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Comparison · Analytics
MotherDuck vs ThingsBoard
A side-by-side editorial comparison of MotherDuck and ThingsBoard — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
MotherDuck vs ThingsBoard: at a glance
What is MotherDuck?
MotherDuck adds who-can-open controls to Dives and a SQL view of compute usage.
MotherDuck ships a weekly changelog. The November 12 release lets owners keep a Dive private or share it with roles, users or the whole organization, with matching GRANT READ ON DIVE commands; new Dives start private. Flight run access can now be managed in the UI, and Business plans can query hourly Duckling usage per user from MD_INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COMPUTE_USAGE. It lands a week after the redesign that put Agent Chat on the home screen.
What is ThingsBoard?
ThingsBoard closes a script-sandbox file write and dozens of CVEs on its 4.3 and 4.2 lines.
ThingsBoard keeps three lines patched in parallel: 4.4, 4.3.1 and the 4.2 LTS. On October 27, 4.3.1.8 and 4.2.2.8 shipped a large security batch, including a fix for arbitrary file writes from the TBEL script sandbox and tamper protection for the OAuth2 authorization cookie. On October 30, 4.4.0.2 followed with security patches, though its notes list no details.
MotherDuck vs ThingsBoard: editorial side-by-side
MotherDuck
6.3ANALYTICS
MotherDuck adds who-can-open controls to Dives and a SQL view of compute usage.
◆ Current state
MotherDuck ships a weekly changelog. The November 12 release lets owners keep a Dive private or share it with roles, users or the whole organization, with matching GRANT READ ON DIVE commands; new Dives start private. Flight run access can now be managed in the UI, and Business plans can query hourly Duckling usage per user from MD_INFORMATION_SCHEMA.COMPUTE_USAGE. It lands a week after the redesign that put Agent Chat on the home screen.
◆ Where it's heading
The agent-first redesign made Dives and Flights the things people create; the releases since are about controlling who sees and runs them and what they cost. Governance that began with row- and column-level security in October now covers the agent-built objects too.
◆ Prediction
Next likely are finer controls on what Agent Chat can do on a user's behalf, or usage limits built on the new compute usage view, since both follow from the permissions and cost work in the last two releases.
ThingsBoard
5.0ANALYTICS
ThingsBoard closes a script-sandbox file write and dozens of CVEs on its 4.3 and 4.2 lines.
◆ Current state
ThingsBoard keeps three lines patched in parallel: 4.4, 4.3.1 and the 4.2 LTS. On October 27, 4.3.1.8 and 4.2.2.8 shipped a large security batch, including a fix for arbitrary file writes from the TBEL script sandbox and tamper protection for the OAuth2 authorization cookie. On October 30, 4.4.0.2 followed with security patches, though its notes list no details.
◆ Where it's heading
After the 4.4 feature release the project is back to maintenance on all supported lines, mostly security and runtime fixes, with the IoT Hub catalogue getting steady UI work alongside. Feature work arrives in larger, infrequent releases.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next entries to be routine patches across all three lines. The notes do not say whether 4.4.0.2 carries the same fixes as the 4.3 batch.
Alternatives to MotherDuck 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 MotherDuck or ThingsBoard.
Dovetail
Dovetail lets admins choose which connectors members can plug into the workspace.
Dagster
Dagster drops Python 3.10 and lets agents run schedules and sensors through MCP.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse adds time-zone-aware retention and per-database table caps.
Countly
Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.
Kubecost
Kubecost cuts three 3.3.2 release candidates in two days, still without notes.
See all MotherDuck alternatives → · See all ThingsBoard alternatives →
Recent activity from MotherDuck and ThingsBoard
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1d agoMotherDuckDive sharing controls, Flight access UI and compute usage in SQL
- 10d agoMotherDuckRedesigned UI puts Agent Chat on the home screen ⚡
- 14d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.4.0.2: security patches, no details listed
- 18d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.3.1.8 fixes TBEL sandbox file write and CVE batch
- 18d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.2.2.8: LTS security backport
- 21d agoMotherDuckRow-level security, Dive write-back and Flight run grants
- 22d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.4.0.1: 2026 time zone data update
- 22d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.3.1.7: 2026 time zone data update
- 22d agoThingsBoardThingsBoard 4.2.2.7: 2026 time zone data update
- 28d agoMotherDuckImage inputs for prompt_jev() and Agent Chat that builds Dives
- 1mo agoMotherDuckAdmin API user listing, connection timeouts, prompt_jev() in EU
- 1mo agoMotherDuckAI functions 50-60% cheaper; prompt_jev() billing begins
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MotherDuck and ThingsBoard?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. MotherDuck is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is MotherDuck better than ThingsBoard?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. MotherDuck is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to MotherDuck?
Top MotherDuck alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "MotherDuck alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/motherduck 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.