akenza
Swiss self-service IoT platform that connects LoRaWAN and cellular devices to dashboards and enterprise systems, with a private cloud option
Quick Overview
| Company | AKENZA AG |
|---|---|
| Category | IoT Platforms |
| Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Switzerland |
| Data Location | Public cloud, or private cloud on Azure, Amazon or Google |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Private cloud deployment on request |
| Main Features | Device type library, connectivity as a service, dashboard builder, custom logic blocks, output connectors, multitenancy, white label, audit logs, signage screens |
| Pricing | Elemental $0/month, Advanced $199/month, Expert $599/month, each plus $1.50 per device per month (checked 30 October 2026) |
| Best For | Smart building and industrial teams that need LoRaWAN data in dashboards and downstream systems |
| Replaces | Particle Console, Integrations and Event Bus |
Detailed Review
akenza describes itself as a self-service IoT platform for building smart solutions, and the product page is organised around buildings and industry: people counting, air quality, energy metering, predictive maintenance and leak detection.
The contracting company is AKENZA AG in Zurich. Prices are shown in dollars, which matters when you compare it with euro-priced tools.
Connectivity Billed Inside the Platform
Besides the monthly plan and the per-device fee, akenza sells connectivity per device through the same account: Swisscom LPN at $0.85, Cibicom at $0.75, Netmore at $0.85, ewz.connect at $1.10 and Loriot at $0.50, listed on its pricing page.
That bundles the network contract with the platform contract, which reduces the number of suppliers on a LoRaWAN rollout.
Plans Scaled by Workspaces and Dashboards
Elemental allows one workspace and 10,000 data ingestion units per device. Advanced adds five workspaces, ten dashboards, custom logic blocks and enterprise connectors, and Expert adds white labeling, audit logs and a dedicated account manager.
Overage is metered: $25 per extra workspace, $10 per dashboard and $0.10 per SMS.
Private Cloud and Output Connectors
A private instance can run on Azure, Amazon or Google, and the connector list covers Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, InfluxDB, Azure IoT Hub and others. That helps when the data has to land in a customer-owned stack.
Limitations to Consider
Prices are in dollars and layered: a plan fee, a per-device fee, connectivity fees and metered consumption. Elemental is framed for proofs of concept, not production. Private instances are offered on Azure, Amazon or Google, all US hyperscalers, and the host of the public cloud is not named. Pure cellular SIM management is not the focus; for that look at 1NCE or Eseye.
Who Should Use akenza
Facility managers, utilities and integrators who deploy LoRaWAN sensors in buildings and plants and want dashboards plus connectors without writing a backend.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free Elemental plan for a proof of concept
- Connectivity can be bought inside the same account
- Wide list of database and cloud output connectors
- Private cloud option on the hyperscaler you choose
- Multitenancy and white label on higher plans
Cons
- Pricing quoted in US dollars
- Several stacked fee types make forecasting harder
- Private cloud only on US hyperscalers
- Elemental is aimed at pilots, not production
Alternatives to akenza
Other European iot platforms worth comparing before you decide:
Datacake
Germany · No-code IoT dashboards, alerts and LoRaWAN server
Thinger.io
Spain · IoT cloud instance with fixed monthly price per size
Nabto
Denmark · Peer-to-peer and WebRTC remote access for devices
Mender
Norway · Open source OTA updates for Linux and RTOS fleets
See all European iot platforms or compare them directly against Particle Console on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Elemental plan costs $0 per month, plus $1.50 per device per month, and is described as a fit for proofs of concept. Production use points to Advanced at $199 or Expert at $599 per month.
The pricing page lists Swisscom LPN, Cibicom, Netmore, ewz.connect and Loriot, each with a per-device connectivity fee.
Yes, a dedicated private instance can be deployed on Azure, Amazon or Google, according to the vendor.