Ubidots

Ubidots provides tools to ingest, compute, visualize, and act on IoT data in full-stack applications. Devices and machines can send data through MQTT or HTTP, and dashboards display device information with widgets. Synthetic variables apply statistical and arithmetic operations to raw values over a time frame. Events can respond to variable conditions, device inactivity, or schedules, then trigger actions such as email, SMS, voice calls, Slack messages, or webhooks. Plugins support integrations including AWS IoT, OpenWeather, and LoRaWAN, alongside custom cron, webhook, and widget plugins. The Android and iOS apps show devices, historical variable data, web dashboards, event logs, and push notifications, but do not support dashboard creation or editing. The standard mobile app is for account owners and admins; end users require an on-demand white-labeled app. Ubidots lists HTTPS with SSL, MQTT with TLS, token authentication, and token revocation among its security capabilities. A typical core-platform account begins with a free 30-day trial. STEM is free for non-commercial projects and includes three devices; Professional costs $99 a month. Each device includes up to 20 variables for billing, and additional variables may be billed as additional devices.

Ubidots combines IoT data ingestion, dashboards, processing, and event-driven actions. Check the mobile access and device billing rules when selecting a plan.

Ubidots suits system integrators and enterprise customers building IoT applications, with a STEM option for educational or personal non-commercial projects. Teams needing mobile dashboard editing or access for end users should account for the app limitations.

Ubidots is a full-stack IoT service that moves device data through ingestion, calculation, visualization, and automated response. It is best for system integrators and enterprise teams building connected applications, with a separate STEM option for non-commercial learning and personal projects. The broad workflow is a strong reason to choose it, while mobile-role restrictions and device-based billing deserve careful planning.

Overview

Devices and machines can publish readings through MQTT or HTTP, after which Ubidots can compute derived values, place data on dashboards, and react to operating conditions. That end-to-end scope is more useful than a collection-only service when a project needs both an operator view and automated follow-up. Teams seeking only a narrow device-management tool may find the wider platform unnecessary.

Key features

Widget-based dashboards present device data, and synthetic variables apply arithmetic or statistical operations across a selected time frame. These calculations turn raw readings into metrics suitable for display or for triggering an event. Real-time stream processing, custom dashboards, anomaly detection, and machine-learning tools add analytical options for more demanding deployments.

Events can watch variable conditions, device inactivity, or schedules. They can send email, SMS, voice calls, Slack messages, or webhooks, covering both staff notification and system-to-system automation. Plugins connect AWS IoT, OpenWeather, and LoRaWAN, while custom cron, webhook, and widget plugins allow integrations beyond the named connectors.

Security capabilities include HTTPS with SSL, MQTT with TLS, token authentication, and token revocation. Infrastructure is hosted in AWS's us-east-2 data center in Ohio; private deployment at another data center or cloud provider is offered under Enterprise tiers. Billing counts up to 20 variables per device, with additional variables potentially billed as additional devices, so data modeling can affect cost.

Pricing

Ubidots STEM costs nothing and is limited to three devices for non-commercial projects. It is the sensible starting point for education and personal experimentation, but not for commercial operation.

Professional costs $99 a month and includes 50 devices, 10M dots per month, six months of data retention, five organizations, up to five end users, and community support. This is the clearest fit for a small commercial deployment with a defined device and data budget. The quotas and community-only support become constraints as usage or support expectations grow.

Industrial uses custom pricing for one to thousands of devices, custom capacity, 24 months of retention, and standard support. Enterprise is also custom-priced and adds more than 24 months of retention, private deployment, SSO, SLAs, and a technical account manager. A typical core-platform account starts with a free 30-day trial, giving teams time to validate ingestion and workflows before committing.

Platforms

Ubidots provides Android, iOS, web, and API access. The mobile apps show devices, historical variable data, web dashboards, event logs, and push notifications, but dashboard creation and editing are not available there. Standard mobile access is for account owners and administrators; end users need an on-demand white-labeled app. That makes mobile suitable for oversight, not full dashboard administration or unrestricted customer access.

Who it's for

Choose Ubidots when one platform must connect devices, calculate useful measures, visualize them, and dispatch alerts or webhooks. System integrators and enterprise customers are the natural audience, while STEM fits non-commercial classroom and personal work. Projects that require private hosting, SSO, long retention, or formal service commitments should evaluate the Enterprise tier rather than assume Professional will scale indefinitely.

Pros and cons

Pros

• MQTT and HTTP ingestion cover common device connection paths.
• Synthetic variables and real-time processing turn readings into actionable metrics.
• Events support human alerts and webhook automation across several channels.
• Plugins include AWS IoT, OpenWeather, LoRaWAN, and custom extension types.
• Enterprise adds private deployment, SSO, SLAs, and a technical account manager.

Cons

• Mobile users cannot create or edit dashboards.
• Standard mobile access excludes end users unless a white-labeled app is commissioned.
• Professional is capped at 50 devices, 10M dots per month, six months of retention, five organizations, and five end users.
• Counting variables beyond 20 per device as additional devices can complicate billing.
• Industrial and Enterprise pricing requires a custom quote.

Alternatives

ThingsBoard is worth choosing when a free tier covering five devices and 1M data points per month, plus Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, Windows, web, API, and self-hosted options, better matches your deployment.

Datacake suits a smaller setup seeking a free five-device plan or a 25-device Hobby plan at 25 EUR per month with one year of retention, but it has no free trial.

Thinger.io is an alternative for teams considering cloud tiers or self-hosting, including a Cloud Small option for 100 devices.

OpenRemote is a free, self-hosted-oriented choice with a full-featured community plan.

Bevywise IoT Platform fits buyers preferring one-time licensing, with Lite at $1,500 for up to 500 clients.

Tuya IoT Development Platform is another paid platform for Android, iOS, and web deployments.

Kaa IoT Platform offers a five-device free plan and Kaa Cloud 5 at $9.99 a month.

Losant Enterprise IoT Platform is a freemium API, web, and self-hosted alternative with a Launch plan at $250 a month.

For broader comparisons, see the IoT Device Management Platforms and IoT Analytics Software lists.

Verdict

Ubidots is a strong choice for integrators and enterprise teams that want ingestion, analytics, dashboards, and event actions in one IoT application stack. Its main advantages are the breadth of automation and integration, while the main reasons to look elsewhere are restricted mobile roles, variable-sensitive billing, and custom pricing at larger scale.