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Manufacturing · head to head

Flow Software vs Tulip

Flow Software logo

Flow Software

Manufacturing

Manufacturing KPI and OEE calculation engine with published list prices, licensed by measure count

From
$11390/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tulip logo

Tulip

Manufacturing

Frontline operations platform for manufacturing

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flow Software the 11,390 dollar Starter licence caps at 250 measures and events, which a multi-line plant exhausts quickly once each line contributes a dozen calculations, forcing a jump to the 62,230 dollar tier.; Tulip minimum 10 interface commitment increases entry cost
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flow Software and Tulip actually diverge.

Attributes where Flow Software and Tulip differ
AttributeFlow SoftwareTulip
Starting price$11390/one-time$100/month
Pricing modelOne-time purchasesubscription
PlatformsWindows, WebWeb

Identical on both: 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 Flow Software

  • Calculation engine
  • Measure model
  • Historian connectors
  • Manual data entry
  • Event framing
  • Excel and Power BI output
  • Flow dashboards
  • AI Gateway

Only in Tulip

Nothing recorded that Flow Software does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Flow Software

  • A brewery replacing a fragile network of OEE spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian datanot Tulip
  • Reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an ISO 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documentednot Tulip
  • Feeding Power BI plant dashboards from a historian without giving analysts direct tag-level accessnot Tulip
  • A site that needs lab results typed in and combined with automated tag data in the same yield calculationnot Tulip

Tulip

  • Production floor apps and dashboardsnot Flow Software
  • Quality and assembly workflowsnot Flow Software
  • Sensor data integrationnot Flow Software
  • Regulated industry manufacturingnot Flow Software
  • Multi-site operational dashboardsnot Flow Software

Where each one falls short

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

Flow Software

  • The 11,390 dollar Starter licence caps at 250 measures and events, which a multi-line plant exhausts quickly once each line contributes a dozen calculations, forcing a jump to the 62,230 dollar tier.
  • The Unlimited licence requires every engine on a single server or VM, so any multi-server or multi-site topology goes straight to Distributed at roughly double the price with no intermediate option.
  • Maintenance renews at about fifteen percent of the installed base annually, so a large perpetual estate carries a five-figure recurring cost that the headline perpetual price hides.
  • It is a Windows product with a Microsoft data stack, so Linux or container-native deployment strategies do not apply and the server has to be managed on the plant Windows estate.
  • It calculates and reports but does not collect from equipment itself, so an existing historian or OPC layer is a prerequisite and Flow adds cost on top of that rather than replacing it.

Tulip

  • Minimum 10 interface commitment increases entry cost
  • Enterprise and Regulated pricing not transparent
  • Complex per-interface billing model

Pricing, plan by plan

Flow Software

$11390/one-time
  • Starter$11390/one-time
    • 250 KPI measures and events
    • Single server deployment
    • First year of software maintenance included
  • Unlimited$62230/one-time
    • Unlimited KPI measures and events
    • All engines must run on one server or dedicated VM
    • First year of maintenance included
  • Distributed$128450/one-time
    • Unlimited measures with engines distributed across multiple servers
    • Required for multi-server and multi-site deployments
    • Available as an annual subscription at 34,250 USD instead

Tulip

$100/month
  • Essentials$100/month
    • Apps, Tulip AI, Tables, Analytics
    • Mobile/desktop/touchscreen access
    • USB device integrations
  • Professional$250/month
    • All Essentials features
    • Advanced edge connectivity
    • SSO/SAML/LDAP
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • All Professional features
    • Workspaces, app approval workflows
    • Custom roles, multilingual apps
  • Regulated Industries$null/month
    • eSignatures (21 CFR Part 11)
    • Auditable record history
    • Zero data loss protection

Which should you pick?

Choose Flow Software if

  • You need calculation engine.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want measure model.
Flow Software review

Choose Tulip if

Nothing in the data separates Tulip from Flow Software on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Tulip review

Questions people ask

Is Flow Software or Tulip better?
Neither clearly leads. Flow Software starts at $11390/one-time and Tulip at $100/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flow Software or Tulip?
Flow Software starts at $11390/one-time and Tulip at $100/month.
Does Flow Software or Tulip run on more platforms?
Flow Software runs on Windows, Web. Tulip runs on Web.
What is Flow Software best used for?
Flow Software is most often used for a brewery replacing a fragile network of oee spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian data, reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an iso 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documented, feeding power bi plant dashboards from a historian without giving analysts direct tag-level access, a site that needs lab results typed in and combined with automated tag data in the same yield calculation. Of those, a brewery replacing a fragile network of oee spreadsheets with governed calculations from the same historian data and reporting specific energy consumption per tonne against an iso 50001 audit where the calculation method must be documented are not what Tulip is typically brought in for.
What can Flow Software do that Tulip cannot?
Flow Software covers Calculation engine, Measure model, Historian connectors, Manual data entry.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flow Software: Does Flow publish real prices?

Yes. Starter is 11,390 USD perpetual for 250 measures, Unlimited is 62,230 USD perpetual or 16,595 USD a year, and Distributed is 128,450 USD perpetual or 34,250 USD a year.

Tulip: How is Tulip pricing calculated?

Tulip pricing is based on 'Monthly Active Interfaces (MAI)', the number of devices running Tulip Player applications with activity during at least one day per month. Minimum commitment is 10 interfaces.

Source
Flow Software: Is perpetual licensing still offered?

Yes, at every tier, with the first year of maintenance included and renewal at roughly fifteen percent per year. Subscription is available on Unlimited and Distributed only.

Tulip: Does Tulip offer a free tier or trial?

No free plan is mentioned on the Tulip pricing page. All pricing tiers require direct contact with sales for quotes and requires a minimum 10 interface commitment.

Source
Flow Software: Do I need a historian as well?

Effectively yes. Flow reads from historians, databases and OPC sources; it is a calculation layer, not a data collector.

Tulip: What is the difference between Essentials and Professional tiers?

Professional ($250/MAI/month) adds advanced edge connectivity, SSO/SAML/LDAP, 3rd-party HTTP/SQL integrations, custom widgets, and higher AI Action/automation task limits compared to Essentials ($100/MAI/month).

Source
Flow Software: What counts as a measure?

Each configured KPI or event definition. A single line typically consumes ten to thirty, which is what makes the 250 Starter cap tighter than it looks.

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