LoopString vs Ubidots
Ubidots gives you a dashboard. LoopString gives you the platform + the Pi-side agent that drives it.
Pick Ubidots if…
- You're building a white-label / multi-tenant IoT dashboard for clients.
- Geofencing + map-based asset tracking is a buying line.
- You already have devices speaking MQTT/HTTP and need only the cloud.
- Cloud-side synthetic variables + scheduled actions match your workflow.
Pick LoopString if…
- You're operating your own facility (cultivation, brewing, food, cold storage).
- You need on-edge PID + hysteresis that survives ISP outages.
- You want a parts library + project templates + HACCP-grade compliance.
- You'd rather buy a Pi than write firmware.
| Feature | LoopStringYou | Ubidots |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | ||
| Time-to-first-control under a day | ||
| No device firmware to write | ||
| Guided Pi onboarding (QR code) | ||
| Drag-and-drop dashboard widgets | ||
| Automation | ||
| Visual flow editor with auto-generated edge code | ||
| On-edge PID control loops | ||
| Recipe / batch automation | ||
| Synthetic variables / cloud-side formulas | ||
| Hardware | ||
| 80+ part library with wiring guides | ||
| 25 vertical-specific project templates | ||
| Monitoring | ||
| Real-time sensor dashboard | ||
| Historical analytics with downsampling | ||
| Anomaly detection (rolling baseline) | ||
| Geofencing / map-based device views | ||
| Alerts | ||
| Threshold alerts with hysteresis | ||
| Alert escalation chains | ||
| Compliance | ||
| HACCP / FDA / USDA PDF reports built-in | ||
| Audit-grade activity log | ||
| Collaboration | ||
| Role-based access control | ||
| White-label / multi-tenant | ||
| Security | ||
| Tailscale VPN tunnel for device access | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Flat per-device monthly pricing | ||
| Free / public pricing on website | ||
Comparison reflects publicly available information as of early 2026. Features vary by plan and configuration.
Why facility operators pick LoopString over Ubidots
The platform comes with the devices
Ubidots gives you a cloud dashboard + ingest + alarms; you bring the devices, firmware, MQTT publishing code, and process logic. LoopString gives you the Pi-side agent + Configurator + flow templates pre-integrated. The device + the platform ship together.
On-edge PID + recipes + duty-cycle
Ubidots automation runs cloud-side — synthetic variables, scheduled actions, webhook events. LoopString PID + hysteresis + recipes run on the Pi locally and survive ISP outages. Same dashboard story, fundamentally different control posture.
Compliance + audit trail ship as features
HACCP / FDA / USDA-style PDF compliance reports + tamper-resistant activity log are first-class. Ubidots dashboards can show the data; reports + audit are usually a custom integration on top.
Bring-your-own-Pi instead of bring-your-own-device
Ubidots is hardware-agnostic — you can use any device that speaks MQTT/HTTP. LoopString is Pi-first with an 80+ part library + 25 templates. If you already know the hardware you're using or want it picked for you, LoopString is the shorter path.
Key Takeaways
- Ubidots = cloud dashboard + ingest + alarms platform; you bring the device + firmware + process logic.
- LoopString = assembled IoT platform — Configurator + Pi agent + edge PID + recipes + compliance — pre-integrated.
- On-edge PID + recipes + duty-cycle tracking survive ISP outages; cloud-side automation does not.
- Ubidots wins on geofencing + map widgets + white-label / multi-tenant — useful for agencies and asset tracking.
- They can coexist via MQTT — Ubidots devices can publish into the Pi broker the Configurator reads from.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is LoopString a Ubidots replacement?
- For most operators running their own facility (cultivation, brewing, food production, cold storage, multi-site facilities) — yes, and LoopString gives you the assembled platform faster. For agencies building white-label IoT dashboards for end clients, Ubidots' multi-tenant + white-label features are still the right tool.
- What about geofencing / map-based device views?
- Ubidots ships native map widgets + geofence triggers for fleet / asset-tracking deployments. LoopString does not — our scope is room-scoped process control inside a facility, not vehicle/asset tracking across geography. If geofencing is a hard requirement, Ubidots is the right answer.
- Can I keep my Ubidots devices alongside LoopString?
- Yes — devices that publish to Ubidots over MQTT/HTTP can also publish to the Pi-side broker. The Pi reads from those topics in the Configurator. Use Ubidots for the agency-side white-label dashboard and LoopString as the operator platform.
- Does LoopString support synthetic variables / cloud-side formulas?
- Partial. The Configurator emits derived signals (computed function nodes on the Pi). Cloud-side formulas like Ubidots' synthetic variables are not first-class, but the same math runs locally on the Pi and pushes the result up.
- How much will I save vs Ubidots?
- Depends on Ubidots tier + device count. Ubidots STEM is free for 10 devices; Industrial pricing is per-device per-month + variable history retention. LoopString is $0–$249/mo flat across 6 tiers. For a single-facility operator the math usually favours LoopString. For a 1000-device fleet, you should run the spreadsheet yourself.
Other comparisons
Evaluating something else? Pick the closest match.
See LoopString for yourself
Start free — no firmware to write, no devices to ship.