Apache IoTDB vs ThingsBoard
Apache IoTDB
iotdb.apache.org
ThingsBoard
thingsboard.ioSide by side
| Figure | Apache IoTDB | ThingsBoard |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $39/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 25 |
| Spec score · IoT Analytics Software | 9.1 (#1) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Deployment | The project describes cloud installation, a desktop terminal tool, and a data synchronization tool connecting cloud and on-premise machines. | ThingsBoard offers cloud, dedicated Private Cloud, and on-premises deployments, including fully offline self-managed installations. |
| Integrations | Documented integrations include Telegraf, NiFi, Kafka, Flink, Spark, Zeppelin, Grafana, DataEase, DBeaver and ThingsBoard. | Documented integrations include AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, Google Pub/Sub, MQTT brokers, Kafka, OPC-UA and LoRaWAN network servers. |
| Licence | The source repository is distributed under the permissive Apache License 2.0. | Version 4.4 and later use Business Source License 1.1 and are source-available rather than OSI open source; releases before 4.4 remain Apache 2.0. |
| Self-hosting | Users can clone the repository, build with Maven and obtain a distribution ZIP, including an Edge artifact that combines ConfigNode and DataNode in one JVM. | On-premises deployments run on customer infrastructure, cloud accounts or fully offline environments, with Docker, Ubuntu, Windows, macOS, Raspberry Pi and cluster options. |
| Support | The project points users to QQ, WeChat, and Slack community channels and a developer mailing list for questions and help. | Paid subscriptions provide access to the ThingsBoard Support Portal, and Startup and Business plans include priority support. |
| System requirements | Current source prerequisites include Java 17 or newer, Maven 3.6 or newer for source builds, and a 65,535 open-file limit. | The CE Ubuntu guide specifies 1 CPU/4 GB RAM/20 GB for development, 2 CPU/8 GB/50 GB SSD for small production, and 4+ CPU/16+ GB/100+ GB for recommended production. |
| What it does | Apache IoTDB is an IoT-native time-series database for collecting, storing, managing and analyzing industrial time-series data. | ThingsBoard is an IoT platform for device management, data collection, processing and visualization. |
Plans
ThingsBoard
- FreeFree
- Prototype$49 a month
- Pilot$149 a month
- Startup$399 a month
- Business$749 a month
- Free (On-premises)Free
- Free (ThingsBoard Cloud)Free
- Free (ThingsBoard Cloud)Free
- Prototype (ThingsBoard Cloud)$39 a month
- Prototype (ThingsBoard Cloud)$49 a month
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.
ThingsBoard
ThingsBoard is an IoT platform for managing devices and collecting, processing, and visualizing their data. Its real-time IoT and SCADA dashboards include more than 300 built-in widgets and support custom widgets. Native connectivity covers MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, LwM2M, and SNMP; an IoT Gateway adds protocols such as Modbus, BACnet, CAN bus, BLE, and OPC-UA. Rule Engine nodes support data processing and platform customization, while integrations connect external services and gateways including AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, LoRaWAN servers, MQTT brokers, and OPC-UA servers. Deployment options include cloud, dedicated Private Cloud, and on-premises installations, including fully offline self-managed setups. Security choices include two-factor authentication, OAuth 2.0/SSO, JWT tokens, API keys, and HTTPS/TLS configuration. ThingsBoard Cloud is hosted on infrastructure stated to comply with SOC II and ISO 27001, with North America and EU data regions. Cloud plans have device and data-point limits. Listed cloud plans include free and paid options, with Prototype at $39 a month.