Softwr

Smart Home · head to head

Particle vs Yeelight

Particle logo

Particle

Smart Home

Edge-to-cloud IoT platform for connected devices

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Yeelight logo

Yeelight

Smart Home

Smart lighting for modern homes

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Particle has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Particle paid capacity is sold in blocks of 100 devices rather than per device, so 101 devices costs the same as 200; Yeelight requires owning Yeelight-branded smart lighting hardware; the app itself is a controller with no standalone function
  • They diverge on capability: Particle covers Device OS, Yeelight covers Color control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Particle and Yeelight actually diverge.

Attributes where Particle and Yeelight differ
AttributeParticleYeelight
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionone-time
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsParticle devices, Custom hardware, Cloud, Mobile appsIOS, Android
Founded20132012

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 Particle

  • Device OS
  • Cloud Platform
  • Device Management
  • OTA Updates
  • REST API
  • WebHooks
  • Integration marketplace
  • 3rd party services

Only in Yeelight

  • Color control
  • Brightness dimming
  • Schedules
  • Music sync
  • Sunrise/sunset
  • Scenes
  • Google Assistant
  • Amazon Alexa

What people use each for

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

Particle

  • Connecting cellular and wifi IoT devices to a managed cloud platformnot Yeelight
  • Deploying firmware updates and collecting device telemetry at fleet scalenot Yeelight

Yeelight

  • Ambient lightingnot Particle
  • Entertainment syncnot Particle
  • Automated schedulesnot Particle
  • Energy savingnot Particle

Where each one falls short

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

Particle

  • Paid capacity is sold in blocks of 100 devices rather than per device, so 101 devices costs the same as 200
  • The Basic block is $299 a month and the Plus block $599 a month
  • The free tier allows 100 devices and 100,000 data operations a month
  • Data operations are the billing unit, so chatty firmware costs more than the device count suggests
  • No overage rates are published at any tier, so exceeding an allowance has no stated cost

Yeelight

  • Requires owning Yeelight-branded smart lighting hardware; the app itself is a controller with no standalone function
  • Requires iOS 16.2 or later, per the App Store listing

Pricing, plan by plan

Particle

Free
  • MakerFree
    • 5 free devices
    • Cloud access
    • Basic features
  • Production$100/month
    • Unlimited devices
    • Advanced analytics
    • Enterprise support

Yeelight

On request
  • Smart Bulb$15/month
    • WiFi
    • 16M colors
    • Voice control
  • Light Strip$30/month
    • Music sync
    • Extendable
    • Scene modes

Which should you pick?

Choose Particle if

  • You need device os.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Particle devices, Custom hardware, Cloud, Mobile apps.
  • You also want cloud platform.
Particle review

Choose Yeelight if

  • You need color control.
  • You work on IOS, Android.
  • You also want brightness dimming.
Yeelight review

Questions people ask

Is Particle or Yeelight better?
Neither clearly leads. Particle starts at Free and Yeelight at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Particle or Yeelight?
Particle has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Particle and On request for Yeelight.
Does Particle or Yeelight run on more platforms?
Particle runs on Particle devices, Custom hardware, Cloud, Mobile apps. Yeelight runs on IOS, Android.
Can I use Particle for free?
Yes. Particle has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Yeelight starts at On request.
What is Particle best used for?
Particle is most often used for connecting cellular and wifi iot devices to a managed cloud platform, deploying firmware updates and collecting device telemetry at fleet scale. Of those, connecting cellular and wifi iot devices to a managed cloud platform and deploying firmware updates and collecting device telemetry at fleet scale are not what Yeelight is typically brought in for.
What can Particle do that Yeelight cannot?
Particle covers Device OS, Cloud Platform, Device Management, OTA Updates. Yeelight covers Color control, Brightness dimming, Schedules, Music sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Particle: What are the Particle pricing tiers and their costs?

Particle offers Free ($0, 100 devices, 100K Data Operations/month), Basic ($299/month per block), Plus ($599/month per block), Professional (custom pricing), and Enterprise (custom pricing). Each block supports 100 devices.

Source
Yeelight: Where can I find Yeelight pricing?

The main Yeelight website redirects to a Chinese regional site (cn.yeelight.com) which does not display pricing information. Specific pricing details would need to be found through product pages or local retailers.

Source
Particle: What is a Data Operation and how is it charged?

A Data Operation is Particle's billing unit for user-controlled activities. One operation is charged per device-to-cloud message, cloud-to-device message, Location Fusion call, Ledger sync, or Logic function run. Network transmission and management tasks are included at no additional cost.

Source
Particle: What location data retention does each tier provide?

Location data retention ranges from 3 days in the Free tier up to 6+ months in Professional and Enterprise tiers.

Source
Particle: Are there additional costs for support or single sign-on?

Premium support and SSO are available as optional add-ons to all Particle plans. The pricing page does not specify the cost of these add-ons.

Source
Particle: Is there a minimum contract length or can I cancel anytime?

The Particle pricing page does not specify a minimum contract length, suggesting monthly billing without long-term lock-in.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Particle

More on Yeelight

Keep looking

Other head to heads