Is Datacake's LoRaWAN Network Server actually free, or is there a hidden tier?

Yes, the LNS and gateways are included in every Datacake plan, including the free tier. There is no separate LNS subscription, no per-gateway fee, and no gateway-count tier you graduate out of. You only pay for device licenses and optional platform features (alerts, white-label, etc.).

Can I keep my existing LoRaWAN devices when migrating from Akenza?

Yes. The DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey provisioned on Akenza are re-used as-is on Datacake's LNS, so the device firmware is untouched and there is no flash event. The most invasive operation is a session-rejoin once the gateway points at Datacake. Practically you migrate gateway-by-gateway, with both platforms in parallel, until the Akenza workspace is empty and can be archived.

What about my existing dashboards on Akenza?

Most popular hardware is covered by a Datacake template that ships with a default dashboard, so you usually do not have to recreate from scratch. For custom hardware the dashboard editor is widget-based and can replicate the layouts you have today; the data model is similar enough that the mapping is straightforward.

Does Datacake offer Swiss data residency like Akenza?

Datacake hosts in the EU under EU GDPR. If your compliance regime explicitly requires Swiss-only data residency for the IoT platform, Akenza is the better fit on that specific point. For most EU and international deployments, EU hosting under GDPR is sufficient.

How does pricing compare between Akenza and Datacake?

Datacake publishes per-device licenses on the pricing page and the LNS is free at every tier. Akenza's commercial tiers are partly published and partly quotation-based depending on fleet size. For a precise side-by-side, compare your projected device count against the public Datacake pricing: the LNS line is $0.

Can I run Akenza and Datacake side by side during evaluation?

Yes. You can register a subset of gateways or devices on Datacake without disturbing your Akenza deployment, validate the dashboards and integrations, and migrate the full fleet only when you are confident.

All comparisons

Datacake vs Akenza

Datacake: a transparent IoT platform alternative to Akenza with a free LoRaWAN Network Server

Akenza is a Swiss IoT platform with a built-in LoRaWAN Network Server, dashboarding and a device-first data model, a close functional overlap with Datacake. The differences are in pricing transparency, the size of the device-template catalog and the entry tier. Datacake offers a free LNS in every plan, public per-device pricing and 400+ ready-to-use templates with payload decoders.

Free, managed LoRaWAN Network Server in every plan
Public per-device pricing: no quotation required to start
400+ device templates with payload decoders out of the box
Same DevEUI / JoinEUI / AppKey re-used during migration

Get started free See the Datacake IoT platform

Akenza vs Datacake at a glance

A side-by-side view of the platform capabilities that matter when you evaluate. We've kept it factual. Both products have their strengths.

Capability	Akenza	Datacake
Hosted IoT platform	Managed SaaS hosted in Switzerland	Managed SaaS hosted in the EU
Bundled LoRaWAN Network Server	Built-in LNS, multi-region	Built-in LNS, included free in every plan
Public per-device pricing	PartialTier-based; entry tier published, larger fleets quotation-based	Per-device licenses published on the pricing page
Free starter tier	PartialFree trial available; production use is paid	Free tier with included device licenses for production use
Device template catalog with payload decoders	PartialCurated device library plus per-device JS decoder	400+ Datacake-maintained templates plus the LoRa Alliance / TTN device repo
Built-in dashboards	Widget-based dashboarding included	Template-driven dashboards per device type
Built-in rules / alerting	Rule engine with email and webhook actions	Email, SMS, push and webhook actions with escalation
MQTT / Webhook outputs
White-label & multi-tenancy	PartialWorkspace-level tenancy on higher tiers	Custom domain, theming and per-workspace branding
Lossless LoRaWAN device migration	DevEUI / JoinEUI / AppKey can be re-provisioned	Re-use the same DevEUI / JoinEUI / AppKey, no firmware re-flash

Capabilities reflect the public product documentation of Akenza and Datacake at the time of writing. Both products evolve quickly, so please cross-check current pricing and tier limits on akenza.io and datacake.co before purchase.

Why Datacake

Where Datacake comes out ahead

Transparent per-device pricing
Datacake publishes per-device licenses on the pricing page. There is no quotation flow for getting started, and the LNS itself stays free at every tier, so you can budget the deployment without sales involvement.
Larger ready-to-use template catalog
400+ Datacake-maintained device templates apply the payload decoder, dashboard and downlinks for you. On Akenza you typically configure the decoder per device, even when the hardware is well-known.
Dashboards, rules and exports on the same account
Datacake bundles template-driven dashboards, alerting with escalation, scheduled reports and white-label into one product. The visualisation layer is included rather than tier-gated.
Lossless migration in three steps
Re-use the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey from your Akenza workspace. No firmware re-flash, no on-site visit. Run both platforms in parallel during the cut-over.

Honest take

When Akenza might be the better fit

Swiss-only data residency is a hard requirement
Akenza hosts in Switzerland and is the natural fit if your compliance regime mandates Swiss data residency for the IoT platform itself. Datacake hosts in the EU and is not a Swiss-residency offering.
You run an established Swiss telco / integrator partnership
Akenza has long-standing partnerships with Swiss carriers and system integrators. If your existing commercial setup is built around those relationships, switching adds friction beyond the technical migration.
Your team prefers a fully bespoke per-customer rule editor
Akenza's rule editor exposes a different interaction style. If your team has standardised on it and the migration cost outweighs the platform delta, staying on Akenza is reasonable.

Datacake vs Akenza: frequently asked questions

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