# AWS IoT Core vs ESP-IDF

| Attribute | AWS IoT Core | ESP-IDF |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 70.6 (34% (low)) | 42.6 (28% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 1 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 18,875 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | - |
| description.long | A fully managed AWS service that enables secure device-to-cloud communication using MQTT protocol. Handles millions of simultaneous device connections and trillions of messages without requiring infrastructure management. | A production-grade development kit for Espressif system-on-chip platforms that offers consistent APIs and tooling across different chip variants. Supports building applications ranging from sensor prototypes to Matter-certified devices and AI-powered edge systems. |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"CLion"}]` |
| language.primary | - | C |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free Tier","summary":"12 months free","features":["Device connectivity","MQTT messaging","Rules engine","Basic Device Advisor testing","Device Location lookups (up to 1,000)","AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk (100,000 messages)"],"description":"12 months free usage for new AWS customers, plus up to $200 in credits for first 6 months"},{"free":false,"name":"Pay-as-you-go","summary":"From $0.08 per 1M connection-minutes; messaging at $1.00 per 1M messages","components":[{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"minutes"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.08,"currency":"USD","description":"Device connectivity (connection-time based)"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"messages"},"kind":"metered","amount":1,"currency":"USD","description":"MQTT/HTTP messaging (first 1 billion messages per month)"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"messages"},"kind":"metered","amount":6,"currency":"USD","description":"AWS IoT Core for Amazon Sidewalk messaging"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"locations"},"kind":"metered","amount":1,"currency":"USD","description":"Device Location lookups (beyond free tier)"}],"description":"Usage-based pricing after free tier expires"}],"summary":"Free tier for 12 months, then usage-based from $0.08 per 1M connection-minutes","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/iot-core/pricing/?nc=sn&loc=4","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T09:07:32.398Z","freeTrialDays":365,"startingPrice":{"unit":"minutes","amount":0.08,"currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | - |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | - |
| pricing.price_level | low | - |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":0.08,"currency":"USD"}` | - |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 19 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.1-rc1","date":"2026-08-18T15:26:58Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v6.1-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.5.5","date":"2026-07-17T15:35:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.5.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.1-beta1","date":"2026-06-29T12:07:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v6.1-beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0.2","date":"2026-06-29T01:29:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.2.7","date":"2026-05-19T11:17:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0.1","date":"2026-04-27T13:23:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.4.4","date":"2026-04-17T07:49:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.5.4","date":"2026-03-27T09:23:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.5.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.3.5","date":"2026-03-24T10:51:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0","date":"2026-03-20T04:17:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0-rc1","date":"2026-03-13T06:10:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v6.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.5.3","date":"2026-02-18T12:06:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0-beta2","date":"2026-01-30T10:17:14Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v6.0-beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.1.7","date":"2026-01-27T02:13:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.5.2","date":"2025-12-25T15:36:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v6.0-beta1","date":"2025-11-12T03:54:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v6.0-beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.4.3","date":"2025-10-23T11:55:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.2.6","date":"2025-10-01T16:51:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.5.1","date":"2025-09-01T05:04:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf/releases/tag/v5.3.4","date":"2025-08-19T06:49:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v5.3.4"}]` |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 2.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fespressif%2Fesp-idf&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Embedded IOT Dev)

| Capability | AWS IoT Core | ESP-IDF |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:09:47.128Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*