stable and nothing is changing.
  • Third-party ecosystem extensions are far fewer than for Ignition or FactoryTalk, so requirements outside the box tend to become custom engineering billed at partner day rates.

Markforged Eiger

  • Eiger only drives Markforged printers, so the free software is a lock-in mechanism; the moment you want a different machine none of your prepared parts or fibre routing transfers.
  • The standard product is cloud only, meaning part geometry is uploaded to a vendor service, which is unacceptable for many defence and aerospace sites and forces them onto the paid Eiger Offline subscription per machine.
  • Eiger Offline pricing is not published and is charged per machine, so a shop with several printers pays repeatedly for software the cloud users receive free.
  • Slicing control is deliberately simplified compared with open slicers, and experienced operators regularly find they cannot reach a parameter they want without contacting support.
  • Markforged has been through financial pressure and consolidation in the additive sector, and because the software is inseparable from the hardware, a change of ownership or product line pruning would strand the fleet rather than just the tool.

Pricing, plan by plan

COPA-DATA zenon

On request
  • zenon$undefined/year
    • Runtime licensed in bands by calculated I/O count
    • Numeric variables weighted upward in the I/O calculation, binary counted singly
    • Engineering Studio licensed separately from runtime

Markforged Eiger

Free
  • Eiger Basic$undefined/year
    • Included at no additional charge with every Markforged printer
    • No per-user or per-printer software fee
    • Cloud print preparation and fleet management
  • Eiger Offline$undefined/year
    • Air-gapped installation for secure and classified environments
    • Sold per machine on subscription
    • Quarterly feature and material updates

Which should you pick?

Choose COPA-DATA zenon if

  • You need i/o-banded licensing.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want iec 61850 native.
COPA-DATA zenon review

Choose Markforged Eiger if

  • You need continuous fibre routing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud slicing.
Markforged Eiger review

Questions people ask

Is COPA-DATA zenon or Markforged Eiger better?
Neither clearly leads. COPA-DATA zenon starts at On request and Markforged Eiger at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, COPA-DATA zenon or Markforged Eiger?
Markforged Eiger has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for COPA-DATA zenon and Free for Markforged Eiger.
Does COPA-DATA zenon or Markforged Eiger run on more platforms?
COPA-DATA zenon runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Markforged Eiger runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Cloud.
Can I use Markforged Eiger for free?
Yes. Markforged Eiger has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. COPA-DATA zenon starts at On request.
What is COPA-DATA zenon best used for?
COPA-DATA zenon is most often used for a pharmaceutical plant needing audit trail and electronic signature in the scada layer without building a validation wrapper around a generic hmi, a utility automating substations that wants iec 61850 scl import and dnp3 in the base product rather than as chargeable driver options, a machine builder shipping identical hmi applications to many customers who wants one engineering project reused across machine and line level, a food and beverage site in german-speaking europe where local integrator availability for zenon is strong and rockwell coverage is not. Of those, a pharmaceutical plant needing audit trail and electronic signature in the scada layer without building a validation wrapper around a generic hmi and a utility automating substations that wants iec 61850 scl import and dnp3 in the base product rather than as chargeable driver options are not what Markforged Eiger is typically brought in for.
What can COPA-DATA zenon do that Markforged Eiger cannot?
COPA-DATA zenon covers I/O-banded licensing, IEC 61850 native, zenon Logic, Pharmaceutical compliance. Markforged Eiger covers Continuous fibre routing, Cloud slicing, Fleet management, Part library.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

COPA-DATA zenon: How is a zenon licence sized?

By calculated I/O count. Numeric variables are weighted upward in that calculation and binary values counted singly, so ask your partner for the calculated figure, not the variable count, before signing.

Markforged Eiger: How much does Eiger cost?

Nothing, if you own a Markforged printer. It is included with every machine with no per-user or per-printer software fee. Eiger Offline is a separate paid per-machine subscription.

COPA-DATA zenon: Is zenon only for factories?

No. A significant part of its installed base is electrical substation automation, where IEC 61850 support is native rather than an add-on.

Markforged Eiger: Can I use Eiger with a non-Markforged printer?

No. It only prepares and drives Markforged machines.

COPA-DATA zenon: Is there a free version?

There is a demo mode for evaluation and a free educational licence, but production runtime always needs a paid, I/O-banded licence.

Markforged Eiger: Is my part geometry uploaded to the cloud?

Yes, in the standard product. Sites that cannot allow that need Eiger Offline.

COPA-DATA zenon: Can zenon replace a PLC?

zenon Logic is an IEC 61131-3 soft PLC and can control non-safety-critical processes, but most deployments keep a hardware PLC and use zenon for visualisation and supervision.

Markforged Eiger: Where is the actual cost then?

In the printers and the proprietary filament and continuous fibre spools, which are the recurring spend.

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