Seeking IoT platform alternatives? Read this advice from ClearBlade Founder & CEO Eric Simone first.

The IoT world has been buzzing lately, and not in a good way.

If you’ve been following the headlines—or even just the industry chatter—you’ve likely felt surprised, confused, or frustrated. Major cloud providers have tried to calm concerns about the future of their IoT services, but sometimes what isn’t said speaks louder than any press release.

Since the start of 2025, searches for “IoT platform alternatives” have spiked more than 400 percent. Enterprise companies are getting nervous, and many are looking for exits. Some are considering lightweight alternatives. Others are tempted to build their own platforms from scratch using cloud primitives. On the surface, that may seem like a cost-saving shortcut. In reality, it’s like building a house on shifting sands.

The Ground Is Already Moving

Vendor pivots, unexpected service deprecations, and shifting pricing models are no longer rare—they’re the norm. Both AWS and Azure have sunset key IoT services in the past year, sending shockwaves through their user communities. When your architecture relies on proprietary APIs or vendor-controlled roadmaps, you risk losing control of your entire solution.

And when the ground shifts, even the best-designed systems can crumble.

That’s no way to build for the future.

The Real Costs of Building Complex IoT Software

At first glance, building your own IoT platform may seem like a smart move. It promises control, customization, and potential long-term savings. But in practice, developing complex IoT software from scratch introduces steep, often hidden costs.

For every dollar spent on IoT software, ten dollars are typically spent on services to build infrastructure, custom dashboards, and enterprise integrations. Most companies burn through $5 million just to reach a minimum viable product.

Custom efforts typically take between 3 to 5 years just to deliver basic functionality. That is an extremely long wait in a market that is evolving rapidly.

Eighty percent of enterprise IoT projects fail to scale. These failures rarely stem from a lack of vision—they happen because teams get buried in infrastructure instead of focusing on delivering real business outcomes.

A Better Way: Build on Proven Ground

If you want to build with confidence, start with software purpose-built for IoT.

ClearBlade has helped more than 200 companies avoid the pitfalls of fragile architectures and costly rework. Our platform solves the six most complex parts of IoT deployment: protocol transformation, data modeling, security, integration, edge intelligence, and API control. You don’t have to start from scratch.

The platform is tested, scalable, and deploys anywhere—cloud, on-premises, or at the edge.

We’ve delivered production-grade deployments across sectors like transportation, energy, and industrial equipment. These are real systems, built to last—not proof-of-concepts that fall apart under pressure.

Our Advice

Stay alert. Even accidental announcements can signal real change. Don’t assume today’s roadmap is tomorrow’s reality.

Design smart. Skip the reinvention. Use software already purpose-built for IoT.

Don’t panic. You don’t need to start over. You just need to start from a better place.

Let’s Build for What’s Next

ClearBlade is secure, scalable, and ready for whatever the future holds. Don’t waste time or money on platforms that may disappear. Don’t risk building your IoT vision on shaky ground.

Choose a foundation that’s proven to hold.

Let’s talk about how to future-proof your IoT.