Particle IoT vs IoT Plug and Play
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Particle IoT
Configure and manage your hardware devices and cloud deployments. Easily set up new devices, monitor their status, and access detailed diagnostics. The app provides a centralized control panel for managing your entire device fleet.
- Device setup and configuration
- Real-time device diagnostics
- Online/offline device status tracking
- Device renaming and notes
- Device OS version viewing
- Device list filtering and sorting
- Tinker mode for hardware interaction
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The Particle mobile app is a tool to configure and manage your Particle hardware and cloud deployments. Set up a new device, check device diagnostics, and keep track of which devices are on- and offline with a few taps of the screen. Control Panel — rename devices, set notes, or even unclaim, all from a single section of the mobile app. Device Info Screen — view device ID, serial number, Device OS version; plus, you can ping, shout rainbows (signal mode), rename, and edit device notes. Device list filtering — sort and filter your fleet based on your needs right from the main screen of the app. UI refresh — improved information density and readability, plus multiple UI element tweaks across the app. Tinker improvements — review of pin layout, UX refresh, and updates to ensure consistent design across the mobile app experience.
IoT Plug and Play
Transform your phone into an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Connect to Azure IoT cloud to send device telemetry, receive commands, and manage device twins. Upload media directly to Azure storage.
- Connect to Azure IoT cloud
- Send device telemetry (accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer)
- Send and receive commands
- Manage device twin updates
- Upload media to Azure storage
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Turn your phone into an Internet of Things (IoT) device and discover the simplicity of IoT Plug and Play by Microsoft Azure. This app supports connecting your device to the Azure IoT cloud, where you can: ▶ Send telemetry from your device like accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer to Azure IoT. ▶ Send and receive commands and device twin updates from Azure IoT. ▶ Upload media to Azure storage. This app requires an active Azure IoT Central application or Azure IoT Hub. Learn more at https://aka.ms/iot-paad
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: IoT Plug and Play at 5.0 against Particle IoT's 3.4. Particle IoT's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.1). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
IoT Plug and Play holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 25 and 23 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 39% of Particle IoT's written reviews are positive against 43% of IoT Plug and Play's.
Particle IoT ships an update monthly, IoT Plug and Play every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Particle IoT | IoT Plug and Play |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (25 ratings) | 5.0 (23 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.3% of reviews | 42.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 25 — better | 23 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 12.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 86 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Particle Industries Inc. | Microsoft Corporation |
Customer experience
Particle IoT
IoT Plug and Play
In-app purchases
Particle IoT
No in-app purchases
IoT Plug and Play
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Particle IoT free?
Is IoT Plug and Play free?
Which has better reviews, Particle IoT or IoT Plug and Play?
Do Particle IoT or IoT Plug and Play have ads?
Which is updated more often, Particle IoT or IoT Plug and Play?
Other comparisons
