Node RED
Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions.
Node RED vs Thingsboard
Two self-hosted Internet of Things (IoT) apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| Node RED | Thingsboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Browser-based flow editor that helps you wiring hardware devices, APIs and online services to create IoT solutions. | IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization. |
| GitHub stars | 23,816 | 22,639 |
| Forks | – | – |
| Open issues | – | – |
| Commits (12 months) | 781 | 3.7k |
| Last activity | 2026-10-26 | 2026-11-02 |
| Latest release | 5.0.9 (2026-10-21) | v4.4.0.2 (2026-10-30) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language / platform | Nodejs, Docker | Java, Docker, K8S |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~2 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $10/mo |
| Categories | Internet of Things (IoT) | Internet of Things (IoT) |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Node RED and Thingsboard have a similar number of GitHub stars (23.8k vs 22.6k).
- Thingsboard had more commits in the last 12 months (3,668 vs 781).
- Thingsboard published a release more recently (v4.4.0.2 on 2026-10-30; Node RED's latest is 5.0.9 on 2026-10-21).
- Both are licensed under Apache-2.0.
- Node RED is written in Nodejs; Thingsboard in Java.
- Deployment options listed upstream: Node RED: Docker; Thingsboard: Docker, K8S.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for Node RED (~1 GB server) than Thingsboard (~2 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: Thingsboard leads on commit activity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is Node RED or Thingsboard more popular?
They are close: Node RED has 23,816 GitHub stars and Thingsboard has 22,639 (as of 2026-11-05).
Which is more actively maintained, Node RED or Thingsboard?
Thingsboard had more commits over the last 12 months (3,668 vs 781). The last recorded activity was 2026-10-26 for Node RED and 2026-11-02 for Thingsboard. Our health labels: Node RED is “Active”, Thingsboard is “Active”.
What licenses do Node RED and Thingsboard use?
Both use Apache-2.0.
Can I run Node RED and Thingsboard with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for Node RED and Thingsboard. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Thingsboard
IoT Platform - Device management, data collection, processing and visualization.
Browse all self-hosted Internet of Things (IoT) apps.