AWS IoT Greengrass vs Mender

AWS IoT Greengrass9.2Visit Mender8.7Visit

Higher score AWS IoT Greengrass #1 in IoT Edge Platforms 9.2/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit AWS IoT

vs

Mender #3 in IoT Edge Platforms 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Mender

• AWS IoT Greengrass fits best

  AWS users running local edge workloads

• Mender fits best

  Teams needing phased OTA fleet updates

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	AWS IoT Greengrass 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Mender 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.7
Ranking	#1 in IoT Edge Platforms	#3 in IoT Edge Platforms
Best for	AWS users running local edge workloads	Teams needing phased OTA fleet updates
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$34/mo
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Windows, Linux	Web, Linux
Support	Community	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS IoT Greengrass 0/2 · Mender 2/2
Edge device management	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Fleet update management	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Workload deployment	Not checked yet	Both
Supported device OS	Not checked yet	Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS, Yocto Project, Zephyr OS
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Both
Managed device limit	Not checked yet	50 devices
Our review
Pros	Runs code, processes data, and performs ML inference on edge devices Deploys custom components, Lambda functions, and Docker containers Manages device software remotely and integrates with AWS services	Supports OS, image, application, and container updates A/B rollback and scheduled, phased, and dynamic deployments Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with a free plan
Cons	Usage charges vary with active Greengrass Core devices connecting to the cloud The Free Tier covers only the first three Core devices each month for one year Its AWS service integrations may be less suitable for non-AWS-centered stacks	Advanced deployment controls require Enterprise Basic starts at $34 per month; Professional is $291 per month Support channels listed are community and documentation
Our verdict	AWS IoT Greengrass is an edge runtime and cloud service for teams that need IoT devices to process data and run software locally. It supports local machine-learning inference and communication between devices, including when cloud… Read the review →	Mender is an open-core platform for updating and managing connected devices, aimed at teams building or operating IoT products. It covers OS and full-image updates as well as application and container updates through Update Modules. A web… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AWS IoT Greengrass — where it wins

  • Runs code, processes data, and performs ML inference on edge devices
  • Deploys custom components, Lambda functions, and Docker containers
  • Manages device software remotely and integrates with AWS services

  Where it doesn't

  • Usage charges vary with active Greengrass Core devices connecting to the cloud
  • The Free Tier covers only the first three Core devices each month for one year
  • Its AWS service integrations may be less suitable for non-AWS-centered stacks

• Mender — where it wins

  • Supports OS, image, application, and container updates
  • A/B rollback and scheduled, phased, and dynamic deployments
  • Hosted cloud or self-hosted deployment with a free plan

  Where it doesn't

  • Advanced deployment controls require Enterprise
  • Basic starts at $34 per month; Professional is $291 per month
  • Support channels listed are community and documentation

• AWS IoT Greengrass9.2/10 · Paid

  A flexible edge runtime for teams connecting local workloads to AWS services.

  Visit AWS IoTFull verdict →
• Mender8.7/10 · Free plan

  Flexible OTA fleet management, with hosted and self-hosted deployment options.

  Visit MenderFull verdict →