# Apache NuttX vs FreeRTOS

| Attribute | Apache NuttX | FreeRTOS |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 42.1 (11% (low)) | 47 (29% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 2 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 4,010 | 7,722 |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An embedded operating system for microcontrollers ranging from 8-bit to 64-bit architectures, built on POSIX and ANSI standards with additional Unix-compatible APIs. | An open-source real-time operating system designed for resource-constrained microcontrollers and small processors. Offers kernel with multiprocessing, integrated TCP/IP networking with IPv6, and security-validated connectivity libraries for cloud integration. |
| features.capabilities | - | `{"rtos_type":"preemptive","open_source":true,"ota_updates":true,"target_class":"microcontroller/RTOS","psa_certified":true,"tls_dtls_stack":true,"device_provisioning":true,"device_management_console":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 8 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"AWS IoT Device Shadow"},{"name":"AWS IoT Jobs"},{"name":"AWS IoT Device Defender"},{"name":"AWS IoT Fleet Provisioning"},{"name":"AWS IoT OTA"},{"name":"MbedTLS"},{"name":"WolfSSL"},{"name":"Percepio Tracealyzer"}]` |
| language.primary | C | C |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://nuttx.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-20T16:36:12.280Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"FreeRTOS","description":"Open-source under MIT license"},{"free":false,"name":"OpenRTOS","description":"Commercially licensed version with support from WITTENSTEIN high integrity systems","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free (MIT license); commercial support available via OpenRTOS","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://freertos.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T12:46:49.512Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | - | 83 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202411.00","date":"2024-11-21T06:51:00Z","type":"stable","version":"202411.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202212.01","date":"2023-03-03T23:12:52Z","type":"stable","version":"202212.01"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202212.00","date":"2022-12-10T01:22:17Z","type":"stable","version":"202212.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202112.00","date":"2021-12-22T17:24:30Z","type":"stable","version":"202112.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202111.00","date":"2021-11-13T02:40:47Z","type":"stable","version":"202111.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202107.00","date":"2021-07-24T00:35:47Z","type":"stable","version":"202107.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202104.00","date":"2021-04-29T18:45:32Z","type":"stable","version":"202104.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202012.00","date":"2020-12-15T22:39:49Z","type":"stable","version":"202012.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/202011.00","date":"2020-11-10T22:51:06Z","type":"stable","version":"202011.00"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/V10.4.1","date":"2020-09-17T23:19:59Z","type":"stable","version":"V10.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/V10.4.0","date":"2020-09-11T17:20:15Z","type":"stable","version":"V10.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/V200717_LTS_development_snapshot","date":"2020-07-17T22:42:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"V200717_LTS_development_snapshot"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/V10.3.1","date":"2020-02-19T05:06:39Z","type":"stable","version":"V10.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/FreeRTOS/FreeRTOS/releases/tag/V200218_LTS_development_snapshot","date":"2020-02-19T05:09:57Z","type":"prerelease","version":"V200218_LTS_development_snapshot"}]` |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=pynuttx&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Embedded IOT Dev)

| Capability | Apache NuttX | FreeRTOS |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Target class | - | Microcontroller/RTOS |
| Rtos type | - | Preemptive |
| Low power support | - | - |
| Tls dtls stack | - | ✓ |
| Ota updates | - | ✓ |
| Device management console | - | ✓ |
| Device provisioning | - | ✓ |
| Open source | - | ✓ |
| PSA certified | - | ✓ |
| Rust support | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:47:48.528Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*