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AWS IoT VS ThingSpeak

Compare AWS IoT VS ThingSpeak and see what are their differences

AWS IoT logo AWS IoT

Easily and securely connect devices to the cloud.

ThingSpeak logo ThingSpeak

Open source data platform for the Internet of Things. ThingSpeak Features
  • AWS IoT Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-28
  • ThingSpeak Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-26

AWS IoT features and specs

  • Scalability
    AWS IoT offers seamless scaling options to handle millions of devices and messages, allowing businesses to grow without worrying about infrastructure limitations.
  • Integration
    AWS IoT integrates effortlessly with other AWS services, such as AWS Lambda, Amazon S3, and Amazon DynamoDB, enabling a unified ecosystem for data processing and storage.
  • Security
    AWS IoT provides multiple layers of security, including device authentication and end-to-end encryption, to protect data and ensure secure communication between devices and the cloud.
  • Flexibility
    AWS IoT supports multiple communication protocols like MQTT, HTTP, and WebSockets, making it adaptable to a wide range of IoT devices and use cases.
  • Device Management
    AWS IoT includes features for managing and monitoring devices throughout their lifecycle, such as device registration, software updates, and diagnostics.
  • Analytics
    AWS IoT provides powerful analytics tools to process and analyze data from IoT devices, helping businesses gain valuable insights.

Possible disadvantages of AWS IoT

  • Complexity
    Setting up and managing an AWS IoT environment can be complex and may require a steep learning curve, especially for those new to IoT or AWS services.
  • Cost
    While AWS IoT offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, costs can accumulate quickly, especially for large-scale deployments, making it potentially expensive for some businesses.
  • Internet Dependency
    AWS IoT relies heavily on stable internet connections for device communication, which can be a limitation in areas with poor connectivity.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Using AWS IoT tightly integrates your IoT solutions with AWS infrastructure, which can make it difficult and costly to switch to other platforms or cloud providers later on.
  • Configuration Overhead
    The wide range of customization options and configurations can be overwhelming and may require dedicated resources to manage effectively.

ThingSpeak features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    ThingSpeak provides a user-friendly interface and extensive documentation, making it suitable for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
  • Real-time Data Processing
    It allows real-time data collection, analysis, and visualization, which can be beneficial for applications that require immediate feedback.
  • Integration with MATLAB
    Seamless integration with MATLAB allows users to leverage MATLAB's powerful data analysis and visualization tools for more advanced analysis.
  • API Support
    ThingSpeak provides RESTful APIs, making it easier to collect, store, and retrieve data from IoT devices and other sources.
  • Free Tier
    Offers a free tier for users to start with basic usage, which is useful for small projects or initial experimentation.
  • Community Support
    A broad community of users means more available resources such as tutorials, forums, and shared projects for learning and troubleshooting.

Possible disadvantages of ThingSpeak

  • Limited Free Tier
    The free version has limitations on the number of channels and data storage, which might not be sufficient for larger projects.
  • Dependence on Internet
    Requires a constant internet connection to transmit data to the cloud, which could be a drawback in remote or unstable network environments.
  • Data Privacy
    As a cloud-based service, data control and privacy can be concerns, especially for sensitive or proprietary information.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Advanced data analytics features are relatively basic compared to more comprehensive IoT platforms, which might limit its use for more complex requirements.
  • Cost for Pro Features
    To access more advanced features and larger data capacities, a paid plan is required, which may not be cost-effective for all users.
  • Latency
    For applications requiring ultra-low latency, using a cloud service can introduce delays that might be unacceptable.

Analysis of ThingSpeak

Overall verdict

  • Whether ThingSpeak is 'good' largely depends on user needs and project requirements. It is considered a good choice for those who require a straightforward, robust platform for IoT projects and appreciate its integration with MATLAB. However, users with very advanced or custom requirements might find its features limiting compared to other more extensive IoT platforms.

Why this product is good

  • ThingSpeak is a popular IoT (Internet of Things) platform that allows users to collect, visualize, and analyze live data streams from devices or sensors over the internet. It is favored for its ease of use, integration capabilities, and support for MATLAB analytics, which provides advanced data analysis and visualization tools. It is also compatible with various hardware platforms like Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and more, making it accessible for both hobbyists and professionals.

Recommended for

  • Students and educators looking to learn and teach IoT concepts
  • Hobbyists interested in creating simple IoT projects
  • Developers seeking an easy-to-use platform for quick prototyping
  • Professionals who require MATLAB's analytical features for data analysis
  • Organizations looking for reliable data logging and visualization solutions

AWS IoT videos

What is AWS IoT?

More videos:

  • Review - Introducción a AWS IoT
  • Review - AWS IoT in the Connected Home - AWS Online Tech Talks

ThingSpeak videos

How to Analyze IoT Data in ThingSpeak

More videos:

  • Review - Review Higrow Board ESP32 and Aplication on Thingspeak #IoT #ESP32
  • Tutorial - How to Use ThingSpeak with Arduino

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AWS IoT and ThingSpeak)
Data Dashboard
36 36%
64% 64
IoT Platform
34 34%
66% 66
IoT
29 29%
71% 71
Analytics
35 35%
65% 65

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare AWS IoT and ThingSpeak

AWS IoT Reviews

We have no reviews of AWS IoT yet.
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ThingSpeak Reviews

Best IoT Platforms in 2022 for Small Business
ThingSpeak is an IoT platform that uses channels to store data sent from apps or devices. A special feature of ThingSpeak is that you can create your own channel to collect the analyzed data hence giving a great level of flexibility to the users. You can also collect the data from the public (for example, ThingSpeak channel 12397 – Weather Station) and configure to write...
Source: www.fogwing.io
Open Source Internet of Things (IoT) Platforms
Known as the cloud IoT platform with MATLAB analytics, ThingSpeak allows you to aggregate, analyze, and visualize live data streams. IoT devices send their live data directly to ThingSpeak. From there, you create instant visualizations and can send alerts using web services. Essentially, however, you write and execute MATLAB code to do your data preparation, visualization...
14 of the Best IoT Platforms to Watch in 2021
ThingSpeak is a 100% analytics platform which supports advanced developer applications in environmental monitoring, energy, and smart farming. All the analysis is done on Matlab, and you can utilize the data insights for really cool stuff. For example, connecting an IoT device to Twitter and sending alerts. The best part is that using data for a certain interval is free....

Social recommendations and mentions

ThingSpeak might be a bit more popular than AWS IoT. We know about 9 links to it since March 2021 and only 8 links to AWS IoT. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

AWS IoT mentions (8)

  • Automatically Applying Configuration to IoT Devices with AWS IoT and AWS Step Functions - Part 1
    In this blog post series, we will look at a simple example of modeling an IoT device process as a workflow, using primarily AWS IoT and AWS Step Functions. Our example is a system where, when a device comes online, you need to get external settings based on the profile of the user the device belongs to and push that configuration to the device. The system that holds the external settings is often a third party... - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Building a serverless talking doorbell
    Iot - MQTT broker to send messages to the Raspberry Pi. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • GME NFT/blockchain is not to be a stock market...it's bigger
    " Amazon Web Services offers a broad set of global cloud-based products including compute, storage, databases, analytics, networking, mobile, developer tools, management tools, IoT, security and enterprise applications. These services help organizations move faster, lower IT costs, and scale. AWS is trusted by the largest enterprises and the hottest start-ups to power a wide variety of workloads including: web and... Source: over 3 years ago
  • What is AWS IoT Core and how do I use it?
    AWS IoT Core - message broker between all devices and AWS. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Which Cloud Suite is preferable when the focus is more towards IoT/IIoT as potential future job search keyword?
    If you have to ask, then you should be using AWS by default. They have plenty of IoT services for you to fiddle around with and get started. Source: almost 4 years ago
View more

ThingSpeak mentions (9)

  • Kotlin/ Thingspeak Interfacing.
    First of all, you need to ask yourself how familiar you are with MatLab. Then from a dev point of view, could you use an API to reference cloud data then apply analytics. Great intro to IoT. I can see that company going far in 5-10 and may invest based on trajectory. Https://thingspeak.com. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Google sheets and esp32
    You can use solutions like thingspeak https://thingspeak.com/. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Help me check my circuit for my self-sustaining water meter
    I'm not sure yet. Maybe something custom, but probably not. I was thinking about Thingspeak before. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Displaying readings to website?
    I haven't got around to MQTT yet, but as an easy interim solution I recommend ThingSpeak https://thingspeak.com/ as you can set up an account for free and getting an ESP to send data to it is trivial. Plus you can access it via the web, or embed their graphs and dials into a webpage. The graphics are a bit meh though. Source: over 2 years ago
  • i have an idea for a database+arduino+matlab, i need some help plz
    ThingSpeak for IoT Projects Data collection in the cloud with advanced data analysis using MATLAB Https://thingspeak.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AWS IoT and ThingSpeak, you can also consider the following products

Particle.io - Particle is an IoT platform enabling businesses to build, connect and manage their connected solutions.

Blynk.io - We make internet of things simple

Azure IoT Hub - Manage billions of IoT devices with Azure IoT Hub, a cloud platform that lets you easily connect, monitor, provision, and configure IoT devices.

AWS IoT Analytics - IoT Management

AWS Greengrass - Local compute, messaging, data caching, and synch capabilities for connected devices

Thingsboard - Thingsboard is an open-source IoT platform for data collection, processing, visualization, and device management.