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 devices when I migrate from The Things Stack?

Yes. Datacake re-uses the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey your devices already hold. No firmware re-flash, no on-site visit beyond a possible re-join trigger.

What about my existing TTS payload formatters (JavaScript decoders)?

Datacake's template catalog covers most popular hardware, so you typically do not need to bring your formatter at all. For unusual hardware you can paste your existing JS decoder into Datacake's per-device decoder field. The API surface is intentionally similar.

Does Datacake offer the same multi-region coverage as The Things Stack?

Yes. Datacake operates EU868, US915, AU915, AS923, IN865 and KR920 from a single organisation, the same regional parameters and security profiles you operate on TTS today.

What is the difference between Datacake and The Things Stack at the protocol level?

Both implement the LoRaWAN 1.0.x and 1.1 specifications. The difference is the productisation around the protocol: Datacake bundles dashboards, rules, white-label and exports into the same product; TTS is connectivity-focused and expects you to bring or build the application stack separately.

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

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

All comparisons

Datacake vs The Things Stack

Datacake: a managed alternative to The Things Stack with a free LoRaWAN Network Server

The Things Stack (TTS) is the commercial successor to The Things Network's open-source stack. It is a solid, standards-compliant LNS, but billed per-gateway and per-device once you leave the sandbox, with no built-in dashboards or rule engine. Datacake bundles a managed LNS, dashboards and rules into a single platform, and the LNS itself is free in every plan.

$0 LNS and gateways in every Datacake plan: no per-gateway fees
Built-in dashboards, rules and alerting: not a separate product
400+ device templates with payload decoders out of the box
Re-use existing DevEUI / JoinEUI / AppKey, no firmware re-flash

Get started free See the LoRaWAN Network Server

The Things Stack vs Datacake at a glance

A side-by-side view of the parts of the LoRaWAN stack that change when you migrate. We've kept it factual. Both products have their strengths.

Capability	The Things Stack	Datacake
Hosted LoRaWAN Network Server	TTI Cloud: multiple commercial tiers	Hosted, included free in every plan
Per-gateway pricing	Cloud tiers charge per gateway above the sandbox level	Gateways are free at every plan tier
Per-device pricing	Device count is part of the tier sizing	Per-device licenses, scale linearly; LNS itself stays free
Built-in dashboards	Use external tools (Grafana, ThingsBoard, Datacake)	Template-driven dashboards out of the box
Built-in rules / alerting engine	Bring your own (e.g. webhook + Zapier)	Email, SMS, push and webhook actions with escalation
Built-in payload decoders	PartialCommunity device repository, JS payload formatter per device	400+ Datacake-maintained templates plus the LoRa Alliance / TTN device repo
Multi-region support	EU868, US915, AU915, AS923, IN865, KR920	Same regions, single account
MQTT / Webhook outputs
White-label & multi-tenancy	PartialTenant separation, no white-label UI	Custom domain, theming and per-workspace branding

Capabilities reflect the public product documentation of The Things Stack (Cloud / Open Source) and Datacake at the time of writing. Both products evolve quickly, so please cross-check pricing and tier limits on the respective vendor pages before purchase.

Why Datacake

Where Datacake comes out ahead

No per-gateway billing
Datacake charges per device, not per gateway. Whether you run one gateway or fifty across a multi-site fleet, the LNS bill stays $0.
Dashboards and rules are part of the platform
TTS is connectivity only. With Datacake you do not need a second product for visualisation, alerts or scheduled reporting: they are first-class on the same account.
Faster device onboarding
400+ ready-to-use templates apply payload decoders, dashboards and downlinks per device. On TTS you typically write the JS formatter and build the dashboard yourself.
Lossless migration in 3 steps
Re-use the same DevEUI, JoinEUI and AppKey from your TTS application. No firmware re-flash. Run both stacks in parallel during the cut-over.

Honest take

When The Things Stack might be the better fit

You need on-prem / private cloud TTS
TTS Open Source can be self-hosted in your own VPC or on-prem. If your security policy mandates private hosting of the LNS itself, TTS or ChirpStack are the right choice. Datacake is a SaaS.
You only want connectivity, nothing else
If you already have your own visualisation, rules and reporting stack and only need a network server, TTS is a focused product that does exactly that and no more.
You need TTI's roaming or carrier-grade SLAs
TTI offers commercial roaming and carrier-grade SLAs through partner networks. If your deployment depends on those specific contracts, TTS is the natural choice.

Ready to switch?

Migrate from The Things Stack to Datacake

No firmware re-flash. Re-use the same DevEUI, JoinEUI/AppEUI and AppKey. Run both stacks in parallel during the cut-over so you never lose a device.

Read the The Things Stack migration guide

Same DevEUI / JoinEUI / AppKey
Bring your existing gateway hardware
Parallel operation during cut-over
Self-serve: no vendor coordination

Datacake vs The Things Stack: frequently asked questions

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