Tinybird
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Comparison · Analytics
OpenPanel vs ThingsBoard
A side-by-side editorial comparison of OpenPanel and ThingsBoard — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
OpenPanel vs ThingsBoard: at a glance
What is OpenPanel?
OpenPanel reaches 3.9.0 within six days of 3.0.0, still with no release notes.
OpenPanel's self-hosted line went from 3.0.0 on October 16 to 3.9.0 on October 21, with three builds on October 20 alone. Every entry is a build of main with a commit hash and no release notes, shipped to supporters via openpanel upgrade --supporter and published publicly from the self-hosting tag. The last documented changes remain the v2 self-hosting CLI preview and the saved-report filter fix.
What is ThingsBoard?
ThingsBoard updates time zone data on three release lines for 2026 daylight saving changes.
ThingsBoard keeps three lines patched in parallel: 4.4, 4.3.1 and the 4.2 LTS. On Oct 22 all three got the same update, refreshing Java, Node.js and UI time zone data for 2026 daylight saving changes in Canada, Morocco and Moldova. 4.4 itself, released Sep 29, brought Java 25, a redesigned sidebar and toolbar, and remote agents.
OpenPanel vs ThingsBoard: editorial side-by-side
OpenPanel
5.0ANALYTICS
OpenPanel reaches 3.9.0 within six days of 3.0.0, still with no release notes.
◆ Current state
OpenPanel's self-hosted line went from 3.0.0 on October 16 to 3.9.0 on October 21, with three builds on October 20 alone. Every entry is a build of main with a commit hash and no release notes, shipped to supporters via openpanel upgrade --supporter and published publicly from the self-hosting tag. The last documented changes remain the v2 self-hosting CLI preview and the saved-report filter fix.
◆ Where it's heading
OpenPanel now cuts a versioned build for every merge to main, with paying supporters as the early ring and the rewritten CLI as the delivery channel. Minor numbers rise several times a day, so they measure pipeline throughput rather than product scope. What 3.x changes for analytics users is still undocumented.
◆ Prediction
Expect 3.9.x and 3.10 builds within days at the same notes-free pace. The entries don't show whether 3.x adds analytics features or mostly reworks self-hosting.
ThingsBoard
5.0ANALYTICS
ThingsBoard updates time zone data on three release lines for 2026 daylight saving changes.
◆ Current state
ThingsBoard keeps three lines patched in parallel: 4.4, 4.3.1 and the 4.2 LTS. On Oct 22 all three got the same update, refreshing Java, Node.js and UI time zone data for 2026 daylight saving changes in Canada, Morocco and Moldova. 4.4 itself, released Sep 29, brought Java 25, a redesigned sidebar and toolbar, and remote agents.
◆ Where it's heading
After the 4.4 feature release the project is back to maintenance across all supported lines, mostly security and runtime data updates. Feature work appears in larger, infrequent releases.
◆ Prediction
The next entries are likely another CVE batch across 4.4, 4.3.1 and 4.2, in line with the cadence before 4.4.
Alternatives to OpenPanel and ThingsBoard
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either OpenPanel or ThingsBoard.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse lays commit-time rule plumbing for column defaults and wires its catalog to Views.
Fulcrum
Fulcrum turns on Insights, its AI assistant for field data, for every customer.
Holistics
Holistics lets admins put a key dashboard on everyone's Home page.
Lightdash
Lightdash opens AI-built chart types to every cloud user, through the app or MCP.
Hex
Hex exposes agent usage and credit data as its AI agent becomes a metered product.
See all OpenPanel alternatives → · See all ThingsBoard alternatives →
Recent activity from OpenPanel and ThingsBoard
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.4.0.1: 2026 time zone data update
- 3d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.3.1.7: 2026 time zone data update
- 3d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.2.2.7: 2026 time zone data update
- 5d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.9.0 build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 5d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.8.0 build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 6d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.7.1 patch build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 6d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.7.0 build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 6d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.6.0 build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 6d agoOpenPanelOpenPanel 3.5.3 build, no release notes, ships to supporters
- 27d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.4 Release
- 27d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.3.1.6 Release
- 27d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.2.2.6 Release
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenPanel and ThingsBoard?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. OpenPanel and ThingsBoard are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is OpenPanel better than ThingsBoard?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. OpenPanel and ThingsBoard are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to OpenPanel?
Top OpenPanel alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OpenPanel alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/openpanel for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ThingsBoard?
Top ThingsBoard alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ThingsBoard alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/thingsboard for the full list with editorial commentary on each.