AWS IoT SiteWise vs OpenRemote

AWS IoT SiteWise is a managed service for collecting, storing, organizing, and monitoring industrial equipment data. Asset models structure information at enterprise, site, area, and machine levels. SiteWise Edge runs on local Linux or Microsoft Windows Server devices, gathering and processing data before sending it to AWS Cloud. It supports OPC-UA, MQTT, and partner protocols, and can transfer data to Amazon S3, AWS IoT SiteWise, AWS IoT Core, Amazon Timestream, and Amazon Kinesis. Storage includes hot and warm tiers plus a customer-managed cold tier using Amazon S3. The service offers real-time stream processing, custom dashboards, SQL querying, anomaly detection, and machine-learning tools. Internet communication uses TLS, with cloud transfer over MQTT or HTTPS; AWS KMS customer-managed keys can encrypt specified cloud values. The free Data Collection Pack transfers industrial data, while the Data Processing Pack costs $200 a month per active gateway. Broader SiteWise usage is paid with no listed price.

OpenRemote is an open-source IoT platform for bringing different protocols and data sources into one management system. Users define asset types and the attributes they want to track, then create automations with When-Then rules, a visual Flow Editor, or Groovy scripting. Its dashboard builder supports live monitoring, historical trend analysis, and alerts when attributes pass thresholds. Built-in protocol agents include HTTP, SNMP, ModBus, MQTT, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, Serial, TCP, UDP, KNX, Velbus, and openWeather. Assets and attributes are accessible through a unified REST API and WebSockets. Keycloak provides OAuth2/OpenID Connect and role-based access control; Realms logically isolate users and data. Through Hawkbit integration, the platform supports edge-device firmware updates and security patch rollouts. OpenRemote is designed for professional integrators, including manufacturers, system integrators, and governments. It uses a container-first approach and offers Docker Compose deployment for its manager, database, identity service, and map server. The code is licensed under AGPLv3, with commercial licenses available for organizations seeking an exemption from the stated source-sharing obligation. Community support is included with the free option.