Is Particle worth the price?
Particle's pricing structure is fair for small-scale IoT projects with its generous Free tier.
However, the jump to the Basic tier at $299/month per block for only 100 devices and 720K data operations can become expensive quickly for growing deployments, especially compared to other IoT platforms. It's best for developers and small businesses starting with IoT, or large enterprises needing custom, high-touch solutions.
Pricing Plans
Free
$0 / month, forever
Everything in all plans, plus:
- 100 devices
- 100K Data Operations
- Community support
- Online store device purchasing
- Standard device availability
- List price device discounting
- 3 days Location data retention
Basic
$299 / month per block
Everything in all plans, plus:
- 100 devices per block
- 720K Data Operations per block
- Email support
- Online store device purchasing
- Standard device availability
- Volume discounts device discounting
- 90 days Location data retention
Plus
$599 / month per block
Everything in all plans, plus:
- 100 devices per block
- 5M Data Operations per block
- Email support
- Online store device purchasing
- Standard device availability
- Volume discounts device discounting
- 90 days Location data retention
Professional
Custom
Everything in all plans, plus:
- "Basic" or "Plus" packages at discounted rates
- Custom devices
- Custom Data Operations
- Annual Data Operations pooling
- Invoice payment method
- 6+ months Location Data retention
- Optional Premium support options
- Optional Premium connectivity options
Enterprise
Custom
Everything in all plans, plus:
- Customized Data Operations packages
- Dedicated support team of Particle Watchdogs
- Certification, design, and implementation services
- Enterprise-grade security and compliance features
- Discounted or free SoMs and gateways
- Custom devices
- Custom Data Operations
- Annual Data Operations pooling
Included in all plans
- Edge computing
- Runtime OTA software updates
- Drivers and libraries
- Developer tools
- Device protection
- Edge ML
- Reliable messaging over heterogeneous networks
- "It just works" connectivity
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Rapid scaling of devices/data operations increases cost significantly.
Custom tiers require direct contact, opaque pricing.
Premium support and connectivity are optional add-ons.
Which Plan Do You Need?
IoT project prototyping
Small-scale device deployments
Enterprises needing custom solutions
How Particle Compares to Competitors
Compared to AWS IoT Core, which offers a pay-as-you-go model with a generous free tier, Particle's block-based pricing can be less flexible. While AWS IoT Core might charge per message and connection minute, Particle's Basic tier at $299/month for 100 devices and 720K data operations could be more expensive for similar usage patterns, especially if data operations exceed the block limit.
Particle Pricing FAQ
How much does Particle cost?
Particle starts at $299/month on the Basic plan. It offers 2 paid tiers ranging from $299/month up to $599/month. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Particle have a free plan?
Yes. Particle offers a free plan called "Free". It includes: 100 devices, 100K Data Operations, Edge computing.
What is the cheapest Particle paid plan?
The cheapest paid plan for Particle is "Basic" at $299/month. Key features include: 100 devices per block, 720K Data Operations per block, Edge computing.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Particle?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Particle include Embedded, CesiumAstro, Ditto, Sealevel Systems. Free alternatives include Zephyr Project. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Particle
1 of 6 direct competitors below offer a free plan. Per-seat pricing varies up to 60% across this set.
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