Apache Mynewt vs FreeRTOS

Apache Mynewt is a free, open-source real-time operating system and development toolkit for embedded systems. It targets Cortex-M0–M4, MIPS and RISC-V microcontrollers and includes a hardware abstraction layer and board support packages. Its wireless and networking options include BLE 5, Bluetooth Mesh, LoRaWAN, TCP/IP, UDP, CoAP and 6LoWPAN. NimBLE can be configured as a full stack, host only or controller only, with up to 2 Mbps throughput and 32+ concurrent connections. Device tools cover remote firmware image management, logging, component and network statistics, and sensors; the project also describes device discovery and management using OIC 1.1. Newt combines source package management with building, debugging and installing embedded applications. Security features include device identity, secure boot, encrypted and authenticated communications, and secure over-the-air updates. The project describes uses ranging from doorbells to medical devices and power grids. Mynewt is available under Apache License 2.0. Newt installation instructions cover macOS, Linux and Windows, while simulator support has narrower native platform coverage and documented limits.

FreeRTOS is a real-time operating system for microcontrollers and small microprocessors. It supports more than 40 processor architectures and more than 15 toolchains, including RISC-V and ARMv8-M. Its kernel includes Symmetric Multiprocessing, which can schedule tasks across identical processor cores that share memory, and a thread-safe TCP stack with IPv6 support. Libraries for AWS IoT services are included, with reference integrations that demonstrate security practices. FreeRTOS is distributed under the MIT open source license and can be used for any purpose under that license. LTS libraries receive security updates and critical bug fixes for two years. Preconfigured demos are available for official ports, and Windows and Linux ports plus QEMU projects let developers experiment without special hardware. The listed plan costs nothing. Community contributions and professional support through a partner ecosystem are also listed; commercial licenses and safety certification are available through a strategic partner.