IoT & Smart Home · head to head
LIFX vs Blynk
LIFX
IoT & Smart Home
WiFi-enabled smart lights with no hub required
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Blynk
IoT & Smart Home
IoT cloud platform with mobile app builder for connected devices
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Blynk has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: LIFX the Internet Archive's capture of LIFX's products page on 19 July 2016 priced the White 800 bulb at $39.99 USD (890 lumens) and the Color 1000 bulb at $59.99 USD (1,055 lumens); this is a 2016 capture and current prices likely differ.; Blynk the free tier covers 5 devices, 1 user, 100,000 messages and one week of data retention
- They diverge on capability: LIFX covers No Hub Required, Blynk covers Mobile App Builder.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LIFX and Blynk actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (IoT & Smart Home), founded (2012).
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 LIFX
- No Hub Required
- 16 Million Colors
- WiFi Direct
- High Brightness
- HomeKit
- Alexa
- Google Home
- SmartThings
Only in Blynk
- Mobile App Builder
- No-Code Interface
- Real-Time Control
- Cloud Storage
- REST API
- WebHooks
- Mobile app
- Cloud platform
Both cover
- IOS support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
LIFX
- Ambient lightingnot Blynk
- Gaming setupnot Blynk
- Photography lightingnot Blynk
- Smart homenot Blynk
Blynk
- Connecting IoT hardware to a hosted dashboard and mobile appnot LIFX
- Over-the-air firmware updates to fleets of devicesnot LIFX
- Automations triggered by device datanot LIFX
- White-label device apps for a hardware productnot LIFX
- Prototyping connected devices before committing to infrastructurenot LIFX
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
LIFX
- The Internet Archive's capture of LIFX's products page on 19 July 2016 priced the White 800 bulb at $39.99 USD (890 lumens) and the Color 1000 bulb at $59.99 USD (1,055 lumens); this is a 2016 capture and current prices likely differ.
Blynk
- The free tier covers 5 devices, 1 user, 100,000 messages and one week of data retention
- Data retention is tiered all the way up, reaching 12 months only on Enterprise
- Automations and webhooks are rationed, from 5 scenarios and 1 webhook on free to 100 or more on Production
- Over-the-air update campaigns are capped by tier, at 2 shipments on free and Starter
- Production plans run from $199 to $1,099 a month depending on device count
Pricing, plan by plan
LIFX
On request- LIFX Bulb$40/month
- 16M colors
- WiFi direct
- No hub required
Blynk
Free- FreeFree
- 5 devices
- Basic widgets
- Cloud sync
- Premium$5/month
- Unlimited devices
- Advanced widgets
- Priority support
Which should you pick?
Choose LIFX if
- You need no hub required.
- You work on IOS, Android, Windows, MacOS.
- You also want 16 million colors.
Choose Blynk if
- You need mobile app builder.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device.
- You also want no-code interface.
Questions people ask
- Is LIFX or Blynk better?
- Neither clearly leads. LIFX starts at On request and Blynk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, LIFX or Blynk?
- Blynk has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for LIFX and Free for Blynk.
- Does LIFX or Blynk run on more platforms?
- LIFX runs on IOS, Android, Windows, MacOS. Blynk runs on IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device.
- Can I use Blynk for free?
- Yes. Blynk has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. LIFX starts at On request.
- What is LIFX best used for?
- LIFX is most often used for ambient lighting, gaming setup, photography lighting, smart home. Of those, ambient lighting and gaming setup are not what Blynk is typically brought in for.
- What can LIFX do that Blynk cannot?
- LIFX covers No Hub Required, 16 Million Colors, WiFi Direct, High Brightness. Blynk covers Mobile App Builder, No-Code Interface, Real-Time Control, Cloud Storage. Both handle IOS support, Android support.