Short answer
ThingsBoard is a flexible IoT toolkit: you get 18 solution templates, many protocols and the option to self-host, but your own team builds and runs the final system. ENTEK IoT ships five ready solutions for Saudi field operations, with Arabic and WhatsApp alerts, and delivers other needs as projects. Choose by who will build and run it.
Key takeaways
- ThingsBoard lists 18 solution templates, names MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, Modbus, OPC-UA and LoRaWAN in its docs, and can run on your own servers or on ThingsBoard Cloud in N. Virginia or Frankfurt.
- From version 4.4, ThingsBoard code is under the Business Source License 1.1, which it calls source-available; free commercial production use is limited to 100 devices on one server.
- None of the 18 ThingsBoard templates covers container locks, and its notification center lists no WhatsApp channel.
- ENTEK IoT has five built-in solutions (Smart Lock, Fuel Tank, Fleet, Construction, Generator) with alerts by email, SMS or WhatsApp, usually within about a minute, and clear limits such as no trips or report export in Fleet.
- Energy, cold rooms, pools and SCADA sites are delivered by ENTEK as projects, with hardware from the ENTEK marketplace or an RFQ at entek.ai.
01What ThingsBoard is in 2026, in plain facts
ThingsBoard is an IoT platform toolkit. You connect devices, store their data, design dashboards and write rules that raise alarms. It comes in two main forms. You can run it on your own servers, with install guides for Docker, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and on-premises clusters. Or you can rent ThingsBoard Cloud, where the pricing page lists two data regions: N. Virginia in North America and Frankfurt in Europe. One fact changed recently, and many older comparisons miss it. Versions before 4.4 stay under the Apache 2.0 open-source licence. From version 4.4, the code is under the Business Source License 1.1, which ThingsBoard itself calls source-available. You can still read, build and change the code, and each release converts to Apache 2.0 four years after it ships. Free production use now has limits: for a commercial company, up to 100 devices on one server, with the ThingsBoard name and logo kept visible. Above that, you need a commercial licence or a cloud plan.
02What ThingsBoard gives you out of the box
ThingsBoard is strong on breadth. Its solution template library lists 18 ready dashboards, among them temperature and humidity, fleet tracking, fuel level monitoring, cold chain, smart office, water metering, generator monitoring, SCADA energy and an oil and gas drilling SCADA. The documentation names MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, Modbus, OPC-UA and LoRaWAN among the ways to stream data in. Its notification center can deliver alerts to the web interface, to its mobile app as push messages, and by SMS, email, Slack and Microsoft Teams. An MCP server, shipped as a Docker image, lets an AI client such as Claude read devices, telemetry and alarms in plain language. The web interface source includes an Arabic locale file, ar_AE, next to more than 25 other languages. On ThingsBoard Cloud, white labeling is included from the Pilot plan. For a team with developers, this is a large set of building blocks. The key word is blocks: a template is a starting point that someone on your side still adapts, connects and runs.
03What you still build yourself in a Saudi operation
A toolkit leaves real work with you, and in Saudi Arabia some of that work is local. First, hardware: choosing trackers, probes or locks, buying them, installing them in 50°C summer heat, and keeping SIM cards active. Second, the model of your operation: which tank belongs to which site, which truck carries which container, who is on shift. Templates give example dashboards, not your sites. Third, alerts that people act on: thresholds, hold times, and messages in Arabic that a supervisor reads on the phone they already use. ThingsBoard’s notification center lists no WhatsApp channel, so adding one means building or buying a connector. Fourth, running the system: servers or a cloud plan, upgrades, backups, and the licence limits above. Fifth, the message budget: on ThingsBoard Cloud the Business plan includes 1,000 SMS a month, and extra SMS packs are priced per 100. None of this is a flaw. It is the normal cost of the build-your-own route, and it belongs in the budget from day one.
04What ENTEK IoT gives you ready, and where it stops
ENTEK IoT takes the other route: five solutions arrive ready to use, each with its own screens and alerts. Smart Lock runs container trips with stop zones, allows unlocking only inside the zone by an authorised person, takes live-camera proof photos, and exports reports as PDF, Excel or CSV. None of the 18 ThingsBoard templates covers container locks. Fuel Tank shows litres and percent, marks a tank Low below 35% and Critical below 20%, and logs refuels and unexplained drops. Fleet shows live status, a map, routes of up to 7 days, load weight and driver fuel receipts. Construction tracks running hours from ignition, fuel and engine temperature per project. Generator shows online, offline and running status on a site map. Rules are checked every 30 seconds, and alerts reach named people by email, SMS or WhatsApp, in Arabic or English, usually within about a minute. The limits are real too: Fleet has no trips, geofences or report export today, Generator has no analytics, user roles are fixed, and devices connect over cellular only.
05Everything else as a project, and how to choose
Energy sub-metering, cold rooms, temperature and humidity, pools, substations and oil and gas sites are not ready-made screens in ENTEK. ENTEK delivers them as a project: it scopes the sensors, supplies the hardware through the ENTEK marketplace or an RFQ at entek.ai, and connects it to the same alert engine. Site equipment can join through an industrial 4G router such as the Teltonika RUT956, which supports Modbus RTU/TCP and MQTT. The platform works with 1,500+ tracker and sensor models, but only about 8 are tested end to end, so ask about your exact model before you buy. So which one fits? Choose ThingsBoard if you have developers, need LoRaWAN or OPC-UA, want to run everything on your own servers, or plan to sell your own branded IoT product. Choose ENTEK if your need is container locks, fuel tanks, fleets, machines or generators, your team works in Arabic and on WhatsApp, and you would rather source the hardware and the platform in one place.
| Point | ThingsBoard | ENTEK IoT |
|---|---|---|
| On day one | 18 solution templates to adapt, plus dashboards, rules and device management | Five ready solutions: Smart Lock, Fuel Tank, Fleet, Construction, Generator |
| Container locks | No template among the 18 | Built in: trips, stop zones, unlock only inside the zone, live-camera proof photos |
| Energy, cold rooms, pools, SCADA | Templates as a starting point that your team adapts | Delivered as a project, hardware via the ENTEK marketplace or an RFQ |
| Protocols | MQTT, CoAP, LwM2M, Modbus, OPC-UA, LoRaWAN named in the docs | Cellular trackers and sensors; Modbus or MQTT site equipment per project through a 4G router; no LoRaWAN |
| Alert channels | Web, mobile push, SMS, email, Slack, Microsoft Teams | Email, SMS, WhatsApp; no push; checked every 30 s, usually delivered within about a minute |
| Arabic | Arabic locale (ar_AE) in the web interface | Arabic and English with full right-to-left; alerts in each recipient’s language |
| AI access | MCP server as a Docker image | MCP server that acts with the user’s own permissions and asks before any change |
| Who builds and runs it | Your team, on your servers or a ThingsBoard Cloud plan (N. Virginia or Frankfurt) | Ready service; adding a device takes a name, IMEI and device type |
| Hardware | Bought separately from any vendor | Via the ENTEK marketplace or RFQ; 1,500+ compatible models, about 8 tested end to end |
| Best fit | Teams with developers, special protocols, own servers or own branded product | Operations teams that want ready field solutions in Arabic |
ThingsBoard Cloud monthly plan prices
ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans
Figures and sources
- Number of ThingsBoard solution templates listed in its IoT Hub: 18 templates, none for container locks (Source: ThingsBoard IoT Hub, solution templates (pages 1 and 2), as of 2026-10-19)
- Data regions listed for ThingsBoard Cloud: N. Virginia (North America) and Frankfurt (Europe) (Source: ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans, as of 2026-10-19)
- ThingsBoard Cloud Business plan price and device limit: USD 749 a month, up to 1,000 devices (Source: ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans, as of 2026-10-19)
- ThingsBoard Cloud free plan: USD 0, up to 5 devices (Source: ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans, as of 2026-10-19)
- SMS included in the ThingsBoard Cloud Business plan, and the price of an extra SMS pack: 1,000 SMS a month; extra pack of 100 SMS for USD 15 (Source: ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans, as of 2026-10-19)
- First ThingsBoard Cloud plan that includes white labeling: Pilot plan, USD 149 a month (Source: ThingsBoard Cloud subscription plans, as of 2026-10-19)
- ThingsBoard licence from version 4.4: Business Source License 1.1 (source-available); each release converts to Apache 2.0 after four years; versions before 4.4 stay Apache 2.0 (Source: ThingsBoard GitHub repository, README licence section, as of 2026-10-19)
- Free commercial production use allowed by the ThingsBoard licence: Up to 100 devices on no more than one server, with ThingsBoard branding kept visible (Source: ThingsBoard LICENSE file, Additional Use Grant, as of 2026-10-19)
- Delivery methods in the ThingsBoard notification center: Web, mobile app, SMS, email, Slack, Microsoft Teams (no WhatsApp listed) (Source: ThingsBoard docs, notification center, as of 2026-10-19)
- Arabic locale file in the ThingsBoard web interface source: locale.constant-ar_AE.json (Source: ThingsBoard GitHub repository, ui-ngx locale folder, as of 2026-10-19)
Questions
Is ThingsBoard still open source?
Versions before 4.4 remain under Apache 2.0. From version 4.4, ThingsBoard uses the Business Source License 1.1, which it calls source-available. You can read and modify the code, free commercial production use is limited to 100 devices on one server, and each release becomes Apache 2.0 after four years.
Does ThingsBoard support Arabic?
Yes, its web interface source includes an Arabic locale file named ar_AE. The alert texts, dashboard labels and messages your team sees still need to be written in Arabic by whoever builds your solution.
Where is ThingsBoard Cloud data hosted?
The ThingsBoard Cloud pricing page lists two regions: N. Virginia in North America and Frankfurt in Europe. If you need the data on servers you choose, you can self-host ThingsBoard instead, within its licence terms. Whatever platform you pick, ask the vendor in writing where your data is stored.
Does ThingsBoard have a ready solution for container locks?
None of the 18 solution templates in its IoT Hub covers container locks or cargo seals. In ENTEK IoT, Smart Lock is built in, with trips, stop zones, unlocking only inside the zone and live-camera proof photos.
Can ENTEK handle cold rooms, energy meters or SCADA like ThingsBoard templates do?
Yes, but as a project, not as a ready screen. ENTEK scopes the sensors, supplies the hardware through the ENTEK marketplace or an RFQ at entek.ai, and connects it to the same alert engine with email, SMS and WhatsApp alerts.
Can I keep my current trackers if I move to ENTEK?
Often yes. ENTEK IoT works with 1,500+ tracker and sensor models, and adding a device takes a name, IMEI and device type. Only about 8 models are tested end to end, so confirm your exact model before you plan the move.