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Manufacturing · head to head

COPA-DATA zenon vs PROGNOST Systems

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
PROGNOST Systems logo

PROGNOST Systems

Manufacturing

SIL 3 rated online monitoring and diagnostics for reciprocating compressors

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; PROGNOST Systems nothing about price is published, and because the system is instrumented per machine train, there is no per-point comparison that lets a buyer benchmark it against general-purpose condition monitoring.
  • They diverge on capability: COPA-DATA zenon covers I/O-banded licensing, PROGNOST Systems covers Segmented vibration analysis.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which COPA-DATA zenon and PROGNOST Systems actually diverge.

Attributes where COPA-DATA zenon and PROGNOST Systems differ
AttributeCOPA-DATA zenonPROGNOST Systems
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebWindows, On-premise

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 PROGNOST Systems

  • Segmented vibration analysis
  • Dynamic rod position
  • Online pV diagram
  • Dynamic rod load
  • SIL 3 machine protection
  • Damage pattern library
  • PROGNOST-Predictor
  • Remote expert service

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 PROGNOST Systems
  • A utility automating substations that wants IEC 61850 SCL import and DNP3 in the base product rather than as chargeable driver optionsnot PROGNOST Systems
  • A machine builder shipping identical HMI applications to many customers who wants one engineering project reused across machine and line levelnot PROGNOST Systems
  • A food and beverage site in German-speaking Europe where local integrator availability for zenon is strong and Rockwell coverage is notnot PROGNOST Systems

PROGNOST Systems

  • A refinery hydrogen recycle compressor where an unplanned trip costs more per day than the monitoring systemnot COPA-DATA zenon
  • Replacing a separate protection system and a separate condition monitoring system with one SIL 3 rated installationnot COPA-DATA zenon
  • Gas transmission stations needing valve and rider ring wear diagnosis without opening the machinenot COPA-DATA zenon
  • A plant moving reciprocating compressors from time-based overhaul to condition-based intervals with evidence a regulator will acceptnot 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.

PROGNOST Systems

  • Nothing about price is published, and because the system is instrumented per machine train, there is no per-point comparison that lets a buyer benchmark it against general-purpose condition monitoring.
  • Installation requires proximity probes, rod position sensors and pressure instrumentation on the machine, which usually means a planned outage and mechanical work before any data exists.
  • The value is concentrated in reciprocating compressors; for general rotating equipment across a whole plant it is a far more expensive route than a broad vibration programme.
  • SIL 3 certification brings the configuration into functional safety scope, so changes to thresholds and logic go through management of change rather than being adjusted by a reliability engineer.
  • The company is small and German-based, so response times and spares logistics for remote sites depend on a partner network rather than a global direct service organisation.

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

PROGNOST Systems

On request
  • PROGNOST-NT$undefined/year
    • Priced per machine train as an instrumented system
    • Sensors, proximity probes, rod position and pressure instrumentation included in scope
    • Installation typically requires a machine outage for probe fitting

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 PROGNOST Systems if

  • You need segmented vibration analysis.
  • You work on Windows, On-premise.
  • You also want dynamic rod position.
PROGNOST Systems review

Questions people ask

Is COPA-DATA zenon or PROGNOST Systems better?
Neither clearly leads. COPA-DATA zenon starts at On request and PROGNOST Systems at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, COPA-DATA zenon or PROGNOST Systems?
COPA-DATA zenon starts at On request and PROGNOST Systems at On request.
Does COPA-DATA zenon or PROGNOST Systems run on more platforms?
COPA-DATA zenon runs on Windows, Linux, Web. PROGNOST Systems runs on Windows, On-premise.
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 PROGNOST Systems is typically brought in for.
What can COPA-DATA zenon do that PROGNOST Systems cannot?
COPA-DATA zenon covers I/O-banded licensing, IEC 61850 native, zenon Logic, Pharmaceutical compliance. PROGNOST Systems covers Segmented vibration analysis, Dynamic rod position, Online pV diagram, Dynamic rod load.

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.

PROGNOST Systems: Does it replace the compressor protection system?

It can. PROGNOST-NT is SIL 3 rated for machine protection, which is the main reason sites choose it over advisory-only monitoring.

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.

PROGNOST Systems: Can it be retrofitted to an existing compressor?

Yes, but fitting rod position and internal instrumentation generally needs a machine outage.

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.

PROGNOST Systems: Does it work on centrifugal machines?

PROGNOST offers products for general rotating equipment, but the differentiated diagnostics are for reciprocating compressors.

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.

PROGNOST Systems: Is it available on new Burckhardt machines?

Yes, Burckhardt Compression offers PROGNOST-NT as a factory-fitted condition monitoring option.

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