What Makerfabs does

Makerfabs is a Shenzhen, China-based open hardware and contract electronics manufacturer founded in 2015, serving makers, hardware startups, and DIY smart home implementers worldwide through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront. The company combines a turnkey PCB assembly services business (PCB fabrication, PCBA, parts sourcing, EMC optimization, CNC, 3D printing, mold design) with a catalog of ESP32/ESP32-S3/ESP32-P4-based open hardware modules organized into sub-brands including MaTouch (touch displays from 1.28" to 10.1"), MaDuino (Arduino-form-factor boards with LoRa/4G/NFC/GPS options), MaLora (LoRa/LoRaWAN relays and dimmers), MaUWB (ultra-wideband positioning), AgroSense (LoRaWAN smart agriculture sensors), Mabee (Grove-compatible sensor/actuator modules), and MaESP. The company also serves as the authorized contract manufacturer for select open-source projects including the OCP-TAP Time Card and the Hermes Lite 2 SDR amateur radio transceiver.

The technology stack is built primarily on Espressif Systems' ESP32 family of microcontrollers, with native integration into Home Assistant via ESPHome firmware, support for LVGL and Squareline Studio for embedded UI development, and compatibility with Arduino IDE and ESP-IDF. Products are designed around open-source principles, with design files, code, and documentation published on GitHub and a dedicated Wiki, and a marketing engine built on content (YouTube tutorials, blog, social media) rather than paid acquisition. The business model is unit-priced direct e-commerce sales (SKUs ranging from sub-$1 components to $1,500+ specialized equipment like the OCP-TAP Time Card) supplemented by quote-based custom PCB assembly services, with no subscription or recurring revenue streams identified. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors, and no M&A activity; Makerfabs appears to be a bootstrapped, independent private company with 11-50 employees.

Name

Makerfabs

Legal name

Makerfabs

Website

https://makerfabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shenzhen-based open hardware vendor and turnkey PCB assembly provider selling ESP32-based modules, LoRaWAN sensors, and Home Assistant/ESPHome-compatible smart home devices directly to makers, hardware startups, and DIY smart home implementers worldwide since 2015.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Open Hardware and PCB Assembly Services

NAICS

Printed Circuit Assembly (Electronic Assembly) Manufacturing (334418), Bare Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing (334412), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Printed Circuit Boards (3672), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

PCB Assembly (PCBA/EMS) (HDAHAOAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Embedded, Maker Platforms & Development Kits Retail (CRACAKAI), PCB, Prototyping Boards & Etching Supplies Retail (CRACAKAF), Industrial PCB & Substrate Components (Bare PCBs, rigid-flex, ceramic substrates, thick-film) (IMAGAJAM)

Keywords

• PCB assembly services
• Open hardware modules
• ESP32 development boards
• LoRaWAN IoT sensors
• IoT prototyping kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Shenzhen

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Direct e-commerce sales of open hardware products including development boards (Arduino-compatible, ESP32, STM32), display modules (MaTouch series), communication modules (LoRa, UWB, WiFi, Bluetooth), sensors, actuators, and accessories. Products are sold at fixed unit prices with volume discounts available.
2. PCB Assembly Services: Turnkey PCB assembly services including PCB manufacturing, PCBA (PCB Assembly), parts sourcing, and related manufacturing services. Customers upload Gerber files or Eagle files for production of custom PCBs and complete assemblies.
3. Premium/Value-Added Services: Additional services including EMC optimization, PCBA coating, testing jig development, product certifications, CNC machining, 3D printing, and mold design/production for complete product development support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Makerfabs manufactures and sells open-source electronic hardware modules (ESP32/ESP32-S3 development boards, MaTouch touch displays, MaUWB positioning modules, AgroSense/SenseLoRa agricultural sensors, Home Assistant-compatible smart home devices) and provides turnkey PCB assembly (PCBA) services including prototyping, parts sourcing, CNC machining, 3D printing, and mold production. The company operates a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at makerfabs.com targeting makers, hardware startups, and industrial IoT integrators worldwide.

Product overview

Makerfabs is a turnkey PCB assembly solution provider and open hardware company serving makers and startups since 2015. The product portfolio centers on ESP32-based development platforms (MaTouch display series, MaDuino, MaLora, MaESP, Mabee modules) and specialized industrial sensors (SenseLoRa/AgroSense LoRaWAN products for smart agriculture). Key product lines include MaTouch touch displays (1.28" to 10.1", TFT/AMOLED, ESP32/ESP32-S3/ESP32-P4), MaUWB ultra-wideband positioning modules, Home Assistant-compatible smart home devices (motors, dimmers, relays, weather stations via ESPHome), motor drivers (L298, L9110, TB6600), and open-source instruments (Hermes Lite 2 SDR radio, OCP-TAP Time Card, Mini SiPM Driver). Manufacturing services encompass PCB prototyping, premium PCB, PCBA, parts sourcing, EMC optimization, CNC, 3D printing, and mold production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MaTouch: Touch display product line featuring ESP32-based TFT touch displays
• AgroSense
• MaUWB
• SenseLoRa
• Maduino
• MaLora
• MaESP
• Mabee

Products and services

• MaTouch ESP32 Series Family of touch display modules based on ESP32/ESP32-S3/ESP32-P4 microcontrollers featuring screen sizes from 1.28" to 10.1", display technologies (TFT, AMOLED, IPS), and capacitive/resistive touch interfaces. Includes MaTouch Lite and MaTouch AI sub-variants with LVGL UI support.
• MaDuino Series Arduino-form-factor development boards with integrated connectivity options including LoRa, 4G LTE, NFC, GPS, Ethernet, WiFi, and Bluetooth. Targeted at prototyping and IoT application development.
• MaLora Series LoRa and LoRaWAN-enabled devices including relay controllers, AC dimmers, and soil moisture sensors for long-range IoT applications.
• Mabee Series Modular sensor and actuator ecosystem with unified Grove-compatible connectors including buttons, relays, servos, soil moisture sensors, IMU, LED strips, and environmental sensors (CO2, TVOC, temperature/humidity).
• MaUWB Series Ultra-Wideband (UWB) modules for precise indoor positioning and ranging, including ESP32-based and STM32-based variants with DW3000 chipset support for asset tracking and RTLS applications.
• AgroSense / SenseLoRa LoRaWAN Sensor Series Industrial-grade LoRaWAN sensors for smart agriculture including soil moisture, temperature/humidity, leaf moisture, water level, GPS trackers, valve controllers, air quality monitors, and door/window sensors.
• Home Assistant / ESPHome Smart Home Devices ESPHome-based smart home devices including DC Motors with position limiting switches, AC Dimmers with true zero-cross detection and Triac control, 8-Channel Relays, Button Controllers, and Weather Stations integrating temperature, humidity, pressure, PM2.5, and wind speed sensors.
• Hermes Lite 2 SDR Radio Open-source software-defined amateur radio HF transceiver based on broadband modem chip and Hermes SDR project. Low-cost direct down/up conversion SDR for RF hobbyists.
• OCP-TAP Time Card Open Compute Project Time Appliance PCIe card providing PTP time synchronization via GNSS with holdover oscillator support for data center networks.
• Dual Edge TPU Adapter PCIe adapter enabling Coral m.2 Accelerator with Dual Edge TPU to be used on systems with PCIe x1 slot, featuring upstream x1 Gen2 and downstream 2x x1 Gen2 configuration.
• PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Services Turnkey PCB assembly solutions including PCB prototyping, premium PCB, PCB design, EMC optimization, parts sourcing, CNC machining, PCBA coating, product certifications, testing jig development, and full assembly services. Customers upload Gerber or Eagle files.
• 3D Printing Services 3D printing service for prototyping and small batch production of plastic components.
• Mold Design and Production Injection mold design and production services for plastic components to support hardware product manufacturing.
• Drop Shipping Service Dropshipping service enabling order fulfillment without inventory management for partners reselling Makerfabs products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rapid prototyping: Projects that would take months can be completed in days using pre-built modules
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Espressif SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationEspressif Systems is the manufacturer of ESP32 and ESP32-S3 chips used extensively across Makerfabs' product lines including MaTouch display modules, Home Assistant compatible devices, and IoT development boards. Makerfabs' products are designed to work natively with Espressif's SDK and are supported by ESPHome firmware.
• ArduinocoreTechnology or IntegrationMakerfabs produces a wide range of Arduino-compatible development boards and shields. Their Open Hardware category explicitly includes Arduino-compatible products, Arduino Shields, and Arduino Kits, targeting the large Arduino maker community.
• LoRa AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationMakerfabs' AgroSense product line uses LoRaWAN protocol, a standard maintained by the LoRa Alliance. Their sensors are designed for compatibility with LoRaWAN networks and gateways, supporting the broader industrial IoT ecosystem.
• Open Compute Project (OCP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakerfabs produces the OCP-TAP Time Card under authorization from the Open Compute Project's Time-Appliance-Project. The full design files are available on OCP's GitHub, and Makerfabs handles manufacturing, PCBA, programming, and testing per the designer's specifications.
• Hermes Lite Project (Chris Johnson)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMakerfabs is authorized to manufacture and sell the Hermes Lite 2, an open-source SDR amateur radio transceiver. They produce the PCBA, test all boards before shipping, but do not provide usage support - directing users to the community Google Group.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arduino: Arduino is the dominant open hardware/ecosystem player with its own branded development boards, shields, and software platform — broadly competing with Makerfabs' Arduino-compatible product line while setting the ecosystem standards Makerfabs' products must follow.
• Espressif Systems: Espressif is the manufacturer of ESP32/ESP32-S3/ESP32-P4 silicon that powers the majority of Makerfabs' product line. While not a direct competitor in finished products, Espressif's reference designs, dev kits, and module-level offerings broadly overlap with Makerfabs' board-level products, and the partnership relationship creates strategic dependency.

Direct peers

• Adafruit Industries: Adafruit is a leading open-source hardware retailer selling development boards, sensors, and modules to the maker community — directly comparable to Makerfabs' open hardware product line, with shared focus on documentation, tutorials, and community-driven design (Adafruit's GC9A01 library is even referenced in Makerfabs products).
• Elecrow: Elecrow is a Shenzhen-based open hardware and PCB assembly company offering PCBA services, development boards, and maker-focused modules — directly competing with Makerfabs across both PCBA services and open hardware product categories.
• Waveshare Electronics: Waveshare is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of LCD/display modules, development boards, and electronic components — directly competing with Makerfabs' MaTouch display series, Sunton ESP32 displays, and broader display module product line at similar price points.
• SparkFun Electronics: SparkFun is a US-based open hardware retailer specializing in development boards, breakout boards, and sensor modules for makers and educators — directly comparable to Makerfabs' component/module retail business with similar open-source philosophy and educational focus.
• JLCPCB: JLCPCB is one of the largest PCB fabrication and assembly providers globally, offering low-cost PCBA, SMT assembly, and parts sourcing — directly competing with Makerfabs' turnkey PCB assembly service line, with significantly greater scale and lower pricing.
• Seeed Studio: Seeed Studio is a Shenzhen-based open hardware platform and IoT solutions provider offering Grove-compatible modules, development boards, and PCB assembly services — directly overlapping with Makerfabs' product catalog, PCBA service, and Seeed Grove connector compatibility.
• PCBWay: PCBWay provides PCB fabrication, PCBA services, CNC machining, and 3D printing with global online ordering — directly competing with Makerfabs' full-service manufacturing offering including custom PCBA, CNC, 3D printing, and parts sourcing.

Emerging players

• Pimoroni: Pimoroni is a UK-based maker retailer specializing in add-on boards (pHATs, HATs), displays, and microelectronics for Raspberry Pi and micro:bit — an adjacent emerging player in the maker add-on market with partial overlap to Makerfabs' Raspberry Pi accessories and display module categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MakerfabsTech
• GitHubgithub.com/makerfabs
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Makerfabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/Makerfabscom

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Makerfabs