Choosing a process historian: a practical checklist
By PlantWired · Last reviewed October 16, 2026
A process historian stores time-series data from PLCs, SCADA and sensors — often for years — and serves it back quickly for trends, reports and analytics.
Most selection mistakes come from comparing feature lists instead of checking fit with what you already run. Start from your SCADA/connectivity layer and your analytics layer, then pick the historian that connects cleanly to both.
The tools below are the historians and time-series databases in our directory, with their listed integrations and pricing model as published by the vendor.
Process historians
Purpose-built for industrial tags, compression and long retention.
- Canary Historian · Canary Labs · Tag-based license
Time-series historian focused on lossless compression, fast trending and simple tag-based licensing.
Listed with: Ignition, Kepware KEPServerEX, Seeq, Power BI
- AVEVA PI System · AVEVA · Enterprise license/subscription
Enterprise operational data infrastructure (formerly OSIsoft PI) for collecting, storing and contextualizing time-series data.
Listed with: Kepware KEPServerEX, Seeq, Power BI, AVEVA System Platform, Flow, Azure IoT
- Proficy Historian · GE Vernova · License
Time-series historian in the Proficy suite for archiving process data at site and enterprise level.
Listed with: Proficy iFIX, Proficy Plant Applications, Seeq
- FactoryTalk Historian · Rockwell Automation · License
Rockwell-branded historian for collecting Logix and plant data at machine and site level.
Listed with: FactoryTalk View, AVEVA PI System, Seeq
- InfluxDB · InfluxData · Open source + cloud tiers
Open-core time-series database often used as a lightweight historian.
Listed with: Node-RED, Grafana
- dataPARC · Capstone Technology · License
Process data analytics and historian suite popular in pulp & paper and chemicals.
Listed with: AVEVA PI System
General time-series databases
Open or open-core databases sometimes used as lightweight historians.
- TimescaleDB · Tiger Data · Open source + cloud tiers
PostgreSQL extension for time-series and sensor data, positioned for IIoT telemetry.
Listed with: Grafana
What sits on top: analytics & BI
Check your historian is supported by the analytics tools your engineers want.
- Flow · Flow Software · Subscription
Industrial information hub that turns raw historian and SCADA data into contextualized KPIs and reports.
Listed with: Ignition, Canary Historian, AVEVA PI System, Power BI
- Insights Hub · Siemens · Subscription
Cloud IoT and analytics offering from Siemens (formerly MindSphere).
Listed with: Siemens Industrial Edge, SIMATIC WinCC
- Seeq · Seeq · SaaS subscription
Advanced analytics app that lets engineers investigate and model historian data without exporting to spreadsheets.
Listed with: AVEVA PI System, Canary Historian, Proficy Historian, FactoryTalk Historian, Power BI
- Power BI · Microsoft · Per-user subscription
Business-intelligence tool commonly used for plant KPIs on top of historian or SQL data.
Listed with: AVEVA PI System, Canary Historian, Seeq, Flow
- Proficy Operations Hub · GE Vernova · License
Web app builder for dashboards and operator apps on top of Proficy data.
Listed with: Proficy Historian, Proficy Plant Applications
- Grafana · Grafana Labs · Free + cloud tiers
Open-source dashboarding tool widely used for machine and sensor trends.
Listed with: InfluxDB, TimescaleDB
- TrendMiner · TrendMiner · Subscription
Self-service time-series analytics for process engineers working on historian data.
Listed with: AVEVA PI System
Questions to answer before you choose
- What collects the data today (OPC server, SCADA, MQTT) — does the historian read it natively?
- Licensing model: per tag, per server, subscription or open source?
- Site-level, enterprise-level, or both (tiered/replicated)?
- Which analytics/BI tools must read from it?
- Who will administer it, and what skills does your team already have?
Sources
Tool descriptions, pricing models and integration links come from the PlantWired directory, compiled from each vendor's public website (linked on every tool page). See our methodology. Not a recommendation; verify with vendors.
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