Open-source IoT platform for device management, data collection, processing, and visualization.
Supports industry-standard IoT protocols and offers both cloud and on-premises deployment options.
Provides a powerful rule engine, real-time dashboards, and advanced features for enterprise IoT solutions.

Pros

Open-source with a community edition available.
Highly scalable and fault-tolerant due to microservices architecture.
Supports a wide range of industry-standard IoT protocols.
Flexible deployment options (cloud, on-premises, self-managed, managed).
Comprehensive features for device management, data processing, and visualization.

Cons

Advanced features like white-labeling and enhanced RBAC are only available in paid editions.
Self-managed deployments require technical expertise for setup and maintenance.
Pricing for Professional Edition and Cloud is not explicitly listed on the public pages.

What is ThingsBoard?

ThingsBoard is an open-source Internet of Things (IoT) platform designed for comprehensive management of IoT solutions. It facilitates device connectivity using industry-standard protocols like MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP, and supports both cloud and on-premises deployments. The platform offers robust capabilities for provisioning, monitoring, and controlling IoT entities, defining relationships between devices, assets, and customers, and collecting and visualizing telemetry data in a scalable and fault-tolerant manner. ThingsBoard caters to a wide range of IoT use cases, including smart energy, smart farming, fleet tracking, smart metering, environment monitoring, smart office, and water metering. It provides a powerful rule engine for data processing, transformation, and normalization, enabling users to raise alarms based on various events. The platform is built with a microservices architecture, ensuring scalability and fault-tolerance, and offers different editions including a Community Edition, a Professional Edition with advanced features like white-labeling and advanced RBAC, and a fully managed Cloud service.

Available on: Web

Data compiled by Toolradar Pricing checked Sep 29, 2026 · How we evaluate

Source thingsboard.io

Ratings Across the Web

4.1 (6 reviews)

ThingsBoard holds an aggregate rating of 4.1 out of 5 from 6 reviews across G2 and SourceForge, last checked March 19, 2026.

G2 5 reviews

4.1/5

SourceForge 1 reviews

4/5

Ratings aggregated from independent review platforms. Learn more

Preview

Key Features

Device and Asset Management
Data Collection and Visualization (Telemetry)
Real-time IoT Dashboards with customizable widgets
Rule Engine for data processing and event-based actions
Microservices Architecture for scalability and fault-tolerance
Support for MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, NB IoT, LoRaWAN, SigFox, LwM2M protocols
White-labeling (Professional Edition)
Advanced Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Customer Hierarchy (Professional Edition)

Pricing Plans

Pricing checked Sep 29, 2026. Source: thingsboard.io, read Sep 29, 2026

ThingsBoard plans and prices, checked September 2026
Plan	Price	Details
Community Edition	Free
Cloud	Contact us
Professional Edition	Contact us

View full pricing

Is ThingsBoard worth the price?

Fair value

The Community Edition offers a generous free option for basic needs.

This model is best for users who are comfortable with open-source solutions or have enterprise-level requirements that necessitate custom pricing.

Full ThingsBoard pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

ThingsBoard by the numbers

Toolradar data: It is listed as an alternative to 15 other tools on Toolradar, ranking #5 of 84 in IoT Platforms. As of Nov 2026.

ThingsBoard compared with 84 IoT Platforms tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
Metric	ThingsBoard	Peer median	Position (1 is best)
Free plan	Yes	36% have one	n/a
Listed as an alternative to	15 tools	3	#5 of 84
Compare-page visits, last 30 days	65 visits	38	#2 of 9 tools with 20+ compare-page visits

Visitors most often compare ThingsBoard with Node-RED and EMQX (last 30 days, Nov 2026).

Listed as an alternative to: #5 on 2026-10-16 to #5 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 84 tools, 1 is best).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All IoT Platforms data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.

Cite this: Toolradar, “ThingsBoard by the numbers”, Nov 2026.

Reviews

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4.1/5

Across 6 verified user reviews on G2, SourceForge

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Best ThingsBoard Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

Node-RED Free

Flow-based programming for IoT

4.6

EMQX Freemium

Massive IoT connections & real-time data streaming

4.6

Mainflux Freemium

Open-source IoT platform for secure, performant, and scalable connected solutions.

See all IoT platforms →

Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

ThingsBoard vs Node-RED Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins ThingsBoard vs EMQX Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins ThingsBoard vs Mainflux Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

Explore More

ThingsBoard FAQ

How does ThingsBoard support diverse IoT applications?

ThingsBoard supports a wide range of IoT applications by providing comprehensive device management, data collection, processing, and visualization capabilities. It caters to use cases such as smart energy, fleet tracking, environmental monitoring, and smart office solutions. The platform uses industry-standard protocols like MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP for device connectivity.

Which teams would benefit most from using ThingsBoard?

Teams requiring a scalable and fault-tolerant IoT platform for managing a large number of devices and processing extensive telemetry data would benefit from ThingsBoard. It is suitable for organizations that need flexible deployment options, including cloud or on-premises, and those looking for robust data visualization and analytics tools.

How is ThingsBoard priced?

ThingsBoard is available on a free tier, offering a Community Edition for basic usage. Paid plans are available for more extensive usage and advanced features, such as those found in the Professional Edition and the fully managed Cloud service.

Can ThingsBoard be deployed in various environments?

Yes, ThingsBoard offers flexible deployment options, supporting both cloud and on-premises installations. Users can choose between self-managed deployments or opt for the fully managed Cloud service, depending on their operational needs and technical expertise.

What kind of data processing capabilities does ThingsBoard offer?

ThingsBoard includes a powerful rule engine for data processing, transformation, and normalization. This engine allows users to define complex logic for handling incoming telemetry data and enables the raising of alarms based on various events or conditions.

How does ThingsBoard compare to Node-RED for IoT solutions?

ThingsBoard provides a comprehensive open-source IoT platform with built-in device management, data collection, processing, and visualization, supporting industry-standard protocols. In contrast, Node-RED is a flow-based programming tool primarily focused on wiring together hardware devices, APIs, and online services.

What are the trade-offs when choosing a self-managed ThingsBoard deployment?

Self-managed ThingsBoard deployments offer full control but require significant technical expertise for setup and ongoing maintenance. Additionally, advanced features like white-labeling and enhanced role-based access control (RBAC) are only available in the paid editions, not the free Community Edition.

Source: thingsboard.io

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