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Energy · head to head

OSIsoft PI System vs Uplight

OSIsoft PI System logo

OSIsoft PI System

Energy

Real-time operational intelligence for industrial operations

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Uplight logo

Uplight

Energy

Customer engagement, rebate marketplaces and demand flexibility software sold to regulated utilities

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: OSIsoft PI System oSIsoft is now AVEVA and osisoft.com redirects to the AVEVA PI System pages; Uplight the product assumes a regulated utility with commission-approved programmes, so competitive retailers and aggregators find much of the reporting and measurement machinery irrelevant while still paying for it.
  • They diverge on capability: OSIsoft PI System covers Real-time data collection, Uplight covers Energy marketplace.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which OSIsoft PI System and Uplight actually diverge.

Attributes where OSIsoft PI System and Uplight differ
AttributeOSIsoft PI SystemUplight
PlatformsWindows, Web, ApiWeb, iOS, Android, API
Founded1980Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Energy).

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 OSIsoft PI System

  • Real-time data collection
  • Time-series data storage
  • Advanced analytics
  • Asset framework
  • Visualization tools
  • Event frames
  • Data compression
  • Notifications and alerts

Only in Uplight

  • Energy marketplace
  • Personalised recommendations
  • Rates engagement
  • Demand response
  • Distributed energy resource management
  • Programme reporting
  • Home energy reports
  • OEM and device partnerships

What people use each for

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

OSIsoft PI System

  • Collecting and historising high frequency industrial process and sensor datanot Uplight
  • Operations dashboards and trend analysis for plants and utilitiesnot Uplight
  • Feeding real time operational data into analytics and digital twin applicationsnot Uplight

Uplight

  • A regulated utility that must deliver an approved energy efficiency programme and evidence the savings to its commissionnot OSIsoft PI System
  • A utility launching a residential demand response programme built on customer-owned thermostats and batteriesnot OSIsoft PI System
  • A utility moving customers onto time-of-use tariffs that needs enrolment journeys rather than a billing change alonenot OSIsoft PI System
  • A utility that wants rebates applied at the point of purchase instead of processing claim forms after the factnot OSIsoft PI System

Where each one falls short

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

OSIsoft PI System

  • OSIsoft is now AVEVA and osisoft.com redirects to the AVEVA PI System pages
  • No pricing is published; osisoft.com/pricing resolves to AVEVA product pages with no rate, minimum or cost driver
  • Licensing runs through the AVEVA Flex Subscription Program rather than a published per-seat or per-tag price
  • The PI System is split across separately listed products including PI Server, PI Vision, PI Data Infrastructure and Edge Data Store

Uplight

  • The product assumes a regulated utility with commission-approved programmes, so competitive retailers and aggregators find much of the reporting and measurement machinery irrelevant while still paying for it.
  • Procurement runs through long RFPs tied to rate cases and programme approvals, so implementation dates are set by a regulator rather than by the utility or the vendor and slip when filings slip.
  • The investor group of Schneider Electric, AES and Octopus Energy Group is made up of active energy market participants, which is a governance question a utility should raise in diligence rather than discover later.
  • The platform spans engagement, marketplace and demand management, and those capabilities were built or acquired separately, so a buyer taking one module gets less of the integration benefit than the platform story implies.
  • The reference base and product depth are strongest in North America, so a European or Asia-Pacific utility gets fewer comparable deployments and less functionality built around local market rules.

Pricing, plan by plan

OSIsoft PI System

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the OSIsoft PI System review.

Uplight

On request
  • Uplight platform$undefined/year
    • Quoted per utility programme by customer count and modules
    • Frequently structured around approved programme budgets and performance targets
    • Marketplace economics include product fulfilment and rebate handling

Which should you pick?

Choose OSIsoft PI System if

  • You need real-time data collection.
  • You work on Windows, Web, Api.
  • You also want time-series data storage.
OSIsoft PI System review

Choose Uplight if

  • You need energy marketplace.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
  • You also want personalised recommendations.
Uplight review

Questions people ask

Is OSIsoft PI System or Uplight better?
Neither clearly leads. OSIsoft PI System starts at On request and Uplight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, OSIsoft PI System or Uplight?
OSIsoft PI System starts at On request and Uplight at On request.
Does OSIsoft PI System or Uplight run on more platforms?
OSIsoft PI System runs on Windows, Web, Api. Uplight runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
What is OSIsoft PI System best used for?
OSIsoft PI System is most often used for collecting and historising high frequency industrial process and sensor data, operations dashboards and trend analysis for plants and utilities, feeding real time operational data into analytics and digital twin applications. Of those, collecting and historising high frequency industrial process and sensor data and operations dashboards and trend analysis for plants and utilities are not what Uplight is typically brought in for.
What can OSIsoft PI System do that Uplight cannot?
OSIsoft PI System covers Real-time data collection, Time-series data storage, Advanced analytics, Asset framework. Uplight covers Energy marketplace, Personalised recommendations, Rates engagement, Demand response.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

OSIsoft PI System: How much does the AVEVA PI System cost?

AVEVA PI System (formerly OSIsoft PI System) operates on a subscription-based commercial model with customized pricing. The company structures subscriptions to match specific use cases and business needs, requiring direct contact with account representatives.

Source
Uplight: Who owns Uplight?

It is privately held and backed by Schneider Electric, AES Corporation and Octopus Energy Group.

OSIsoft PI System: What is AVEVA PI System's pricing model?

AVEVA offers subscription-based licensing for software components running on-premises or in the cloud. Subscriptions are customized per customer use case, and pricing is determined through consultation with local account representatives.

Source
Uplight: Can a competitive energy retailer use it?

It can, but the product is designed around regulated programme delivery and measurement, so a retailer pays for machinery it does not need.

Uplight: Does Uplight do demand response as well as efficiency?

Yes. It acquired the AutoGrid distributed energy resource platform from Schneider Electric in 2024, which added device control and dispatch to the engagement business.

Uplight: Is pricing published?

No. Deals are quoted per programme and usually sized against an approved programme budget.

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