Comparison
Factry Historian vs AVEVA PI System
Factry Historian (Factry) is listed as Historian; AVEVA PI System (AVEVA) as Historian, Data Infrastructure. No direct integration between them is listed. Last reviewed October 19, 2026.
Head-to-head
Factry Historian vs AVEVA PI System: key differences
Every row cites the vendor's own pages
Factry Historian is a Linux-based process historian that markets itself as a replacement for legacy historians: one flat fee per production site with unlimited tags and users, InfluxDB and PostgreSQL underneath, and an official Grafana plugin. AVEVA PI System (formerly OSIsoft PI) is a broad operations data portfolio built around PI Server on Windows Server, sold as an AVEVA Flex subscription, with hundreds of connectivity options and PI Vision, PI DataLink and other add-ons. Neither vendor publishes historian prices.
| Topic | Factry Historian | AVEVA PI System |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model[1, 2, 8, 9] | One flat fee per production site; unlimited users, tags, collectors and integrations. Standard, Advanced and Enterprise tiers. | Subscription through AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure, paid with AVEVA Flex credits: per-server subscriptions or an aggregate tag subscription shared across servers. |
| Public pricing[2, 7, 8] | Historian prices not published (price on request); guided proof of concept offered. | Not published (price on request); contracts are structured with an AVEVA account rep. |
| Tags & scale[2, 8, 9] | No limits on tags or users; capacity depends on the infrastructure it runs on. | A single PI Server can manage up to 20 million tags (data streams); aggregate tag subscriptions let usage scale across servers. |
| Data collection[2, 3, 10, 11] | Collectors for OPC UA, OPC DA, MQTT (JSON and Sparkplug B), Modbus TCP, Siemens S7, SQL and REST. | Over 450 PI Interfaces and over 20 PI Connectors, plus AVEVA Adapters (e.g. OPC UA, Modbus TCP, BACnet, DNP3, MQTT including Sparkplug B). |
| Outage buffering[5, 7, 10] | Collectors store and forward, buffering on disk until the historian acknowledges the data. | PI Buffer Subsystem queues data to a local file and flushes it in order when the connection returns; high availability and failover options. |
| Storage engine[3, 4, 8, 10] | InfluxDB (v1.x and v2.x) for time series; PostgreSQL for configuration, metadata and events. | PI Data Archive for time series; PI Asset Framework (assets, analytics, event frames) requires Microsoft SQL Server. |
| Server OS & deployment[1, 2, 10, 11, 9] | Practically any Linux OS; on-premises, corporate data center or cloud. | PI Data Archive 2024 in production on Windows Server 2022, 2019 or 2016; edge (Edge Data Store, Adapters on Windows or Linux), on-prem and CONNECT cloud components. |
| Visualization & outputs[6, 3, 7] | Official Grafana datasource plugin, Seeq connector, Excel add-in, MQTT (Sparkplug B) output, Parquet export and a REST API. | Optional add-ons include PI Vision (web displays), PI DataLink (Excel) and PI Integrator for Business Analytics; open APIs and SDK. |
Consider Factry Historian when…
- You want a predictable per-site fee with no tag counting and are comfortable with Linux, InfluxDB, PostgreSQL and Grafana.
- You are replacing or avoiding a legacy historian and want direct database access and open APIs.
Consider AVEVA PI System when…
- You need a long-established enterprise historian with hundreds of interfaces, asset framework, event frames and notifications.
- Your IT standard is Windows Server and SQL Server, and you want edge, on-prem and cloud components from one vendor.
“Consider when” points are PlantWired's editorial reading of the sourced facts above, not vendor claims or a recommendation.
Directory listing side by side
| Attribute | Factry Historian | AVEVA PI System |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Factry | AVEVA |
| Categories | Historian | Historian, Data Infrastructure |
| Ecosystems | Vendor-neutral, Ignition | AVEVA, Vendor-neutral |
| Pricing model | Flat fee per production site (unlimited users and tags); price on request | Enterprise license/subscription |
| Listed integrations | 5 | 6 |
| Website | https://www.factry.io/historian | https://www.aveva.com/en/products/aveva-pi-system/ |
| Direct link | No direct integration listed | |
Shared integrations
Sources
- [1]Factry: Factry Historian product page: https://www.factry.io/historian
- [2]Factry: pricing and FAQ: https://www.factry.io/pricing
- [3]Factry Historian docs: System Architecture: https://docs.factry.io/concepts/system-architecture
- [4]Factry Historian docs: Time-series databases: https://docs.factry.io/concepts/time-series-databases
- [5]Factry Historian docs: Collectors: https://docs.factry.io/concepts/collectors
- [6]Factry: Grafana integration: https://www.factry.io/platform/integrations/grafana
- [7]AVEVA: AVEVA PI System product page: https://www.aveva.com/en/products/aveva-pi-system/
- [8]AVEVA: AVEVA PI Server product page: https://www.aveva.com/en/products/aveva-pi-server/
- [9]AVEVA: AVEVA PI Data Infrastructure: https://www.aveva.com/en/products/pi-data-infrastructure/
- [10]AVEVA learning manual: PI System Architecture, Planning and Implementation (2025, PI Server 2024, PDF): https://cdn.osisoft.com/learningcontent/pdfs/PISystemArchitecturePlanningAndImplementationWorkbook.pdf
- [11]AVEVA World 2023 workshop: AVEVA Adapter for MQTT and Edge Data Store (PDF): https://cdn.osisoft.com/osi/presentations/2023-AVEVA-San-Francisco/UC23NA-3PGK01-AVEVA-Greavu-Jain_AVEVA-Adapters-and-AVEVA-Edge-Data-Store-IIoT.pdf
- Checked October 19, 2026. Prices are vendor list prices as shown on that date and may change.
- Factry Historian: official site https://www.factry.io/historian
- AVEVA PI System: official site https://www.aveva.com/en/products/aveva-pi-system/
- Integration links: PlantWired editorial directory (methodology)
See everything that works with Factry Historian or AVEVA PI System.
Related comparisons
Related guides
Newsletter · free
Get the weekly factory-software brief
New integrations and changes around Factry Historian and AVEVA PI System, in one short global email. Subscribers also get our compatibility matrix spreadsheet.
Editorial comparison based on public information. Not a recommendation; verify specifics with each vendor.