IoT & Smart Home · head to head
Zigbee Alliance vs Arduino Cloud
Zigbee Alliance
IoT & Smart Home
Low-power wireless standard for IoT and smart home
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Arduino Cloud
IoT & Smart Home
Cloud platform for Arduino IoT devices and applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Zigbee Alliance the Internet Archive's capture of the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Zigbee page on 4 January 2024 confirmed Zigbee is a protocol standard rather than a purchased product, with the Alliance's revenue coming from member dues and per-device certification fees rather than a software price list.; Arduino Cloud the free plan allows 2 connected devices, 5 variables each and one day of data retention
- They diverge on capability: Zigbee Alliance covers Low Power, Arduino Cloud covers Device Connectivity.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Zigbee Alliance and Arduino Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Zigbee Alliance | Arduino Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | subscription |
| Platforms | Zigbee devices, Mesh networks, Smart home hubs, IoT platforms | Arduino devices, Cloud, Mobile app, Web dashboard |
| Founded | 2002 | 2005 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (IoT & 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 Zigbee Alliance
- Low Power
- Mesh Networking
- Self-Healing
- Scalable
- Smart home devices
- Hubs
- Controllers
- Integration platforms
Only in Arduino Cloud
- Device Connectivity
- Cloud Storage
- Real-Time Sync
- Security
- Arduino IDE
- Mobile app
- REST API
- Integration services
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Zigbee Alliance
- Smart lightingnot Arduino Cloud
- Sensor networksnot Arduino Cloud
- Home automationnot Arduino Cloud
- Industrial monitoringnot Arduino Cloud
Arduino Cloud
- Connecting Arduino boards to a cloud dashboardnot Zigbee Alliance
- Over-the-air firmware updates to deployed devicesnot Zigbee Alliance
- Logging sensor data and charting it over timenot Zigbee Alliance
- Triggering notifications from device thresholdsnot Zigbee Alliance
- Classroom IoT projects on the School plannot Zigbee Alliance
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Zigbee Alliance
- The Internet Archive's capture of the Connectivity Standards Alliance's Zigbee page on 4 January 2024 confirmed Zigbee is a protocol standard rather than a purchased product, with the Alliance's revenue coming from member dues and per-device certification fees rather than a software price list.
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Zigbee Alliance
Free- Open SpecificationFree
- Low power mesh
- Self-healing
- Interoperable
Arduino Cloud
Free- MakerFree
- 2 devices
- Basic features
- Cloud access
- Maker Plus$7/month
- Up to 10 devices
- Advanced features
- Better storage
Which should you pick?
Choose Zigbee Alliance if
- You need low power.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Zigbee devices, Mesh networks, Smart home hubs, IoT platforms.
- You also want mesh networking.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Zigbee Alliance or Arduino Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Zigbee Alliance starts at Free and Arduino Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Zigbee Alliance or Arduino Cloud?
- Zigbee Alliance starts at Free and Arduino Cloud at Free.
- Does Zigbee Alliance or Arduino Cloud run on more platforms?
- Zigbee Alliance runs on Zigbee devices, Mesh networks, Smart home hubs, IoT platforms. Arduino Cloud runs on Arduino devices, Cloud, Mobile app, Web dashboard.
- Can I use Zigbee Alliance for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Zigbee Alliance best used for?
- Zigbee Alliance is most often used for smart lighting, sensor networks, home automation, industrial monitoring. Of those, smart lighting and sensor networks are not what Arduino Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Zigbee Alliance do that Arduino Cloud cannot?
- Zigbee Alliance covers Low Power, Mesh Networking, Self-Healing, Scalable. Arduino Cloud covers Device Connectivity, Cloud Storage, Real-Time Sync, Security.