SiliconExpert vs Z2Data vs Octopart: obsolescence data tools compared (2026)
The Obsolescence BriefTool Comparison · 2026
SiliconExpert vs Z2Data vs Octopart: a lookup, or a management layer?
One line no sales deck draws plainly: an authoritative part status is available for free, but the management layer around it is quote-only priced. The real question is whether you need that layer, and what you are willing to pay a quote to get it.
The four in play
Who does whatOctopart shows manufacturer-first lifecycle status, stock, and pricing at no cost. SiliconExpert, Z2Data, and Accuris wrap that status in the layer that does the program-level work: PCN monitoring, EOL forecasting, BOM-level risk, compliance, and PLM/ERP integration. None of the three publishes a price.
The comparison
Side by side| Octopart | SiliconExpert | Z2Data | Accuris / IHS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool type | Free lookup | Paid platform | Paid platform | Paid platform |
| Lifecycle status | Mfr-first | Mfr-first | Mfr-first | Mfr-first |
| Parts covered | Aggregated across distributors | ~1B+ | ~1B+ | ~1.3B+ |
| PCN / EOL monitoring | Flag only, no workflow | Aggregated, 1000+ mfrs | Yes + forecast 12–36 mo | Yes, enterprise workflow |
| EOL forecasting | No | Lifecycle / YTEOL | AI-assisted scoring | Lifecycle data |
| BOM-level risk | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Regulatory (PFAS / REACH / RoHS) | Minimal | 20+ regulations | Compliance module | Compliance module |
| Integration (API / PLM / ERP) | API (developer) | API + integrations | PLM / ERP | Enterprise |
| Pricing | Free | Quote-only | Quote-only | Quote-only |
| Best for | Bench lookups, one-off checks | Breadth + PCN aggregation | Early warning, risk sizing | Enterprise reference, integration |
Coverage counts, accuracy figures, and the forecast horizon are vendor-reported, not independently audited numbers.
Where each one stops
The catch on eachNone of these is the whole answer. Each has a specific limit to price in before committing.
Because its status is manufacturer-first, it is a good free way to check an authoritative lifecycle status, stock, and price on a specific part. What it does not do is the management layer: no PCN monitoring workflow, no EOL forecasting, no BOM-level risk scoring, no real compliance module, no PLM/ERP integration. It answers a question about a part; running a program takes more.
The breadth and PCN aggregation are real, and it is a recurring, quote-only subscription with no public price to benchmark. You are renting Arrow's aggregation of the manufacturers' data.
Predictive lifecycle scoring 12–36 months ahead is genuinely useful for early warning. Treat a score as a watchlist trigger and confirm the status before acting; an AI-assisted risk output is a lead to validate in your own program. Pricing is quote-only.
Large parts database and cited high accuracy, but it is the enterprise-heavy, legacy-integrated option, scoped and priced for large programs rather than a single sustaining engineer. Pricing is quote-only.
What the tool-comparison pages miss
The two facts that decide the purchase
Search these tools head to head and the top results are software-directory grids and the vendors' own comparison landing pages. The grids compare feature checkboxes; the vendor pages score themselves. Neither states the two facts that decide the purchase: that an authoritative part status is available free (Octopart), and that the paid tools publish no price.
They never frame the actual question: whether you are buying a lookup or a management layer, and at what undisclosed cost.
How to choose
By situationNo single winner; a fit to your situation. Both registers:
Bench · one-off · free
Checking a part's status, stock, price — Octopart
Its status is manufacturer-first, so for a one-off it is enough on its own.
Procurement · compliance · program scale
Monitoring PCNs, forecasting EOL, scoring a BOM — a paid platform
The fee buys that management layer; the raw status is available free.
Early warning · risk sizing
Forecast scoring — Z2Data
Built for it; use a score to open a watchlist item and confirm before you act on it.
Single engineer · small program
Start free — Octopart + mfr status pages
A paid platform earns its cost at BOM scale and with PLM/ERP integration, not for occasional lookups.
Before you buy
Five checksCommon questions
FAQQIs there a free alternative to SiliconExpert?
Octopart covers the free status, stock, and price lookup, and its lifecycle status is manufacturer-first. It does not replace the management layer — monitoring, forecasting, BOM risk — that you pay SiliconExpert for.
QSiliconExpert or Z2Data, which is better?
Neither, categorically. SiliconExpert leads on breadth and PCN aggregation; Z2Data leads on predictive forecasting and risk scoring. Pick by whether your pain is broad authoritative data (SiliconExpert) or early warning (Z2Data).
QIs Octopart's lifecycle data reliable?
For status, yes: it shows manufacturer-first lifecycle status free. It is a lookup rather than a management platform; use it to check a part, and a paid platform to run a program.
The Watch List
CAN transceiver EOL: MCP2551
Microchip lists the MCP2551 high-speed CAN transceiver obsolete; migration options split across vendors (Microchip MCP2561/2562, TI SN65HVD230/251, NXP TJA1050), and the pin-compatible TI SN65HVD251 route is rated 12V-only, not 24V. Full comparison next issue.
PFAS restriction advancing
The ECHA PFAS restriction proposal is pushing manufacturers to reassess materials; watch for low-warning EOLs as a second-order effect.
EOL volume and the no-PCN gap
Component EOL ran to 621,909 in 2025, with 52% arriving without a formal PCN — the case for monitoring beyond the manufacturer notice.
