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Manufacturing · head to head

Kepware Server vs SKF Enlight Centre

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
SKF Enlight Centre logo

SKF Enlight Centre

Manufacturing

Asset-based machine health monitoring platform from SKF, tying wireless sensors, route collection and remote diagnostics together

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.; SKF Enlight Centre no pricing is published for the software, the sensors, the gateways or the remote diagnostic services, so the total cost of a deployment only emerges after a site survey and a quotation.
  • They diverge on capability: Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers, SKF Enlight Centre covers Asset-based interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kepware Server and SKF Enlight Centre actually diverge.

Attributes where Kepware Server and SKF Enlight Centre differ
AttributeKepware ServerSKF Enlight Centre
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 SKF Enlight Centre

  • Asset-based interface
  • Enlight Collect IMx-1
  • Enlight ProCollect
  • Remote diagnostic services
  • Marine deployment
  • Root cause tooling
  • Dashboards
  • Hazardous area sensing

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 SKF Enlight Centre
  • Publishing CNC machine state from FANUC and Haas controls to an OEE system over MQTTnot SKF Enlight Centre
  • Bridging legacy serial Modbus devices into an OPC UA architecture during a phased controller replacementnot SKF Enlight Centre
  • Running redundant collection servers so a cloud analytics pipeline does not lose data during Windows patchingnot SKF Enlight Centre

SKF Enlight Centre

  • A shipowner monitoring auxiliary engines, purifiers and pumps across a fleet without a vibration analyst on each vesselnot Kepware Server
  • A plant already standardised on SKF bearings that wants failure-mode diagnosis from the bearing manufacturernot Kepware Server
  • An operator replacing paper-based handheld routes with ProCollect while keeping the same measurement pointsnot Kepware Server
  • A site in a hazardous classified area needing certified wireless sensing rather than manual data collectionnot 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.

SKF Enlight Centre

  • No pricing is published for the software, the sensors, the gateways or the remote diagnostic services, so the total cost of a deployment only emerges after a site survey and a quotation.
  • The platform is built for SKF sensing hardware, so third-party sensors are poorly served and you are effectively committing to SKF for the life of the installation.
  • Remote diagnostic services are a separate ongoing contract, and without them the platform gives you data rather than verdicts, which most buyers of Enlight Centre do not have the staff to interpret.
  • SKF has run overlapping condition monitoring products including @ptitude Observer and Enlight AI, and the boundaries between them have shifted over time, which makes long-term product roadmap commitments hard to read.
  • Battery-powered wireless sensors on shipboard or high-vibration installations need periodic replacement, and that maintenance burden falls on crews who were the reason you automated collection in the first place.

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

SKF Enlight Centre

On request
  • SKF Enlight Centre$undefined/year
    • Software subscription quoted per site or per vessel
    • Enlight Collect IMx-1 sensors and gateways purchased separately
    • SKF remote diagnostic services contracted per asset or per fleet

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 SKF Enlight Centre if

  • You need asset-based interface.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want enlight collect imx-1.
SKF Enlight Centre review

Questions people ask

Is Kepware Server or SKF Enlight Centre better?
Neither clearly leads. Kepware Server starts at On request and SKF Enlight Centre at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kepware Server or SKF Enlight Centre?
Kepware Server starts at On request and SKF Enlight Centre at On request.
Does Kepware Server or SKF Enlight Centre run on more platforms?
Kepware Server runs on Windows, Linux. SKF Enlight Centre 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 SKF Enlight Centre is typically brought in for.
What can Kepware Server do that SKF Enlight Centre cannot?
Kepware Server covers 150-plus device drivers, OPC UA server, IoT Gateway, DataLogger. SKF Enlight Centre covers Asset-based interface, Enlight Collect IMx-1, Enlight ProCollect, Remote diagnostic services.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Is Enlight Centre a single product or a family?

SKF Enlight is a family. Enlight Centre is the web software; Enlight Collect IMx-1 is the wireless sensing hardware and Enlight AI is a separate analytics product.

Kepware Server: Is a perpetual licence still available?

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

SKF Enlight Centre: Can I use non-SKF sensors?

Not meaningfully. The platform is designed around SKF sensing hardware and SKF service delivery.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Does SKF analyse the data for me?

Only under a remote diagnostic services contract with an SKF Rotating Equipment Performance Centre, priced separately.

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.

SKF Enlight Centre: Is it suitable for ships?

Yes, marine is one of its primary segments and it is designed for intermittent satellite connectivity.

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