# AWS IoT Core vs balena

| Attribute | AWS IoT Core | balena |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 53.4 (56% (medium)) | 51.7 (43% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Provides managed connectivity for IoT devices with separate usage-based charges for connection time, message throughput, device metadata storage, and message routing logic. It is indexed under Embedded IOT Dev.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","question":"What is AWS IoT Core?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS IoT Core offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.08. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","question":"Is AWS IoT Core free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS IoT Core supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","question":"What platforms does AWS IoT Core support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS IoT Core, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","question":"Can AWS IoT Core be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS IoT Core. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS IoT Core not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/trust-center/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS IoT Core have?","confidence":0.7}]` | `[{"answer":"Balena is a platform and toolkit for developing, deploying, and managing containerized applications on IoT devices at scale. It includes SDKs, CLI tools, cloud hosting (balenaCloud), and an open-source self-hosted option (open-balena). It is indexed under Embedded IOT Dev.","source":"https://www.balena.io","question":"What is balena?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"balena offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $2 per device per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.balena.io/pricing","question":"Is balena free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"balena supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.balena.io/pricing","question":"What platforms does balena support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. balena can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.balena.io","question":"Can balena be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for balena. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as balena not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.balena.io/security","question":"What security certifications does balena have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"balena is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United Kingdom.","source":"https://www.balena.io/pricing","question":"Where is balena available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An AWS cloud service providing a managed MQTT message broker for securely connecting millions of IoT devices using end-to-end encryption and mutual authentication, with message routing and fleet management capabilities. | Balena is an IoT device management platform that helps developers containerize and deploy applications to edge devices with built-in security controls. It provides fleet management capabilities, remote updates, device lifecycle security, and compliance features for IoT deployments. |
| features.capabilities | `{"ota_updates":true,"tls_dtls_stack":true}` | `{"open_source":true,"ota_updates":true,"device_management_console":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 2 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Amazon S3","native":true,"category":"storage","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Amazon CloudWatch","native":true,"category":"monitoring","direction":"outbound"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Google","native":true,"category":"auth","direction":"inbound"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pay-as-You-Go","features":["Device connectivity","MQTT and HTTP messaging","Device Shadow state storage","Device registry","Rules engine for message transformation and routing","LoRaWAN support","Amazon Sidewalk connectivity","BLE location resolution","Firmware over-the-air updates"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"connection-minutes"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.08,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"messages"},"kind":"metered","amount":1,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"operations"},"kind":"metered","amount":1.25,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"rules-or-actions"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.15,"currency":"USD"}],"description":"Usage-based pricing with no minimum fees","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"BLE Location Lookups","components":[{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"locations"},"kind":"metered","amount":1,"currency":"USD"}]},{"name":"Semtech Advanced Transport Services","components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"MB"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.145,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Usage-based pricing. Connectivity from $0.08/million connection-minutes, messaging from $1/million messages. 12-month free tier included for new AWS accounts.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","retrievedAt":"2026-09-05T16:14:49.313Z","freeTrialDays":365,"startingPrice":{"unit":"connection-minutes","amount":0.08,"currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/year, up to 10 devices","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"devices":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Prototype","summary":"$159/month ($1,720/year with $188 savings), includes 30 devices, $3/month per additional device","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":159,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"device","amount":3,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"devices":"30"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pilot","summary":"$329/month ($3,588/year with $360 savings), includes 60 devices, $2/month per additional device","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":329,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"device","amount":2,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"devices":"60"}},{"free":false,"name":"Production","summary":"$1,439/month ($15,588/year with $1,680 savings), includes 110 devices, $2/month per additional device, annual commitment required","commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1439,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"device","amount":2,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"devices":"110"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing and deployment options including 24/7 dedicated support","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier with 10 devices. Paid plans from $159/month. Annual billing available with discounts.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.balena.io/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T09:04:42.975Z","startingPrice":{"amount":159,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":0.08,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":159,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"PCI-DSS"},{"name":"HIPAA/HITECH"},{"name":"FedRAMP"},{"name":"GDPR"},{"name":"FIPS 140-3"},{"name":"NIST 800-171"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/security/ | https://www.balena.io/security |

## Capabilities (Embedded IOT Dev)

| Capability | AWS IoT Core | balena |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Target class | - | - |
| Rtos type | - | - |
| Low power support | - | - |
| Tls dtls stack | ✓ | - |
| Ota updates | ✓ | ✓ |
| Device management console | - | ✓ |
| Device provisioning | - | - |
| Open source | - | ✓ |
| PSA certified | - | - |
| Rust support | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:39:28.489Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*