zenon Software Platform vs Ignition

zenon Software Platform8.8Visit Ignition7.8Visit

Higher score zenon Software Platform #5 in SCADA Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 2 features Visit COPA-DATA

vs

Ignition #8 in SCADA Software 7.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Ignition

• zenon Software Platform fits best

  Utilities and plants needing protocol breadth and failover

• Ignition fits best

  Teams wanting flexible SCADA with a free starting option

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Side by side

Feature	zenon Software Platform 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Ignition 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	7.8
Ranking	#5 in SCADA Software	#8 in SCADA Software
Best for	Utilities and plants needing protocol breadth and failover	Teams wanting flexible SCADA with a free starting option
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Pricing on request	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Browser extension	Cloud, Self-hosted, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Windows, Web, Linux	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs, Community	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features zenon Software Platform 2/2 · Ignition 2/2
Alarm management	✓	✓
Built-in historian	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment options	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Protocol support	IEC 61850; DNP3; IEC 60870-5 (101/103/104); Modbus; ICCP/TASE.2; OPC UA/DA; IEEE C37.118; IEC 61850-90-5; 62056-21; PROFINET; PROFIBUS; EtherNet/IP; CAN/CANopen; SNMPv3; Syslog	OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, Siemens S7, DNP3, BACnet
Supported tags	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Operator clients	Windows runtime client; browser-based Web Visualization Service client	Desktop Vision client, web browser Perspective client, mobile browser
Our review
Pros	Combines SCADA/HMI, alarm analysis, historian, trends and reporting Supports redundancy and browser-based thin-client visualization Connects across a wide range of industrial protocols	Connects through OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus TCP, and other industrial protocols Combines visualization, alarms, historian, reporting, and SQL connectivity Supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment
Cons	Commercial pricing requires contacting COPA-DATA Linux support is documented for zenon Logic, not necessarily every component Its breadth may be more than teams seeking a narrow SCADA tool need	Maker Edition is limited to non-commercial use Commercial licensing is configured by edition and modules Its breadth may exceed the needs of teams seeking a narrow SCADA tool
Our verdict	Designed for industrial and energy automation, zenon Software Platform brings SCADA and HMI visualization together with data acquisition, alarm management, reporting and process control. COPA-DATA describes it for manufacturers, machine… Read the review →	Ignition is an industrial application platform from Inductive Automation for building SCADA, HMI, and plant-wide monitoring systems. Control engineers, system integrators, and operations teams can use it to create visualization projects… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• zenon Software Platform — where it wins

  • Combines SCADA/HMI, alarm analysis, historian, trends and reporting
  • Supports redundancy and browser-based thin-client visualization
  • Connects across a wide range of industrial protocols

  Where it doesn't

  • Commercial pricing requires contacting COPA-DATA
  • Linux support is documented for zenon Logic, not necessarily every component
  • Its breadth may be more than teams seeking a narrow SCADA tool need

• Ignition — where it wins

  • Connects through OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus TCP, and other industrial protocols
  • Combines visualization, alarms, historian, reporting, and SQL connectivity
  • Supports cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment

  Where it doesn't

  • Maker Edition is limited to non-commercial use
  • Commercial licensing is configured by edition and modules
  • Its breadth may exceed the needs of teams seeking a narrow SCADA tool

• zenon Software Platform8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad SCADA/HMI platform with historian, alarm analysis and failover capabilities.

  Visit COPA-DATAFull verdict →
• Ignition7.8/10 · Free plan

  Flexible SCADA with broad industrial connectivity and a free non-commercial edition.

  Visit IgnitionFull verdict →