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Manufacturing · head to head

Kepware Server vs QAD Redzone

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
QAD Redzone logo

QAD Redzone

Manufacturing

Connected workforce platform for food and beverage plants, sold per production line with coaching included

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; QAD Redzone licensing is per production line and per site, so a plant running many short lines pays far more than a plant with a few long ones producing the same volume, and the pricing unit is not comparable with per user or per machine products.
  • They diverge on capability: Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers, QAD Redzone covers Line side tablets.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kepware Server and QAD Redzone actually diverge.

Attributes where Kepware Server and QAD Redzone differ
AttributeKepware ServerQAD Redzone
PlatformsWindows, LinuxWeb, iOS, Android

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 Kepware Server

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

Only in QAD Redzone

  • Line side tablets
  • Crew based performance
  • Structured escalation
  • Digital quality checks
  • Coaching programme
  • Plant and network reporting

What people use each for

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

Kepware Server

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

QAD Redzone

  • A food plant losing output to unrecorded short stoppages that nobody escalates during a shiftnot Kepware Server
  • A CPG manufacturer wanting crews to own line targets rather than receive them from a weekly reportnot Kepware Server
  • A plant replacing paper food safety and quality check sheets with time stamped digital recordsnot Kepware Server
  • A multi site group looking for comparable productivity reporting across plants running similar linesnot Kepware Server

Where each one falls short

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

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.

QAD Redzone

  • Licensing is per production line and per site, so a plant running many short lines pays far more than a plant with a few long ones producing the same volume, and the pricing unit is not comparable with per user or per machine products.
  • The result depends on a change programme, and where plant leadership treats it as a software rollout and skips the coaching discipline, the tablets become expensive downtime logs and the promised gains do not appear.
  • Data comes largely from crew input plus simple sensors rather than deep controller integration, so a plant expecting automatic capture from its process control system will need additional work or a different product.
  • QAD acquired it in 2022 and QAD is owned by a private equity firm, so buyers who do not run QAD ERP should ask directly how long standalone deployments remain a strategic priority and what integration commitments exist in writing.
  • It suits repetitive process lines and fits badly in low volume high mix discrete manufacturing, where crews, targets and changeover patterns do not have the regularity the model assumes.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

QAD Redzone

On request
  • QAD Redzone$undefined/year
    • Per production line and per site licensing
    • Line side tablet application
    • Initial coaching and deployment programme

Which should you pick?

Choose Kepware Server if

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

Choose QAD Redzone if

  • You need line side tablets.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want crew based performance.
QAD Redzone review

Questions people ask

Is Kepware Server or QAD Redzone better?
Neither clearly leads. Kepware Server starts at On request and QAD Redzone at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kepware Server or QAD Redzone?
Kepware Server starts at On request and QAD Redzone at On request.
Does Kepware Server or QAD Redzone run on more platforms?
Kepware Server runs on Windows, Linux. QAD Redzone runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Kepware Server best used for?
Kepware Server is most often used for feeding a historian from a mixed plant of allen-bradley and siemens plcs without writing per-protocol drivers, publishing cnc machine state from fanuc and haas controls to an oee system over mqtt, bridging legacy serial modbus devices into an opc ua architecture during a phased controller replacement, running redundant collection servers so a cloud analytics pipeline does not lose data during windows patching. Of those, feeding a historian from a mixed plant of allen-bradley and siemens plcs without writing per-protocol drivers and publishing cnc machine state from fanuc and haas controls to an oee system over mqtt are not what QAD Redzone is typically brought in for.
What can Kepware Server do that QAD Redzone cannot?
Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers, OPC UA server, IoT Gateway, DataLogger. QAD Redzone covers Line side tablets, Crew based performance, Structured escalation, Digital quality checks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

QAD Redzone: Who owns Redzone?

QAD acquired it in 2022. QAD itself is owned by Thoma Bravo.

Kepware Server: Is a perpetual licence still available?

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

QAD Redzone: Is the coaching optional?

In practice no. The customers who skip it are the ones who report no measurable improvement.

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.

QAD Redzone: Does it connect to my PLCs?

It can take signals from equipment, but the model is built around crew input at line side tablets rather than deep controller integration.

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.

QAD Redzone: How is it priced?

Per production line and per site, not per user, which changes the comparison against most other manufacturing software.

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