Software Alternatives & Startups

Thingsboard VS Tableau

Compare Thingsboard VS Tableau and see what are their differences

Thingsboard

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

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Tableau

Tableau can help anyone see and understand their data. Connect to almost any database, drag and drop to create visualizations, and share with a click.

Which is more popular?

Thingsboard might be a bit more popular than Tableau. We know about 10 links to it since March 2021 and only 8 links to Tableau.

social mentions
10 vs 8
Data Dashboard popularity
9% vs 91%
alternatives listed
107 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Thingsboard
Tableau
Website thingsboard.io tableau.com
Pricing
Open source Official pricing
Company — Startup from the United States
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Thingsboard 7 features
Tableau 5 features
  • Open Source
    ThingsBoard is open-source, which means it's freely available for use and can be customized to meet specific needs. This makes it cost-effective for enterprises of all sizes.
  • Scalable
    It is designed to be scalable, supporting upwards of millions of devices. This makes it suitable for both small-scale projects and large-scale enterprise solutions.
  • Feature-Rich
    ThingsBoard offers a wide variety of features including data visualization, alarms, and rule chain processing. This comprehensive feature set can cover most IoT project requirements.
  • Community Support
    Being open-source, ThingsBoard benefits from an active community. Users can get support, share ideas, and contribute to the project's development.
  • Flexibility
    ThingsBoard provides a flexible data model and supports multiple IoT protocols (e.g., HTTP, MQTT, CoAP), allowing for a wide range of use cases.
  • Integration-ready
    It easily integrates with popular databases and third-party systems, streamlining the process of building IoT solutions.
  • Real-time Data Processing
    ThingsBoard supports real-time data processing and analytics which is crucial for timely decision-making in IoT applications.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity
    The extensive features and capabilities can make ThingsBoard complex to set up and configure, requiring a steep learning curve for new users.
  • Performance
    In some cases, users have reported performance issues when handling very high loads, which may require additional infrastructure or optimization.
  • Documentation
    While ThingsBoard has substantial documentation, some users find it can be lacking in certain areas or not sufficiently detailed for complex configurations.
  • Maintenance
    Being open-source, maintenance and updates might require more hands-on involvement compared to commercial alternatives, including dealing with potential bugs and security vulnerabilities.
  • Integration Complexity
    While ThingsBoard is integration-ready, the actual process of integrating it with other systems or custom solutions can be complex and may require additional development resources.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running a fully-featured ThingsBoard instance can be resource-intensive, requiring significant hardware and potentially increasing operational costs.
  • UI/UX Limitations
    The user interface, though functional, may not be as polished or intuitive as some commercial alternatives, potentially affecting user experience.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Tableau offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface that allows users to create visualizations and dashboards easily, even without extensive technical knowledge.
  • Data Connectivity
    Tableau supports a wide range of data sources including databases, spreadsheets, cloud services, and more, allowing for flexible data integration.
  • Advanced Analytics
    Advanced analytical capabilities, including real-time analytics, trend analysis, and predictive analytics, help users gain deeper insights from their data.
  • Community and Support
    A large, active user community provides a wealth of resources including forums, tutorials, and user groups for support and knowledge sharing.
  • Visualization Quality
    Tableau offers high-quality visualizations with customizable options that make it easier to create compelling reports and dashboards.

Possible disadvantages

  • Cost
    Tableau can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual users, with its various licensing and subscription fees.
  • Performance Issues
    For very large datasets or complex calculations, Tableau can experience performance slowdowns, affecting the efficiency and user experience.
  • Steep Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic features are easy to use, mastering advanced functionalities can require a significant learning curve and technical expertise.
  • Customization Limitations
    Although Tableau is highly customizable, some users find it lacks flexibility when it comes to very specific or unique customization requirements.
  • Export Limitations
    Exporting visualizations and dashboards to formats like PDF or PowerPoint can sometimes be restrictive, limiting the ways reports are shared.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Thingsboard
Tableau

Overall verdict

  • Overall, ThingsBoard is a reliable and feature-rich platform that is suitable for businesses of various sizes looking to implement IoT solutions. Its open-source framework allows for extensive customization and integration with existing systems.

Why this product is good

  • ThingsBoard is considered a good IoT platform due to its open-source nature, flexibility, and scalability. It provides a rich set of features such as customizable dashboards, data visualization, remote device management, and powerful rule engine capabilities. Additionally, it supports a wide range of protocols like MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP, making it versatile for different IoT applications.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for an open-source IoT platform.
  • Companies that need scalable and flexible IoT solutions.
  • Industries that require extensive data visualization and device management features.
  • Projects that require support for multiple communication protocols.

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Tableau is considered a good tool for data visualization and business intelligence. It is praised for its intuitive design, strong community support, and continuous updates that bring new features and improvements. However, its cost can be a consideration for small businesses or individuals, and there may be a learning curve for more advanced functionalities.

Why this product is good

  • Tableau is highly regarded for its powerful data visualization capabilities. It allows users to create interactive and shareable dashboards that deliver insights quickly. The platform supports a wide range of data sources and offers a user-friendly interface that is accessible to both novice and experienced users. Additionally, Tableau's robust analytics features and ability to handle large datasets make it a favorite among data professionals.

Recommended for

    Tableau is recommended for data analysts, business intelligence professionals, and organizations that need to transform complex data into actionable insights. It is also suited for industries that rely on data-driven decision-making, such as finance, healthcare, and marketing, as well as any company looking to improve its data visualization capabilities.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Thingsboard 3 videos + Add
Tableau 3 videos + Add

Getting started with ThingsBoard v2.0+

More videos

  • - What's new in ThingsBoard v3.1.x?
  • - ThingsBoard Community Edition: Introduction

Power BI vs Tableau 🔥 5 Factors to Choose a Winner

More videos

  • - What is Tableau Desktop? | A Tableau Desktop Overview
  • - Tableau Software Demo

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Thingsboard
Tableau
9% 9%
91% 91%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
100% 100%
IoT
0% 0%

User comments

Share your experience with using Thingsboard and Tableau. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Thingsboard no reviews yet
Tableau 4.0 · 1 review

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Thingsboard 10 mentions
Tableau 8 mentions
  • Real-Time IoT Visualization Essentials
    2. ThingsBoard: An open-source IoT platform that supports data visualization, remote control, and device management. Its real-time data widgets allow users to track device metrics dynamically. Https://thingsboard.io/. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Looking to implement a real time tracking feature in my Django project and I dunno where to begin
    You might find something more attuned to that use case to be more helpful out of the box (like thingsboard.io) but if you're committed to django, set up an API endpoint to receive json updates ('events') sent from the arduino. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Best Four IoT Platforms
    Introduction:As a 100% open source IoT platform that can be hosted as a SaaS or PaaS solution, Thingsboard can provide device management, data collection, processing and visualization for your IoT project. The standard protocols that... Source: almost 4 years ago

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  • Tableau Certified Data Analyst Exam Readiness
    Hey everyone, I'm interested in taking the Tableau Certified Data Analyst Exam Readiness course through tableau.com to prepare and get Tableau certified. I had some questions about the course, such as are the videos pre recorded or in... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Where to publish knowledge sharing on Tableau reverse engineering and data dictionary generation?
    Could anyone recommend what media I should approach to publish my work (internet or print). I could try the Tableau forum in tableau.com but it's not very active + Tableau may be unappreciative as my work overlaps with their (pricey)... Source: almost 4 years ago
  • I have huge loads of data in Redshift. How can I make this available to end-users after performing few procs and queries? It should be available online.
    Tableau public: tableau.com. Big player but your data will be made public and not really user-friendly data model. Source: over 4 years ago

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Alternatives to Thingsboard and Tableau

When comparing Thingsboard and Tableau, you can also consider the following products.