ThingsBoard vs ThingSpeak
ThingsBoard
thingsboard.ioThingSpeak
thingspeak.mathworks.comSide by side
| Figure | ThingsBoard | ThingSpeak |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $39/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 25 | 5 |
| Spec score · IoT Analytics Software | 8.8 (#4) | 7.3 (#17) |
| Founded | 2016 | 1984 |
| Integrations | Documented integrations include AWS IoT, Azure IoT Hub, Google Pub/Sub, MQTT brokers, Kafka, OPC-UA and LoRaWAN network servers. | Listed integrations include LoRaWAN, The Things Network, Senet, Libelium, Beckhoff, and Particle devices. |
| Purpose | ThingsBoard is an IoT platform for device management, data collection, processing, and visualization. | ThingSpeak is a cloud IoT analytics platform for aggregating, visualizing, and analyzing live data streams. |
| Support | Paid subscriptions provide access to the ThingsBoard Support Portal, and Startup and Business plans include priority support. | The Academic license includes standard MathWorks support, while its free option includes community support. |
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
ThingSpeak
- FreeFree
- AcademicPrice not published
- HomePrice not published
- StandardPrice not published
- StudentPrice not published
In their own words
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.
ThingSpeak
ThingSpeak is a cloud IoT analytics platform for collecting, visualizing and analyzing live data streams. Devices can send data through REST or MQTT APIs, and listed libraries support Arduino, ESP8266, ESP32, Particle and Raspberry Pi. Each channel stores up to eight fields, with data private by default and an option to make channels public. Users can run scheduled MATLAB code hosted by ThingSpeak without a separate MATLAB license. React and TimeControl apps support responses to channel conditions and scheduled computations. The platform supports near-real-time stream processing, custom dashboards and machine learning tools. MathWorks describes its uses as IoT prototyping, proof-of-concept systems and hosted production for small- to medium-sized systems. The Free plan is free for non-commercial use, with four channels, three million messages per year and a 15-second update interval. MATLAB code execution is limited to 20 seconds for free users; TimeControl cannot schedule MATLAB Analysis more often than every five minutes, and channel visualizations update after ten minutes. Platforms listed are API and web.