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ChirpStack vs. Actility ThingPark 2026: Open Source vs. Telco-Grade LoRaWAN

May 7, 2026
Timo WevelsiepTimo Wevelsiep
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ChirpStack vs. Actility ThingPark 2026: Open Source vs. Telco-Grade LoRaWAN

ChirpStack vs. Actility ThingPark compared: open source vs. carrier-grade, self-hosted vs. SaaS, roaming, scaling, cost, and GDPR. Which LoRaWAN network server fits which use case.

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WZ-IT operates chirphost. Current hosting starts from €129.90 net/month; setup and service level follow the proposal. Former package prices, location lists and cost comparisons in this dated article describe the previous offer, not current WZ-IT terms. View current service scope.

ChirpStack and Actility ThingPark play in different leagues – and that's the most important point for your decision. ChirpStack is the dominant open-source LoRaWAN network server for private IoT: smart buildings, predictive maintenance, smart cities with their own networks. Actility ThingPark is the carrier-grade platform for telecom operators and large network operators – with global roaming, OSS/BSS integration, and telco SLAs. Whoever picks one when they need the other either pays too much (ThingPark for SMB IoT) or scales too little (ChirpStack for national public networks).

Also worth reading: Netmore Acquires Actility: What LoRaWAN Consolidation Means · ChirpStack vs. The Things Stack: The Definitive Comparison · ChirpStack Hosting: Managed vs. Self-Hosted vs. TTN

Quick Comparison: ChirpStack vs. Actility ThingPark

Criterion ChirpStack Actility ThingPark
Main target audience Private IoT, self-hosters Telecom operators, large network operators
License MIT (100% open source) Proprietary
Language Rust (v4) Proprietary (stack not public)
Hosting model Self-hosted or managed (chirphost) SaaS (managed by Actility, Netmore Group) or on-prem
Pricing model Free (software) + hosting Subscription per devices/gateways/data
Roaming Standard backend interfaces ThingPark Exchange (global LPWAN backbone)
OSS/BSS integration Via REST/MQTT webhooks Native, ready integrated
Carrier-grade SLA Self-managed 99.99%+, geo-redundant
Production scale tens of thousands of devices/instance documented 35,000+ commercial gateways (pre-deal figure)
Deployment Docker, Kubernetes SaaS, on-prem, AWS/Azure/Alibaba
Cost comparison (SMB) from €99.90/month (chirphost) typically significantly more expensive
GDPR hosting DE ✓ (chirphost, RZ mit ISO 27001 + BSI C5) EU available (Actility France HQ)

Table of Contents

Market Position: Two Different Worlds

ChirpStack – the Open-Source Standard Platform

ChirpStack (developed by Orne Brocaar, since 2017) is the dominant open-source LoRaWAN network server for private IoT. The project focuses on:

  • Complete LoRaWAN stack implementation (classes A, B, C; v1.0.x and 1.1)
  • Self-hosting by companies running their own LoRaWAN networks
  • Modular architecture (Gateway Bridge, Network Server, Application Server – consolidated into one binary since v4)
  • MIT license: free, no vendor lock-in

Typical ChirpStack users: system integrators, IT service providers, industrial companies with their own IoT networks, utilities with smart city projects, MSPs with multi-customer setups.

Actility ThingPark – the Carrier-Grade Platform

Actility (founded in 2010 in Paris, acquired by the Netmore Group in Sweden in January 2026, including its geolocation subsidiary Abeeway) is one of the original LoRaWAN architects and co-founder of the LoRa Alliance. It was Netmore's third acquisition after Senet (2024) and Everynet (2024); the article Netmore Acquires Actility puts the acquisition series into context. ThingPark was built from the start for carrier-grade deployments:

  • ThingPark Wireless: public network platform for telecom operators and LPWA operators
  • ThingPark Enterprise: private network solution for large enterprises
  • ThingPark Exchange: global LPWAN roaming backbone (the only global LoRaWAN roaming network)
  • ThingPark Community: free-tier variant (since December 2020)

Over 35,000 commercial gateways were registered on ThingPark globally according to Actility before the Netmore acquisition. For scale context: the LoRa Alliance reported 4.6 million deployed end devices for Actility and 3.4 million for Netmore in December 2025; Netmore's combined self-reported figure after the deal (26 January 2026) is over 14 million contracted IoT devices. Public network operators on ThingPark: KPN (Netherlands), Orange (France), Proximus (Belgium), Swisscom (Switzerland), Digita (Finland), NNNCo (Australia), Everynet (Americas, acquisition by Netmore announced in October 2024), and many others. (Note: Bouygues Telecom shut down its Objenious LoRaWAN network at the end of 2024.)

License and Open Source Status

ChirpStack: 100% Open Source (MIT)

ChirpStack is fully under MIT license. This means:

  • Fully auditable code – every line on GitHub
  • Commercial use without licensing fees
  • No vendor lock-in: you can fork, modify, redistribute the code
  • Self-hosting is the default use case
  • Community-driven, with main maintainer Orne Brocaar

Actility ThingPark: Proprietary

ThingPark is proprietary software. Even the ThingPark Community Edition (free tier since December 2020) remains closed source – you can use the platform but not view, modify, or self-host the software in the sense that you own it.

Consequences:

  • Vendor lock-in: migration away from ThingPark requires data extraction and re-onboarding all devices
  • No auditability: security analyses only by Actility
  • Price changes: Actility (now Netmore) can adjust pricing without your input
  • Feature decisions: what gets implemented is decided by the company, not the community

Add to this a neutral M&A reality: the contracting partner itself can change, as Netmore's acquisitions of Senet (2024), Everynet (2024) and Actility (2026) show. What that means structurally for customers of operator platforms is analyzed in Netmore Acquires Actility: What LoRaWAN Consolidation Means for Private Networks.

Architecture and Components

ChirpStack v4

Since v4, ChirpStack is a single unified binary, written in Rust. The architecture:

  • Network Server + Application Server: merged into one process (separate in v3)
  • Gateway Bridge: can run on gateway hardware or centrally
  • Database: PostgreSQL (or SQLite for edge/embedded)
  • Cache: Redis
  • Message broker: MQTT v5 (Mosquitto, EMQX)
LoRaWAN Gateway ──► Gateway Bridge ──► MQTT Broker ──► ChirpStack ──► Application
                                                          │
                                                    PostgreSQL + Redis

Setup effort: production instance in under an hour with Docker Compose.

Actility ThingPark

ThingPark has a significantly more complex architecture, designed for high availability and global scaling:

  • Gateway Manager: centralized management of all gateways
  • Network Server (Core): LoRaWAN stack
  • Application Server: data flows to end customers
  • OSS/BSS Layer: Operations & Business Support Systems for telcos
  • ThingPark Exchange: roaming backbone (separate service)
  • High availability cluster: geo-redundant

Deployment options:

  • TPE-SaaS: fully managed by Actility (Netmore Group)
  • TPE-OCP: on-prem with Operator Control Panel
  • Cloud Marketplace images: AWS, Azure, Alibaba Cloud

Roaming: The Decisive Difference for Public Networks

ThingPark Exchange

Actility operates ThingPark Exchange, the only global LPWAN roaming backbone. Roaming here means:

  • Roam-out: devices registered in foreign networks can send data via your network
  • Roam-in: your devices can connect via foreign networks when home coverage is lacking
  • Backend routing: automatic packet forwarding between operators
  • Settlement: billing between network operators

Example: a sensor registered with a German public network sends data from Italy – the Italian operator picks up the packet, ThingPark Exchange routes it to the German home network.

Current partners: Helium Network (integrated with ThingPark Exchange since October 2021), KPN, Orange, Proximus, Swisscom, Digita, NNNCo, Everynet (acquisition by Netmore announced in October 2024), and many other global LPWAN providers.

ChirpStack and Roaming

ChirpStack implements the LoRaWAN Backend Interface specification v1.0/v1.1 (Passive Roaming, currently flagged as an experimental feature). This works technically between two ChirpStack instances or to other compatible network servers. What ChirpStack lacks:

  • No global roaming platform with commercial settlement mechanisms
  • No ready-made contracts with public networks worldwide
  • No standardized operator-to-operator interface

For private IoT, roaming is usually irrelevant – you want to keep your sensors in your own network. For public network operators, it's essential.

OSS/BSS Integration: Telco vs. IT

ThingPark – Telco-First

ThingPark was built for telecom operators. This means native integration with:

  • Operations Support Systems (OSS): network monitoring, fault management, performance management
  • Business Support Systems (BSS): billing, customer care, service provisioning
  • Charging platforms: for pay-per-device or pay-per-message tariffs
  • SLA reporting: telco-compliant availability and performance reports

Whoever runs a national LoRaWAN network and sells customer tariffs needs this integration. ChirpStack doesn't have it out-of-the-box.

ChirpStack – IT-First

ChirpStack integrates via REST APIs and MQTT webhooks. Native integrations exist for:

  • InfluxDB (v1, v2, v3) – most popular TSDB integration
  • ThingsBoard – IoT platform for dashboards and rule engine
  • AWS SNS, Azure Service Bus, GCP Pub/Sub – cloud messaging
  • AMQP/RabbitMQ, Kafka – enterprise messaging
  • myDevices, Pilot Things, IFTTT, Blynk – consumer-oriented integrations

For IT deployments, that's sufficient. For telco OSS/BSS integrations, you'd need to build a connector layer yourself.

Scaling in Practice

ChirpStack References

  • Tens of thousands of active end devices per instance documented in production deployments (community reports in the ChirpStack forum)
  • With MQTT v5 shared subscriptions, horizontally scalable into the seven-figure range
  • For large deployments, recommended: replace Mosquitto with clustered brokers (EMQX)

Actility ThingPark References

  • 35,000+ commercial gateways under management worldwide (Actility figure from before the Netmore acquisition)
  • LoRa Alliance report of December 2025: 4.6M deployed end devices for Actility, 3.4M for Netmore; Netmore's combined self-reported figure after the acquisition (January 2026): 14M+ contracted IoT devices
  • Public networks with national coverage (KPN Netherlands, Orange France, Proximus Belgium)

Both scale well in practice. The difference isn't primarily in scaling but in the accompanying services (roaming, OSS/BSS, SLAs).

Cost Comparison

ChirpStack: Software Free, Hosting Variable

Setup Monthly Cost
Self-hosted (own server) ~€50–200 (server) + admin time
chirphost Startup (DE) from €99.90/month, unlimited devices, cancellable monthly
chirphost Business (DE) from €199.90/month, up to 5,000 devices recommended, cancellable monthly
chirphost Enterprise Contact sales (50,000+ devices)

Actility ThingPark

Actility doesn't publish list prices. From market research and community reports:

  • ThingPark Community: free tier (limited in devices/gateways)
  • ThingPark Enterprise SaaS: typically from ~€150–500/month for SMB deployments
  • ThingPark Wireless (public network): custom enterprise contracts, often 5-figure per year

For direct comparison with a mid-market setup of 1,000 sensors:

Solution 3-year cost (estimated)
ChirpStack self-hosted ~€5,400–18,000 (server + admin time)
chirphost Business ~€7,196 (€199.90 × 36)
ThingPark Enterprise SaaS ~€5,400–18,000 (estimated €150–500/month)
ThingPark Wireless typically €30,000–100,000+ (telco pricing)

For private IoT, chirphost thus remains clearly predictable: a flat rate without per-device fees, at the lower end of the ThingPark Enterprise SaaS estimates and well below the telco pricing of ThingPark Wireless. Current plan limits and terms are listed under flat-rate pricing for managed ChirpStack.

GDPR and Data Sovereignty

ChirpStack via chirphost

  • Software: Open Source (MIT) – auditable
  • Hosting: German ISO 27001 and BSI C5 certified data centers (DE region)
  • Operating company: WZ-IT Brands GmbH, Germany
  • CLOUD Act: Not applicable (no US group) Agree scope and provisioning with WZ-IT. Provisioning and contract terms are agreed with WZ-IT in the proposal. There is no self-service portal or automatic trial subscription.

Actility ThingPark

  • HQ: Paris, France (GDPR jurisdiction)
  • Owner: Netmore Group, Sweden (acquisition announced January 2026)
  • Cloud options: AWS, Azure, Alibaba (potentially US cloud risk, depending on choice)
  • EU on-prem: possible
  • CLOUD Act: Depends on chosen infrastructure – with AWS cloud deployment, CLOUD Act applies

For strict GDPR compliance: chirphost with German region. With Actility, you must actively choose on-prem or an EU hyperscaler without US group affiliation.

Decision Guide

Choose ChirpStack (or chirphost) when you:

  • Run private IoT (smart building, predictive maintenance, smart cities)
  • Build your own LoRaWAN network in a defined geographic area
  • Want open-source software and no vendor lock-in
  • Need GDPR compliance with German data sovereignty
  • Need predictable costs instead of per-device pricing
  • Don't need cross-network roaming to other public networks

Choose Actility ThingPark when you:

  • Are a telecom operator or LPWA operator
  • Run a national or regional public LoRaWAN network
  • Need roaming with other public networks (ThingPark Exchange)
  • Need OSS/BSS integration for billing and customer care
  • Need carrier-grade SLAs (99.99%+, geo-redundancy)
  • Want to serve telco sales channels as a reseller
  • Want to use Helium roaming (via ThingPark Exchange)

chirphost: Managed ChirpStack Without DevOps Overhead

If you want to run ChirpStack in production without worrying about PostgreSQL, MQTT clusters, updates, and monitoring, use chirphost:

  • Dedicated ChirpStack instance in 8 regions worldwide
  • Germany: ISO 27001 & BSI C5 certified data centers
  • Other regions: ISO 27001 & SOC 2 Type II certified data centers
  • Flat-rate pricing: Startup from €99.90/month, Business from €199.90/month, Enterprise on request; unlimited devices and gateways, cancellable monthly
  • 24/7 monitoring, automatic updates, and backups

Which services, regions and SLAs sit behind that is set out on the product overview managed ChirpStack for private LoRaWAN networks.

Agree scope and provisioning with WZ-IT. Provisioning and contract terms are agreed with WZ-IT in the proposal. There is no self-service portal or automatic trial subscription.

Conclusion

ChirpStack and Actility ThingPark are not direct competitors – they serve different markets. ChirpStack is the open, cost-efficient choice for companies building their own IoT networks. Actility ThingPark is the commercial carrier-grade solution for telecom operators and national LoRaWAN operators.

For the overwhelming majority of companies wanting to use LoRaWAN for their own IoT applications – smart buildings, Industry 4.0, smart cities, smart metering – ChirpStack is the rational choice. With chirphost, it becomes a managed service without DevOps overhead, at a fraction of ThingPark's cost and with full GDPR compliance.

Recommended reading: Netmore Acquires Actility: What LoRaWAN Consolidation Means · ChirpStack vs. The Things Stack · ChirpStack Hosting: Managed vs. Self-Hosted vs. TTN

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the main difference between ChirpStack and Actility ThingPark?▼
ChirpStack is a 100% open-source LoRaWAN network server (MIT license, in Rust) for self-hosting. Actility ThingPark is a commercial carrier-grade platform for telecom operators and large network operators – with global roaming backbone (ThingPark Exchange) and subscription-based pricing. ChirpStack targets private IoT, ThingPark targets public networks and large-scale deployments.
Who operates Actility?▼
Actility was acquired in January 2026 by the Swedish Netmore Group, including its subsidiary Abeeway (ultra-low-power trackers and geolocation). It is Netmore's third operator acquisition after Senet (2024) and Everynet (2024). By its own account, this creates the world's largest LoRaWAN network with more than 14 million contracted IoT devices. Actility's headquarters remain in Paris, France; before the acquisition, ThingPark managed over 35,000 commercial gateways globally according to Actility. See the article Netmore Acquires Actility on this blog for background.
Does ChirpStack support roaming?▼
ChirpStack supports backend interfaces per LoRaWAN specification (Passive Roaming and Handover Roaming per Backend Interfaces v1.0/v1.1) but has no equivalent to Actility's ThingPark Exchange – the only global LPWAN roaming backbone. If you need cross-network roaming between public networks, you can't avoid Actility.
How much does Actility ThingPark cost?▼
Actility doesn't publish list prices. ThingPark Wireless is billed subscription-based according to device/gateway count, data volume, and support level. For SMB deployments with <500 devices, it's typically significantly more expensive than ChirpStack self-hosting or chirphost managed hosting (from €99.90/month).
When do I need Actility instead of ChirpStack?▼
When you're a telecom company or network operator running a national LoRaWAN network – with roaming to other operators, OSS/BSS integration, and carrier-grade SLAs. For private IoT (smart building, predictive maintenance, smart cities), ChirpStack is the better choice.
How does ChirpStack scale by comparison?▼
ChirpStack has documented production deployments with tens of thousands of devices per instance (community reports). Via MQTT v5 shared subscriptions, it scales horizontally into the seven-figure range. ThingPark managed 35,000+ commercial gateways per Actility (a pre-Netmore-acquisition figure); the LoRa Alliance reported 4.6 million deployed end devices for Actility in December 2025. Both scale well in practice, but ThingPark is explicitly built for telco scale.
What is chirphost?▼
chirphost is Managed ChirpStack Hosting from WZ-IT. Dedicated instances hosted in 8 regions worldwide. Germany: ISO 27001 & BSI C5 certified data centers. Flat rate from €99.90/month, cancellable monthly, no per-device fees. You get ChirpStack with all features without the DevOps overhead.
Does Actility offer open-source code?▼
No. ThingPark is proprietary software. Actility introduced the ThingPark Community Edition as a free tier back in 2020, but code and architecture remain closed source. This means vendor lock-in – once you commit to ThingPark, you're long-term tied to Actility (now Netmore).
Timo Wevelsiep

Written by

Timo Wevelsiep

Co-founder, WZ-IT

Founder of WZ-IT. Managed ChirpStack LoRaWAN hosting. Focused on IoT infrastructure, LoRaWAN deployments and scalable device management.

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