Hologram
Hologram provides a global cellular platform that allows you to connect and manage your IoT device fleet across more than 470 carrier networks using a single programmable SIM card.
Particle
Particle is an integrated IoT platform providing the hardware, connectivity, and software tools you need to build, connect, and manage fleets of edge devices at any scale.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hologram | Particle |
|---|---|---|
| Website | hologram.io | particle.io |
| Pricing Model | Subscription | Freemium |
| Starting Price | $1.5/month | Free |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✓ Has free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2014 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Chicago, USA | San Francisco, USA |
Overview
Hologram
Hologram is a cellular connectivity platform designed to help you deploy and manage IoT devices anywhere in the world. Instead of juggling multiple carrier contracts, you get a single global SIM that automatically switches to the best available local network. This ensures your devices stay connected across borders without manual intervention or roaming headaches.
You can manage your entire fleet through a centralized dashboard or integrate connectivity data directly into your own applications using their robust API. The platform is built for scale, supporting everything from a single prototype to massive industrial deployments. By providing real-time visibility into data usage and device health, it helps you eliminate connectivity gaps and control operational costs effectively.
Particle
Particle provides an all-in-one infrastructure to help you move from a single IoT prototype to a massive fleet of connected devices. Instead of stitching together separate hardware, cellular SIMs, and cloud services, you get a unified platform that handles everything from device connectivity to over-the-air firmware updates. You can focus on building your specific application while the platform manages the complex underlying communication protocols and security layers.
The platform is designed for engineers and product teams across industries like environmental monitoring, industrial automation, and smart city infrastructure. Whether you are connecting a few sensors over Wi-Fi or deploying thousands of cellular tracking units globally, you can monitor device health and push code updates remotely through a centralized console. This integrated approach reduces the technical hurdles of IoT, allowing you to launch connected products faster and more reliably.
Overview
Hologram Features
- Global eUICC SIMs Connect your devices to over 470 networks globally with a single SIM that supports remote over-the-air updates.
- Hyper-Network Access Access multiple tier-1 carriers in every country to ensure your devices always latch onto the strongest available signal.
- Hologram Dashboard Monitor data usage, manage SIM states, and troubleshoot connectivity issues across your entire fleet in real-time.
- Usage Alerts Set custom thresholds for data consumption so you get notified before any device exceeds its planned budget.
- Inbound SMS Send machine-to-machine SMS messages to your devices directly from the dashboard or via API for remote configuration.
- Cloud Data Connector Route your IoT data securely to AWS, Google Cloud, or your own private endpoints without complex setup.
Particle Features
- Over-the-Air Updates. Deploy new firmware to your entire fleet of devices simultaneously without ever needing physical access to the hardware.
- Device Cloud API. Interact with your physical hardware through standard REST APIs to trigger functions or read sensor data from your web apps.
- Connectivity Management. Manage cellular data plans and Wi-Fi credentials across your fleet from a single dashboard with global roaming support.
- Particle Console. Monitor the real-time health, connection status, and event logs of every device in your deployment through a visual interface.
- Logic Engine. Create automated workflows and data routing rules to send your device information to external tools like Azure or AWS.
- Edge ML Support. Run machine learning models directly on your edge devices to process data locally and reduce your bandwidth consumption.
Pricing Comparison
Hologram Pricing
- Global network access
- Pay-as-you-go data rates
- Standard dashboard access
- API access included
- No long-term contracts
- Everything in Professional, plus:
- Custom data pooling
- Volume-based discounts
- Dedicated account management
- Advanced security features
- Custom contract terms
Particle Pricing
- Up to 100 devices
- 100k Standard Data Operations
- Community support access
- Standard OTA updates
- Cellular and Wi-Fi support
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Up to 1,000 devices
- 5M Standard Data Operations
- Premium OTA features
- Email support
- Advanced fleet health tools
Pros & Cons
Hologram
Pros
- Seamless global roaming across hundreds of carriers
- User-friendly dashboard for managing large device fleets
- Excellent developer documentation and API support
- Reliable connectivity in remote or international locations
Cons
- Data costs can scale quickly for high-bandwidth apps
- Technical support response times can vary
- Hardware shipping costs for SIMs can be high
Particle
Pros
- Seamless integration between hardware and cloud software
- Excellent documentation and active developer community
- Reliable over-the-air firmware update capabilities
- Quick setup process for cellular connectivity
Cons
- Hardware costs can be higher than generic components
- Significant price jump from free to paid tiers
- Proprietary ecosystem limits some hardware flexibility