Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Balena.io VS Mender.io

Compare Balena.io VS Mender.io and see what are their differences

Balena.io logo Balena.io

Balena is a container-based platform to develop, deploy, and manage code running on remote devices - quickly, safely, and at scale.

Mender.io logo Mender.io

Mender is a secure and robust end-to-end over-the-air (OTA) software update manager for IoT devices. Mender makes it easy to deploy updates to a large number of devices by providing efficiency and risk tolerant OTA deployments.
  • Balena.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-18
  • Mender.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-22

Balena.io features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Balena.io provides a user-friendly interface and tools that simplify the deployment and management of IoT applications across multiple devices.
  • Scalability
    The platform is designed to easily scale IoT applications, whether you're dealing with a small number of devices or a larger fleet.
  • Cross-platform Support
    Balena supports various device types and operating systems, providing flexibility in choosing hardware and software according to project needs.
  • Robust Community and Documentation
    Balena has a strong community presence and comprehensive documentation, which can be extremely beneficial for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Over-the-Air Updates
    Balena enables seamless over-the-air updates, making it easier to deploy updates and new features to devices in the field.

Possible disadvantages of Balena.io

  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    While basic features are easy to use, some advanced capabilities may require a steeper learning curve to fully understand and implement.
  • Cost
    For larger deployments and the use of advanced features, Balena can become relatively expensive compared to other solutions.
  • Dependency on Internet Connectivity
    Balena heavily relies on internet connectivity for device management and updates, which might be a limitation in areas with poor network coverage.
  • Limited Offline Support
    While Balena offers some offline functionality, it is primarily designed for cloud-connected operations, which could be a drawback for certain use cases.

Mender.io features and specs

  • Robust OTA Updates
    Mender.io provides a reliable over-the-air update mechanism, ensuring devices can be updated securely and efficiently without manual intervention.
  • Security Features
    It includes advanced security features such as code signing and encrypted communication, ensuring that updates are not tampered with and data remains confidential.
  • Scalability
    Mender.io can easily scale to accommodate a large number of devices, making it suitable for expanding IoT deployments.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, Mender.io allows for transparency, community contributions, and customizable solutions tailored to specific needs.
  • Device Management
    Offers comprehensive device management capabilities, allowing users to manage their entire fleet of devices from a single interface.

Possible disadvantages of Mender.io

  • Complex Setup
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, requiring technical expertise to properly integrate Mender.io into existing systems.
  • Limited Support for Non-Linux Devices
    Mender.io primarily supports Linux-based devices, which might limit its applicability for projects using other operating systems.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its broad set of features, there is a considerable learning curve that users must overcome to effectively use the platform.
  • Cost
    While the open-source version is free, more advanced features available in paid tiers might be costly for some businesses.
  • Dependency on Cloud Services
    For some features, Mender.io depends on cloud services, which might not be suitable for all business models or geographical limitations.

Balena.io videos

Balena releases first fully functional 64 bit OS for the Raspberry Pi 4

More videos:

  • Review - balenaSound: a DIY multi-room sound system
  • Review - Balena Productions: Tons of Personnelity

Mender.io videos

Why the Yocto Project for My IoT Project - Drew Moseley, Mender.io

More videos:

  • Review - 2018-11: Mender.io - Software Updates for Linux Devices

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Balena.io and Mender.io)
IoT Platform
34 34%
66% 66
Data Dashboard
49 49%
51% 51
IoT Management
29 29%
71% 71
IoT
29 29%
71% 71

User comments

Share your experience with using Balena.io and Mender.io. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Balena.io might be a bit more popular than Mender.io. We know about 11 links to it since March 2021 and only 9 links to Mender.io. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Balena.io mentions (11)

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Mender.io mentions (9)

  • Looking for a way to remote in to K's of raspberry pi's...
    You will need something like https://mender.io https://www.balena.io an over the air update system, you are building and iot system so look into https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over-the-air_update. Source: about 1 year ago
  • ROS2: Yocto vs. Docker
    Oh, what you are looking for is probably something like Mender. If you use Yocto + Mender you can track what version of the system image all your devices are using + tiered rollouts + other stuff. https://mender.io/. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How popular is balenaOS and balenaCloud?
    We were running balenaOS on several thousand customer devices in field, all managed through balenaCloud. It worked fine and the remote capabilities are extremely useful, but we eventually transitioned the entire fleet to Mender instead. There were several reasons for the transition:. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Ubuntu Core 22 is now available – optimised for IoT and embedded devices
    I've never used anything in the product space, but I've read through some of the docs because IoT deployment interests me in the context of most network devices having terrible deployment and update strategies. My favorite sales pitch was always Mender (https://mender.io) because it can be as simple as .img files and slice based booting. Unfortunately they changed their pricing a couple years ago and went from a... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • 6 Trending Topics Every Embedded Learner Must Know in 2022
    From what has been stated thus far, it becomes obvious that most of the opportunities would be in enabling containers for embedded targets. Currently companies like pantacor, BalenaOS, Toradex, Mender, and Foundries all offer solutions for containers for Linux-based embedded targets. This means that these solutions cannot support all types of embedded targets as not all have the computational power to support the... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Balena.io and Mender.io, you can also consider the following products

BalenaCloud - The container-based platform for deploying IoT fleets

AWS IoT - Easily and securely connect devices to the cloud.

Murano - Murano is a cloud-based IoT platform that enables customers to develop, deploy, and manage connected products.

Blynk.io - We make internet of things simple

ThingSpeak - Open source data platform for the Internet of Things. ThingSpeak Features

Particle.io - Particle is an IoT platform enabling businesses to build, connect and manage their connected solutions.