IoT & Smart Home · head to head
Zigbee Alliance vs Blynk
Zigbee Alliance
IoT & Smart Home
Low-power wireless standard for IoT and smart home
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Blynk
IoT & Smart Home
IoT cloud platform with mobile app builder for connected devices
- 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.; Blynk the free tier covers 5 devices, 1 user, 100,000 messages and one week of data retention
- They diverge on capability: Zigbee Alliance covers Low Power, Blynk covers Mobile App Builder.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Zigbee Alliance and Blynk actually diverge.
| Attribute | Zigbee Alliance | Blynk |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | freemium |
| Platforms | Zigbee devices, Mesh networks, Smart home hubs, IoT platforms | IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device |
| Founded | 2002 | 2012 |
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 Blynk
- Mobile App Builder
- No-Code Interface
- Real-Time Control
- Cloud Storage
- REST API
- WebHooks
- Mobile app
- Cloud platform
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Zigbee Alliance
- Smart lightingnot Blynk
- Sensor networksnot Blynk
- Home automationnot Blynk
- Industrial monitoringnot Blynk
Blynk
- Connecting IoT hardware to a hosted dashboard and mobile appnot Zigbee Alliance
- Over-the-air firmware updates to fleets of devicesnot Zigbee Alliance
- Automations triggered by device datanot Zigbee Alliance
- White-label device apps for a hardware productnot Zigbee Alliance
- Prototyping connected devices before committing to infrastructurenot 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.
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
Zigbee Alliance
Free- Open SpecificationFree
- Low power mesh
- Self-healing
- Interoperable
Blynk
Free- FreeFree
- 5 devices
- Basic widgets
- Cloud sync
- Premium$5/month
- Unlimited devices
- Advanced widgets
- Priority support
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 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 Zigbee Alliance or Blynk better?
- Neither clearly leads. Zigbee Alliance starts at Free and Blynk at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Zigbee Alliance or Blynk?
- Zigbee Alliance starts at Free and Blynk at Free.
- Does Zigbee Alliance or Blynk run on more platforms?
- Zigbee Alliance runs on Zigbee devices, Mesh networks, Smart home hubs, IoT platforms. Blynk runs on IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device.
- 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 Blynk is typically brought in for.
- What can Zigbee Alliance do that Blynk cannot?
- Zigbee Alliance covers Low Power, Mesh Networking, Self-Healing, Scalable. Blynk covers Mobile App Builder, No-Code Interface, Real-Time Control, Cloud Storage.