ThingsBoard
ThingsBoard, Inc. is a New York-based open-source IoT platform company (51-100 employees) that unifies device management, multi-protocol telemetry ingestion, rule-based processing, real-time dashboards, and SCADA under an Apache 2.0 core, monetizing via Professional Edition subscriptions, a hosted Cloud PaaS, services, and OEM licensing for energy, industrial, smart-city, and OEM customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ThingsBoard does
ThingsBoard, Inc. is a private U.S.-based software company (New York, 51-100 employees) that develops and commercializes the open-source ThingsBoard IoT platform, licensed under Apache 2.0 and hosted on a public GitHub repository. The platform unifies device management, multi-protocol data ingestion (MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, LwM2M, SNMP), real-time telemetry processing, rule-chain-based automation, customizable dashboards with 600+ widgets, alarm management, and high-performance SCADA in a single Java-based system. The architecture supports both monolithic and microservices deployments, a two-tier database (PostgreSQL for entities, PostgreSQL or Cassandra for time-series), and linear horizontal scalability, with a Cassandra-backed backend capable of approximately 1M data points per second.
The product portfolio is structured as a core open-source Community Edition with a paid Professional Edition (PE) layering enterprise features (white-labeling, advanced RBAC, audit logs, edge integrations, calculated fields), a hosted ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS) in N. Virginia and Frankfurt, and an ecosystem of modular add-ons: ThingsBoard Edge, the ThingsBoard IoT Gateway, TBMQ (scalable MQTT broker), Trendz Analytics, Mobile and PE Mobile applications. Recent additions (May-June 2026) include the AI Solution Creator, ThingsBoard CLI integrated with Anthropic's Claude Code, AI Assistant and AI Models inside the rule engine, and an MCP Server for external AI agent integration.
The business model combines an open-source freemium entry point with paid Professional Edition subscriptions, ThingsBoard Cloud consumption pricing (not publicly disclosed), development services, tiered support and SLAs, paid training, marketplace listings on AWS/Azure/GCP, and OEM/white-label licensing. Go-to-market is product-led and community-led through the open-source repo, supplemented by self-serve Cloud and Docker deployments, an enterprise field-sales motion for PE, and structured affiliate, hardware, and distributor partner programs. Customers span energy and utilities, oil and gas, agriculture, smart buildings, environment monitoring, industrial SCADA, healthcare, and OEMs, with named logos including Prosegur, Engie, T-Mobile, Intel, Schwarz Group, Bosch, and Tektelic.
ThingsBoard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ThingsBoard
- Legal name
- ThingsBoard, Inc.
- Website
- https://thingsboard.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ThingsBoard, Inc. is a New York-based open-source IoT platform company (51-100 employees) that unifies device management, multi-protocol telemetry ingestion, rule-based processing, real-time dashboards, and SCADA under an Apache 2.0 core, monetizing via Professional Edition subscriptions, a hosted Cloud PaaS, services, and OEM licensing for energy, industrial, smart-city, and OEM customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ThingsBoard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ThingsBoard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Community Edition (open-source): Free, Apache 2.0 licensed open-source Community Edition serves as a freemium entry point; no direct revenue but drives adoption and conversion to paid editions.
- Professional Edition subscriptions: Commercial Professional Edition (PE) provides advanced features (SCADA, white-labeling, audit logs, RBAC, integrations, edge, calculated fields) under paid license terms; deployed on-premises or in customer cloud.
- ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS): Platform-as-a-Service offering with hosted ThingsBoard in multiple regions (N. Virginia, Frankfurt); subscription-based consumption model billed to customers.
- Development services: Custom IoT solutions development services for tailored implementations; project-based or contracted engagement revenue.
- Support packages and SLAs: Tiered support packages with service-level agreements attached to Professional Edition and Cloud deployments.
- Training services: ThingsBoard education courses and formal training programs offered as paid learning services.
- Marketplace and OEM licensing: Listed on AWS, Azure, and GCP Marketplaces; hardware partners and OEM/embedded scenarios enable licensing revenue from bundled IoT solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Community Edition - free, open-source |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional Edition - paid commercial license |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS) - hosted platform |
Go-to-market motion5 records
Distribution channels10 records
Marketing channels9 records
ThingsBoard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ThingsBoard is an open-source IoT platform that provides device management, data collection, processing, and visualization capabilities through a unified stack. It is delivered as a free Apache 2.0-licensed Community Edition, a commercially licensed Professional Edition with enterprise features, and a hosted ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS). Surrounding products include ThingsBoard Edge for on-site processing, ThingsBoard IoT Gateway for legacy protocol bridging, TBMQ scalable MQTT broker, Mobile and PE Mobile Applications, Trendz Analytics, and AI-driven tooling (AI Solution Creator, AI Assistant, AI Models, MCP Server, and ThingsBoard CLI).
Product overview
ThingsBoard is delivered as a platform-plus-modules architecture built around an open-source core. The ThingsBoard Community Edition provides the core IoT data-collection, processing, visualization, and device-management capabilities (Apache 2.0 licensed). The ThingsBoard Professional Edition (PE) layers commercial features on top of that core, and ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS) offers a managed hosted variant with regional deployments. Surrounding the core are modular ecosystem products: ThingsBoard Edge for on-premises edge computing, the ThingsBoard IoT Gateway to bridge legacy protocols, the ThingsBoard Mobile Application and PE Mobile Application for field operations, TBMQ as a scalable MQTT broker, and Trendz Analytics for advanced analytics. AI-driven tooling — including the ThingsBoard CLI (paired with Claude Code), the AI Solution Creator, AI Assistant, AI Models, the MCP Server, and the n8n node — extends the platform for generative, conversational, and automated solution development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ThingsBoard Community Edition: Open-source, free version of the ThingsBoard IoT platform for device management, data collection, processing, and visualization.
- ThingsBoard Professional Edition (PE)
- ThingsBoard Cloud
- ThingsBoard Edge
- ThingsBoard IoT Gateway
- TBMQ
- ThingsBoard Trendz Analytics
- ThingsBoard Mobile Application
- ThingsBoard PE Mobile Application
- ThingsBoard CLI
Products and services
- ThingsBoard Community Edition Free, open-source IoT platform providing device management, data collection, processing, and visualization with support for MQTT, CoAP, and HTTP device connectivity; deployable on-premises or in the cloud.
- ThingsBoard Professional Edition Commercial IoT platform built on the Community Edition that adds enterprise features such as white-labeling, advanced RBAC, advanced reporting, edge/PE mobile applications, ThingsBoard CLI, AI Solution Creator, AI Assistant, AI Models, MCP Server, and license server management; available on-premises or in customer cloud.
- ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS) Hosted Platform-as-a-Service version of ThingsBoard with Professional Edition features, available in multiple cloud regions (N. Virginia and Frankfurt); managed infrastructure for IoT deployments.
- ThingsBoard Edge Edge computing runtime that runs on local hardware at the network edge to provide real-time data processing at the source and offline operation, synchronizing with a central ThingsBoard server for SCADA and remote-asset-management scenarios such as oil rigs and farms.
- ThingsBoard IoT Gateway Gateway application that bridges devices using legacy or proprietary industrial protocols (Modbus, BACnet, BLE, CAN, etc.) into ThingsBoard over MQTT, with attribute/telemetry mapping and command routing.
- ThingsBoard Mobile Application IoT mobile application for the Community Edition that provides on-the-go dashboards, alarm management, and device control using a Dart-based mobile client.
- ThingsBoard PE Mobile Application Advanced IoT mobile application for Professional Edition users, extending the Community mobile app with white-labeling, QR-code workflows, and Mobile Application Center features.
- TBMQ (MQTT Broker) Scalable MQTT broker purpose-built for reliable messaging across massive IoT device fleets, with support for external authentication, bulk provisioning, and enterprise audit trails.
- Trendz Analytics Data analytics and prediction add-on for ThingsBoard that turns raw telemetry into business insights, dashboards, and ML-based forecasts.
- ThingsBoard CLI Command-line tool integrated with Claude Code that builds, evolves, and ships IoT solutions as versioned configuration files across dev, staging, and prod environments.
- ThingsBoard AI Solution Creator UI-driven AI feature that converts a natural-language prompt into a working ThingsBoard IoT prototype, including entities, dashboards with 20+ widget types, alarm rules, calculated fields, and demo telemetry emulators, in approximately 10 minutes.
- ThingsBoard AI Assistant In-product AI assistant for the Professional Edition that supports working with ThingsBoard configuration, rules, and dashboards through natural-language interaction.
- ThingsBoard AI Models Feature for invoking AI/ML models, including LLMs and predictive-maintenance models, from within ThingsBoard rule chains via the AI Request external rule node.
- ThingsBoard MCP Server Model Context Protocol server that exposes ThingsBoard operations to external AI agents for workflow automation and solution development.
- Development Services Custom IoT solutions development services for tailored implementations on top of ThingsBoard, delivered as project-based or contracted engagements.
- Support Packages and SLAs Tiered support packages with service-level agreements attached to Professional Edition and ThingsBoard Cloud deployments.
- Training Services Paid ThingsBoard education courses and formal training programs to onboard customers, partners, and developers onto the platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduce unplanned downtime in remote oil rig operations
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ThingsBoard
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ThingsBoard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration15 records
AI capability10 records
Feature14 records
ThingsBoard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ThingsBoard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Kaa IoT: Kaa IoT is an open-source IoT platform offering device management, telemetry, and visualization, directly competing with ThingsBoard's Community/PE stack for SMB and enterprise IoT workloads.
- HiveMQ: HiveMQ provides an enterprise MQTT broker and IoT messaging platform with cloud and on-premises deployments, directly comparable to ThingsBoard's TBMQ and broader IoT platform capabilities. Both target large-fleet industrial and enterprise IoT workloads.
- EMQ Technologies (EMQX): EMQX is an open-source MQTT broker and IoT messaging platform used to connect massive device fleets, overlapping directly with TBMQ and the core connectivity layer of ThingsBoard. Both compete for the same IoT platform architects with open-core commercial offerings.
- Mainflux: Mainflux is an open-source IoT platform with multi-protocol device connectivity, multi-tenancy, and edge support, directly comparable to ThingsBoard's Community Edition and Professional Edition feature set.
Broad incumbents
- Siemens Insights Hub (formerly MindSphere): Siemens Insights Hub is an industrial IoT platform with deep industrial automation domain IP and installed-base relationships, broadly competing with ThingsBoard's SCADA and Edge offerings in industrial verticals.
- Azure IoT Hub: Azure IoT Hub is Microsoft's hyperscaler IoT hub and device-management service within the Azure ecosystem, competing broadly with ThingsBoard Cloud and via native integration with ThingsBoard's rule engine.
- AWS IoT Core: AWS IoT Core is the hyperscaler IoT connectivity and device-management service bundled into the AWS ecosystem, competing broadly with ThingsBoard Cloud for cloud-native enterprise customers already committed to AWS.
- PTC ThingWorx: PTC ThingWorx is an established industrial IoT platform for connected assets, digital twins, and augmented reality, broadly competing with ThingsBoard in industrial IoT and SCADA use cases.
- Google Cloud IoT (and Google Distributed Cloud): Google Cloud offers IoT connectivity and analytics services bundled into GCP, broadly competing with ThingsBoard Cloud for GCP-anchored enterprises and integrated via ThingsBoard's GCP Pub/Sub rule nodes.
Others
- Eclipse Sparkplug / Eclipse IoT Working Group: Eclipse Sparkplug defines an open specification for MQTT-based industrial IoT and is integrated with several competing platforms; it shapes the ecosystem in which ThingsBoard Edge and IoT Gateway compete, and is a complementary/adjoining technology rather than a direct product.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ThingsBoard social profiles
Digital presenceThingsBoard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ThingsBoard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ThingsBoard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ThingsBoard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ThingsBoard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ThingsBoard
What does ThingsBoard do?
ThingsBoard is an open-source IoT platform that provides device management, data collection, processing, and visualization capabilities through a unified stack. It is delivered as a free Apache 2.0-licensed Community Edition, a commercially licensed Professional Edition with enterprise features, and a hosted ThingsBoard Cloud (PaaS). Surrounding products include ThingsBoard Edge for on-site processing, ThingsBoard IoT Gateway for legacy protocol bridging, TBMQ scalable MQTT broker, Mobile and PE Mobile Applications, Trendz Analytics, and AI-driven tooling (AI Solution Creator, AI Assistant, AI Models, MCP Server, and ThingsBoard CLI).
Is ThingsBoard a public or private company?
ThingsBoard is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ThingsBoard founded?
ThingsBoard was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ThingsBoard based?
ThingsBoard is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does ThingsBoard make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Community Edition (open-source) is the primary driver. The others are professional Edition subscriptions, thingsBoard Cloud (PaaS), development services, support packages and SLAs, training services and marketplace and OEM licensing.
Who are ThingsBoard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Kaa IoT, HiveMQ, EMQ Technologies (EMQX) and Mainflux. Broad incumbents are Siemens Insights Hub (formerly MindSphere), Azure IoT Hub, AWS IoT Core, PTC ThingWorx and Google Cloud IoT (and Google Distributed Cloud). Eclipse Sparkplug / Eclipse IoT Working Group is listed as an others.
Does ThingsBoard have an API?
Yes. ThingsBoard exposes multiple public device- and server-side APIs for telemetry, attributes, RPC, provisioning, claiming, and OTA updates over MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, LwM2M, and SNMP. Server-side REST and WebSocket APIs are provided, plus an Entity Data Query API and Alarm Query API. Authentication uses device credentials or JWT (X-Authorization header). Official SDKs are offered in Python, MicroPython, CircuitPython, Arduino (device side) and Java, Python, and Dart (server/client REST). Developer documentation is at thingsboard.io/docs/pe/apis-and-sdks.