Apache IoTDB vs Cumulocity IoT
Apache IoTDB
iotdb.apache.orgCumulocity IoT
cumulocity.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache IoTDB | Cumulocity IoT |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | €17.92/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 6 |
| Spec score · IoT Analytics Software | 9.1 (#1) | 8.1 (#12) |
| Access control | IoTDB supports users, roles and path-scoped privileges such as READ, WRITE and SECURITY, with authentication by username and password. | Cumulocity provides native multi-tenancy to segregate customer data and supports granular role-based access control and contextual device permissions. |
| Deployment | The project describes cloud installation, a desktop terminal tool, and a data synchronization tool connecting cloud and on-premise machines. | Cumulocity supports cloud SaaS and on-premises Cumulocity Edge deployments, including operation in air-gapped networks. |
| Integrations | Documented integrations include Telegraf, NiFi, Kafka, Flink, Spark, Zeppelin, Grafana, DataEase, DBeaver and ThingsBoard. | Cumulocity lists Microsoft, AWS, Google, and SAP among its featured partners. |
| Support | The project points users to QQ, WeChat, and Slack community channels and a developer mailing list for questions and help. | Starter includes community support; Business includes 24/7 crisis phone support, and Enterprise includes 24/7 all-incident support. |
Plans
Cumulocity IoT
- Starter€215 a month
- BusinessPriced on request
- EnterprisePriced on request
- Starter€215 a year
- Air-GappedPriced on request
- ConnectedPriced on request
In their own words
Apache IoTDB
Apache IoTDB is an open-source industrial IoT time-series database for collecting, storing, managing, and analyzing device data across edge and cloud deployments. The project describes high-speed writes for millions of networked devices alongside fast reads. Query features include aligning time across devices and sensors, time-series computation, and aggregation by time dimensions. Ingestion options include IoTDB-SQL, JDBC, Java, C++, Python, and Go native APIs, REST, MQTT, CSV, and TsFile. Named analysis ecosystem examples include Hadoop, Spark, Flink, and Grafana. Deployment options include cloud installation, a desktop terminal tool, and synchronization between cloud and on-premise machines. The REST service is disabled by default and uses Basic Authentication except for the health check endpoint. Data and cluster permissions can be managed through users, roles, and privileges. The homepage states disk storage can cost less than $0.23 per GB. The project lists energy, aerospace, transportation, steel, and other IoT scenarios. Its JDBC documentation cautions that insert operations may not provide high-performance writing and recommends the Java Native API for Java applications.
Cumulocity IoT
Cumulocity IoT connects and manages equipment, turns device data into context, and supports application building and operational decisions. Devices can connect through HTTP REST, MQTT, native LWM2M, LoRa Network Server integration, or certified gateways. Management tools cover onboarding, configuration, connectivity monitoring, remote troubleshooting, replacement, and over-the-air software and firmware updates. The platform normalizes device data and provides real-time analytics and dashboards; optional DataHub supports SQL queries through standard ODBC/JDBC interfaces. Deployment options include cloud SaaS and on-premises Cumulocity Edge, including air-gapped operation. Security controls include X.509 authentication, device-initiated connections, secure remote access, and fine-grained permissions; multi-tenancy and role-based access control manage separation and access. Starter costs €215 a month, billed annually, and includes 2.5M messages monthly, one tenant, 30-day data retention, and a 95% uptime guarantee. A 30-day trial supports up to 10 devices.