An alternative to Rockwell
that doesn't charge you per tag.
FactoryTalk, Arena, and Fiix are powerful tools — but the per-tag licensing, cloud dependency, and vendor lock-in don't fit every plant. iGromi OS is an edge-first platform with unlimited tags and full data sovereignty.
Rockwell Pain Points
FactoryTalk is powerful.
The licensing model isn't.
Per-tag licensing
Rockwell FactoryTalk View SE starts at ~$2,000 for 25 tags. Scaling to 5,000 tags requires multiple server licenses. Every device, every HMI client, every historian point adds cost. The licensing calculator becomes a budgeting exercise.
Cloud dependency
Rockwell Fiix and Arena require persistent cloud connectivity. If the internet drops, maintenance schedules, production simulations, and analytics go dark. Edge processing shouldn't depend on a data center three states away.
Vendor lock-in
Rockwell Automation's ecosystem — Studio 5000, FactoryTalk, PanelView — is deeply integrated. Good when you commit; expensive when you want flexibility. Migrating away means rebuilding your entire HMI and historian from scratch.
The Alternative
iGromi OS: edge-first
industrial cognitive infrastructure.
No per-tag fees
Unlimited tags and no per-tag licensing. Pricing is quoted per plant: a base platform plus the modules and equipment you use. Adding variables does not open a new negotiation.
100% edge processing
iGromi OS runs on your plant hardware — industrial PCs, edge gateways or on-prem servers. Zero cloud dependency. Works offline. Video is processed inside your facility.
Open architecture
Connect to Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Modbus, OPC-UA, MQTT simultaneously. REST APIs and WebSocket streams for your ERP, BI tools, or custom dashboards. No proprietary lock-in.
Head to Head
Rockwell FactoryTalk
vs iGromi OS.
| Criteria | Rockwell / FactoryTalk | iGromi OS |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per-tag + per-user + per-module | Per plant, no per-tag fees |
| Architecture | On-prem server + cloud (Fiix/Arena) | 100% edge, no cloud dependency |
| Data sovereignty | Data shipped to Rockwell cloud services | All data stays on your hardware |
| Multi-vendor PLCs | Optimized for Allen-Bradley | A-B, Siemens, Modbus, OPC-UA simultaneously |
Why Switch
Why companies switch from
Rockwell to iGromi OS.
Cost predictability
Rockwell licensing grows with your plant — more tags, more HMI clients, more server instances. An expansion that adds 2,000 new tags becomes a $15K+ licensing negotiation. With no per-tag fees, your plant adds variables without opening a PO to your automation vendor.
Integration complexity
FactoryTalk, Studio 5000, AssetCentre, VantagePoint — the Rockwell stack requires 6+ separate applications to get from PLC data to actionable insights. iGromi OS ships as a single integrated platform: MES, CMMS, AI vision, and condition monitoring in one deployment.
Vendor independence
When your entire HMI, historian, and reporting stack is Rockwell, switching costs become prohibitive. iGromi OS decouples your software from your PLC brand. Run iGromi on Allen-Bradley today, add Siemens tomorrow — same interface, no per-tag fees.
Integrated with iGromi OS
1 · What your plant already has
- Allen-Bradley PLCs over EtherNet/IP
- Line drives and meters
- Existing cameras
2 · The iGromi node on site
- Reads tags without reprogramming the PLC
- Filters and aggregates on site
- Stores locally if the link drops
3 · What your team gets
- Production and energy dashboards
- Data for your MES or ERP
- Optional cloud, not required
Ready to explore an alternative
to Rockwell licensing?
Book a 30-minute demo. See iGromi OS running on your plant floor — unlimited tags, edge-first architecture, no per-tag fees.
Book a diagnosticHow is this rolled out in a plant that is already running?
The same five questions come up in every meeting, whichever solution is on the table. The answers depend on how the system works, not on the module.
Do I have to replace my PLC or my SCADA?
No. The system connects to what is already installed and reads from it; it does not replace the control layer and does not write to it unless that is explicitly defined. If the PLC does not expose its parameters, the iGromi Bridge discovers them by trying combinations until it gets a response, and if the machine speaks no protocol at all it is read by a sensor on the electrical signal.
Does it work if the internet goes down?
Yes. Processing happens at the Edge, inside the plant, so capture, rules and inference keep running with the link down. What stops is remote access and outbound synchronisation, which resumes on its own when the connection returns.
Does my data leave the plant?
Not by default. Video and telemetry are processed on the customer's Edge device. What leaves, and where it goes, is defined when the system is configured. That is the same property that underpins compliance with Chile's Ley 21.719 and what makes this viable in mining and in food.
How long until the first data point?
It depends on how many machines there are and what they expose. A line with equipment that speaks Modbus is read in days; a line of silent machines needs sensors installed and panel shutdowns coordinated, and that is set by the plant's maintenance calendar, not by us. The usual sequence is assessment, pilot, expansion.
What happens to what we already measure by hand?
It runs alongside during commissioning. For the first weeks the manual record keeps going in parallel as a validation counterpart: it is how you find out whether the automatic figure beats the handwritten one, and the habit is dropped on its own once that is demonstrated.
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