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Utilities · head to head

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert vs PeaZip

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert logo

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

Utilities

Telemetry SCADA for geographically distributed water, oil and gas assets, formerly ClearSCADA

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PeaZip logo

PeaZip

Utilities

Open-source archive manager for Windows and Linux supporting more than two hundred formats

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only PeaZip has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert the ClearSCADA name is retired, so the large body of documentation, forum answers and integrator experience under that name is increasingly stale and does not always match current behaviour.; PeaZip there is no supported macOS build, so any organisation with Mac users has to standardise on something else or maintain two tools.
  • They diverge on capability: EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert covers Point-banded server licence, PeaZip covers Wide format support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and PeaZip actually diverge.

Attributes where EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and PeaZip differ
AttributeEcoStruxure Geo SCADA ExpertPeaZip
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, WebWindows, Linux, BSD

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Utilities).

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 EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • Point-banded server licence
  • Telemetry protocol stack
  • Store and forward reconciliation
  • ViewX and Virtual ViewX
  • Redundant server pairs
  • Embedded historian and alarms

Only in PeaZip

  • Wide format support
  • Strong encryption
  • Secure delete
  • Checksums and hashes
  • Split and join
  • Portable builds

What people use each for

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

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • A water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh ratenot PeaZip
  • A midstream gas operator needing full DNP3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrievalnot PeaZip
  • Replacing an ageing ClearSCADA installation where the historical database and driver configuration can be carried forward rather than rebuiltnot PeaZip
  • A regional wastewater authority consolidating several inherited SCADA systems onto one redundant server pair with browser clients for on-call staffnot PeaZip

PeaZip

  • Opening old or unusual archive formats that current tools refusenot EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
  • Sending encrypted archives outside the organisation with a keyfile as well as a passwordnot EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
  • Deploying one archiver across Windows and Linux desktops with the same interface and behaviournot EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert
  • Running from a USB stick on machines where software cannot be installednot EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

Where each one falls short

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

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

  • The ClearSCADA name is retired, so the large body of documentation, forum answers and integrator experience under that name is increasingly stale and does not always match current behaviour.
  • Licensing is point-banded and client-counted with nothing published, and discount depends on your existing entitlement, so a first-time buyer negotiates from a weaker position than an incumbent renewing.
  • The free development mode is capped at 1,000 points and two hours of runtime, which is enough to prototype a screen but not enough to load-test a realistic network before you commit.
  • It is a Windows Server product; there is no Linux server option, so the operating system licensing, patching cadence and hardening burden come with the platform whether you want them or not.
  • Schneider has repeatedly rebranded and repositioned this line, from Control Microsystems to ClearSCADA to EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert, which makes long-horizon roadmap commitments hard to trust for a system a utility expects to run for fifteen years.

PeaZip

  • There is no supported macOS build, so any organisation with Mac users has to standardise on something else or maintain two tools.
  • It is effectively a single-maintainer project, and for software deployed to every desktop in a company that concentration of risk deserves an explicit decision.
  • The interface exposes a great many options at once and looks dated next to the system archiver, which generates support questions from non-technical users.
  • Bundled backend binaries sometimes trigger antivirus heuristics on managed Windows fleets, so deployment usually needs an allowlist entry prepared in advance.
  • Its own PEA and ARC formats are not readable by other tools, so using them for anything you send externally creates a dependency for the recipient.

Pricing, plan by plan

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert

On request
  • EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert$undefined/year
    • Server licensed in point bands from around 250 points upward
    • ViewX and Virtual ViewX clients licensed individually or in bundles
    • Free unlicensed development mode limited to 1,000 points and two hours of runtime

PeaZip

Free
  • PeaZipFree
    • LGPLv3 licensed
    • Commercial use permitted
    • All formats and encryption features included

Which should you pick?

Choose EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert if

  • You need point-banded server licence.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want telemetry protocol stack.
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert review

Choose PeaZip if

  • You need wide format support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, BSD.
  • You also want strong encryption.
PeaZip review

Questions people ask

Is EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or PeaZip better?
Neither clearly leads. EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert starts at On request and PeaZip at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or PeaZip?
PeaZip has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert and Free for PeaZip.
Does EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert or PeaZip run on more platforms?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert runs on Windows, Web. PeaZip runs on Windows, Linux, BSD.
Can I use PeaZip for free?
Yes. PeaZip has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert starts at On request.
What is EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert best used for?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert is most often used for a water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh rate, a midstream gas operator needing full dnp3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrieval, replacing an ageing clearscada installation where the historical database and driver configuration can be carried forward rather than rebuilt, a regional wastewater authority consolidating several inherited scada systems onto one redundant server pair with browser clients for on-call staff. Of those, a water utility polling several thousand remote pump and lift stations over cellular and radio where outstation log backfill matters more than screen refresh rate and a midstream gas operator needing full dnp3 outstation support including unsolicited reporting and time-stamped event retrieval are not what PeaZip is typically brought in for.
What can EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert do that PeaZip cannot?
EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert covers Point-banded server licence, Telemetry protocol stack, Store and forward reconciliation, ViewX and Virtual ViewX. PeaZip covers Wide format support, Strong encryption, Secure delete, Checksums and hashes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Can I still buy ClearSCADA?

No. The product is sold as EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert. ClearSCADA is a retired name and current quotes will use the new one.

PeaZip: Is PeaZip free for business use?

Yes. It is LGPLv3 licensed with no personal-use restriction and no paid edition.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: How is the server licensed?

By point count, in bands starting around 250 points and scaling to over a million on a single server. Clients are licensed on top, individually or in bundles.

PeaZip: Does it work on macOS?

No supported build is offered. Mac users need a different archiver.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Is there a way to test it for free?

Yes, unlicensed development mode runs up to 1,000 points for two hours at a time. That is a prototyping tool, not a pilot.

PeaZip: How does it differ from 7-Zip?

It uses similar backends but adds far wider format support, a password manager, keyfile two-factor encryption, secure deletion and a graphical front end that also runs on Linux.

EcoStruxure Geo SCADA Expert: Is Geo SCADA the same as AVEVA Plant SCADA?

No. Plant SCADA is the former Citect product for plant-floor supervisory control. Geo SCADA is the former ClearSCADA product for distributed telemetry. Different codebases, different problems.

PeaZip: Should I use the PEA format?

Only for your own storage. Nothing else reads it, so anything sent to another party should be 7z or ZIP with AES-256.

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