Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

HighByte Intelligence Hub vs Kepware Server

HighByte Intelligence Hub logo

HighByte Intelligence Hub

Automation Integration

Industrial DataOps middleware that models and contextualises OT data before it reaches IT systems

From
$18500/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Kepware Server logo

Kepware Server

Manufacturing

Industrial connectivity server translating 150-plus PLC protocols into OPC UA, formerly KEPServerEX

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: HighByte Intelligence Hub it is subscription only with no perpetual licence, so the data pipelines are a permanent operating cost and stop working if the subscription lapses.; Kepware Server the base server is the small part of the bill; driver suites are priced by protocol family, and a mixed-vendor plant buys several, which is how a connectivity layer alone reaches tens of thousands of dollars.
  • They diverge on capability: HighByte Intelligence Hub covers Data modelling, Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HighByte Intelligence Hub and Kepware Server actually diverge.

Attributes where HighByte Intelligence Hub and Kepware Server differ
AttributeHighByte Intelligence HubKepware Server
Starting price$18500/yearOn request
Pricing modelPer site per yearquote
PlatformsWindows, Linux, DockerWindows, Linux
CategoryAutomation IntegrationManufacturing

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 HighByte Intelligence Hub

  • Data modelling
  • Unified namespace
  • Pipelines
  • Connectors
  • High availability
  • Store and forward
  • Central configuration
  • REST data server

Only in Kepware Server

  • 150-plus device drivers
  • OPC UA server
  • IoT Gateway
  • DataLogger
  • Redundancy Master
  • Security Policies
  • Configuration API
  • Kepware Edge

What people use each for

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

HighByte Intelligence Hub

  • A manufacturer replacing hand-written Python scripts that push historian tags to a cloud warehouse with a modelled, supportable pipelinenot Kepware Server
  • A company building a unified namespace where OT payloads must carry asset context before they reach the brokernot Kepware Server
  • A data centre operator aggregating building and power telemetry into one cloud model across a campusnot Kepware Server
  • A team that needs PI System data joined with MES and ERP context without giving IT direct access to the control networknot Kepware Server

Kepware Server

  • Feeding a historian from a mixed plant of Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs without writing per-protocol driversnot HighByte Intelligence Hub
  • Publishing CNC machine state from FANUC and Haas controls to an OEE system over MQTTnot HighByte Intelligence Hub
  • Bridging legacy serial Modbus devices into an OPC UA architecture during a phased controller replacementnot HighByte Intelligence Hub
  • Running redundant collection servers so a cloud analytics pipeline does not lose data during Windows patchingnot HighByte Intelligence Hub

Where each one falls short

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

HighByte Intelligence Hub

  • It is subscription only with no perpetual licence, so the data pipelines are a permanent operating cost and stop working if the subscription lapses.
  • Pricing is per site with a 18,500 USD floor, so a small plant or a proof of concept pays enterprise money for a handful of tags; there is no tag-scaled or starter tier.
  • The Hub does not store data. It has no historian, so a destination outage longer than the store-and-forward buffer means lost data and you still need a historian or warehouse underneath.
  • Definitions of a site and a plant are negotiated rather than published, which creates room for disagreement at renewal when a customer adds a building or a second line.
  • The product depends on a small vendor with a narrow focus; if your integration needs drift towards general ETL or streaming, you end up running HighByte alongside a separate data stack rather than instead of one.

Kepware Server

  • The base server is the small part of the bill; driver suites are priced by protocol family, and a mixed-vendor plant buys several, which is how a connectivity layer alone reaches tens of thousands of dollars.
  • KEPServerEX to Kepware Server 7 is a migration rather than an in-place upgrade, and driver entitlements do not always transfer cleanly, so budget for revalidating every channel.
  • The full driver portfolio is Windows-only; the Linux product, Kepware Edge, supports a subset of drivers and is subscription-licensed by tag count, so an edge-first architecture cannot simply reuse the Windows configuration.
  • Three names have been in circulation for the same lineage, and quotes, forum answers and integrator experience still mix KEPServerEX, ThingWorx Kepware Server and Kepware Server, which produces mismatched proposals.
  • It is a translation layer with no storage, contextualisation or visualisation of its own, so it is always an addition to a historian or platform purchase rather than a substitute for one.

Pricing, plan by plan

HighByte Intelligence Hub

$18500/year
  • Professional$18500/year
    • Single plant or agreed coverage area
    • Unlimited data models and pipelines
    • High availability, embedded MQTT broker, PI System integration
  • Factory Starter Pack$50000/year
    • Three factories
    • Central configuration across instances
    • All premium features included
  • Data Center Starter Pack$65000/year
    • Single aggregation point in customer cloud
    • All premium features included
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Unlimited installations under one annual contract
    • Negotiated multi-year and multi-site discounts
    • Quoted pricing

Kepware Server

On request
  • Kepware Server$undefined/year
    • Base server as a perpetual licence with annual maintenance, or subscription
    • Driver suites priced by protocol family and bought separately from the server
    • Advanced plug-ins such as IoT Gateway, DataLogger and Redundancy Master licensed individually

Which should you pick?

Choose HighByte Intelligence Hub if

  • You need data modelling.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Docker.
  • You also want unified namespace.
HighByte Intelligence Hub review

Choose Kepware Server if

  • You need 150-plus device drivers.
  • You work on Windows, Linux.
  • You also want opc ua server.
Kepware Server review

Questions people ask

Is HighByte Intelligence Hub or Kepware Server better?
Neither clearly leads. HighByte Intelligence Hub starts at $18500/year and Kepware Server at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HighByte Intelligence Hub or Kepware Server?
HighByte Intelligence Hub starts at $18500/year and Kepware Server at On request.
Does HighByte Intelligence Hub or Kepware Server run on more platforms?
HighByte Intelligence Hub runs on Windows, Linux, Docker. Kepware Server runs on Windows, Linux.
What is HighByte Intelligence Hub best used for?
HighByte Intelligence Hub is most often used for a manufacturer replacing hand-written python scripts that push historian tags to a cloud warehouse with a modelled, supportable pipeline, a company building a unified namespace where ot payloads must carry asset context before they reach the broker, a data centre operator aggregating building and power telemetry into one cloud model across a campus, a team that needs pi system data joined with mes and erp context without giving it direct access to the control network. Of those, a manufacturer replacing hand-written python scripts that push historian tags to a cloud warehouse with a modelled, supportable pipeline and a company building a unified namespace where ot payloads must carry asset context before they reach the broker are not what Kepware Server is typically brought in for.
What can HighByte Intelligence Hub do that Kepware Server cannot?
HighByte Intelligence Hub covers Data modelling, Unified namespace, Pipelines, Connectors. Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers, OPC UA server, IoT Gateway, DataLogger.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HighByte Intelligence Hub: What does a HighByte licence actually cost?

18,500 USD per year for Professional covering one plant, 50,000 USD for three factories, 65,000 USD for a cloud data centre aggregation point.

Kepware Server: Is KEPServerEX discontinued?

The name is. KEPServerEX and ThingWorx Kepware Server have been unified into Kepware Server, currently version 7, and the older names are being retired.

HighByte Intelligence Hub: Is pricing based on tag count?

No. All licences include unlimited data models and pipelines; the licence covers a coverage area, not a data volume.

Kepware Server: Is a perpetual licence still available?

Yes for the Windows server, with annual maintenance. Kepware Edge on Linux is subscription-only.

HighByte Intelligence Hub: Does HighByte store historical data?

No. It models and routes data in motion. You still need a historian or a warehouse as the destination.

Kepware Server: What drives the price?

The number and type of driver suites, not the number of tags on the Windows product. Kepware Edge is priced by tag count.

HighByte Intelligence Hub: Can I buy it perpetually?

No. It is an annual subscription only.

Kepware Server: Can I evaluate it before buying?

Yes. The runtime works for two hours at a time without a licence, indefinitely, which is enough to prove connectivity but not to run production.

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