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Arduino Cloud vs Rachio Pro

Arduino Cloud logo

Arduino Cloud

Smart Home

Cloud platform for Arduino IoT devices and applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rachio Pro logo

Rachio Pro

Smart Home

Contractor platform and Pro Series controllers for managing client irrigation across many properties

From
$10/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Arduino Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Arduino Cloud the free plan allows 2 connected devices, 5 variables each and one day of data retention; Rachio Pro it is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • They diverge on capability: Arduino Cloud covers Device Connectivity, Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arduino Cloud and Rachio Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where Arduino Cloud and Rachio Pro differ
AttributeArduino CloudRachio Pro
Starting priceFree$10/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionOne-time controller purchase with optional cellular subscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsArduino devices, Cloud, Mobile app, Web dashboardWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2005Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Smart Home).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arduino Cloud

  • Device Connectivity
  • Cloud Storage
  • Real-Time Sync
  • Security
  • Arduino IDE
  • Mobile app
  • REST API
  • Integration services

Only in Rachio Pro

  • Pro Series controllers
  • Business accounts
  • Pro Properties dashboard
  • Wire fault diagnostics
  • Weather-based skipping
  • Flow monitoring
  • Cellular Connect

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arduino Cloud

  • Connecting Arduino boards to a cloud dashboardnot Rachio Pro
  • Over-the-air firmware updates to deployed devicesnot Rachio Pro
  • Logging sensor data and charting it over timenot Rachio Pro
  • Triggering notifications from device thresholdsnot Rachio Pro
  • Classroom IoT projects on the School plannot Rachio Pro

Rachio Pro

  • An irrigation contractor servicing a hundred residential clients who needs alerts rather than scheduled site visitsnot Arduino Cloud
  • A landscape company that keeps client controller access when a technician resignsnot Arduino Cloud
  • A property manager with several light commercial sites wanting leak detection before the water bill arrivesnot Arduino Cloud
  • A contractor installing at a site with no reliable Wi-Fi who needs a cellular fallbacknot Arduino Cloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arduino Cloud

  • The free plan allows 2 connected devices, 5 variables each and one day of data retention
  • Free accounts are limited to 25 compilations a day and 10 trigger notifications a day
  • The Maker plan at $72 a year lifts devices to 25 and retention to 3 months, still for a single user
  • Team pricing jumps to $1,000 a year
  • Two years of data retention and unlimited ingestion require Enterprise

Rachio Pro

  • It is Wi-Fi first, so client properties without reliable wireless need Cellular Connect at around $389 plus $10 to $15 a month, which turns a one-time sale into a recurring cost the contractor has to bill on.
  • The Pro Series waters identically to the consumer Gen 3; the premium buys enclosure, warranty and diagnostics rather than better irrigation, which is a hard sell to a price-driven client.
  • It is residential and light commercial in scale, with no realistic capability for municipal parks, sports fields or agricultural blocks where flow-based mainline shutdown and two-wire decoders are expected.
  • Everything depends on Rachio's cloud; if the service is down or the account lapses, the controller falls back to a basic local schedule and the contractor loses the remote visibility they sold.
  • North America is the real market, so weather data quality, distributor availability and support outside the United States and Canada are materially worse than the product itself.

Pricing, plan by plan

Arduino Cloud

Free
  • MakerFree
    • 2 devices
    • Basic features
    • Cloud access
  • Maker Plus$7/month
    • Up to 10 devices
    • Advanced features
    • Better storage

Rachio Pro

$10/month
  • Pro Series controller$undefined/one-time
    • Sold through irrigation distributors, not retail
    • Four year warranty
    • Wire fault diagnostics included
  • Pro business account$undefined/month
    • No separate charge for the contractor dashboard and role management
    • Business-level ownership of client properties
    • Alerts, weather skips and flow anomalies across all sites
  • Cellular Connect$10/month
    • Around $389 for the hardware
    • First year of service included
    • $10 per month for one carrier, $15 for all three

Which should you pick?

Choose Arduino Cloud if

  • You need device connectivity.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Arduino devices, Cloud, Mobile app, Web dashboard.
  • You also want cloud storage.
Arduino Cloud review

Choose Rachio Pro if

  • You need pro series controllers.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want business accounts.
Rachio Pro review

Questions people ask

Is Arduino Cloud or Rachio Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. Arduino Cloud starts at Free and Rachio Pro at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arduino Cloud or Rachio Pro?
Arduino Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Arduino Cloud and $10/month for Rachio Pro.
Does Arduino Cloud or Rachio Pro run on more platforms?
Arduino Cloud runs on Arduino devices, Cloud, Mobile app, Web dashboard. Rachio Pro runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Arduino Cloud for free?
Yes. Arduino Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Rachio Pro starts at $10/month.
What is Arduino Cloud best used for?
Arduino Cloud is most often used for connecting arduino boards to a cloud dashboard, over-the-air firmware updates to deployed devices, logging sensor data and charting it over time, triggering notifications from device thresholds. Of those, connecting arduino boards to a cloud dashboard and over-the-air firmware updates to deployed devices are not what Rachio Pro is typically brought in for.
What can Arduino Cloud do that Rachio Pro cannot?
Arduino Cloud covers Device Connectivity, Cloud Storage, Real-Time Sync, Security. Rachio Pro covers Pro Series controllers, Business accounts, Pro Properties dashboard, Wire fault diagnostics.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rachio Pro: Is Rachio Pro a different product from Rachio?

It is the trade channel: Pro Series controllers sold through irrigation distributors plus a business account with company-level ownership of client properties. The irrigation logic is the same.

Rachio Pro: Does the Pro business account cost anything?

The contractor dashboard and role management are not separately charged. The costs are hardware and, where needed, cellular service.

Rachio Pro: What if a client site has no Wi-Fi?

Cellular Connect is around $389 of hardware with the first year included, then about $10 a month for a single carrier or $15 for access to all three.

Rachio Pro: Can I use it on a municipal park or sports field?

Not realistically. It lacks the two-wire decoder support and flow-based mainline shutdown that public landscape specifications generally require.

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