Blynk IO free limits confusion - How many datastreams per Template? 20 or 5?

Need Help With My Project
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Hi, from everything I can read online as well as this forum, the free tier for Blynk.io includes 20 datastreams per template.

That’s what’s shown here - Pricing | Blynk - IoT platform for businesses

However, when I try to add a 6th data stream to my simple project, it immediately prompts me a buying page. I deleted an existing data stream (making it 4) and adding another 5th isn’t an issue. However again, when I try to add another, it prompts a buying page.

From this I inferred the limit is 5.

5 data streams on any project seems extremely limited, especially after the switch to new Blynk.io, where everything has to be coded with data streams. That’s exactly why I wondered why it’s so low. 20 seems a reasonable amount on the other hand.

I’m coming from old blynk and therefore learning as I go. So maybe I have understood something wrong. However, in the simplest terms, I would like to know what the actual limit for free users is, regarding the number of data streams per template. Is it 20 as said in the web site and other places, or is it 5 like I’m experiencing?

If it’s actually 20 and I’m unable to add anything beyond a 5th, what’s the problem? Is there something like verifying identity, building your profile further etc to increase from 5 to 20?

Someone please let me know. I would really like to have 20 or at least 10 data streams.

I don’t think my project code or device or such information is relevant here. I just want to know the actual limit that’s all. Then we can see either why I’m unable to add beyond 5 or why it says 20 on the website.

(Buying pro is absolutely not an option for me. This is just a very minor hobby project, and the price for blynk pro is like half my salary. There’s no way I’m able to afford that.)

Please answer soon.

2

You have to create a new account with a different email address to get the new free plan :+1:

1 Like
3

The first thing you need to know is that there are two different types of free account…

The old free account - this had:

  • No limit on messages between the devices and the server
  • 10 datastreams per template (may have been reduced to 5 now - see below)
  • A limit of 3 templates, 2 devices and 5 users

The new free account - this has:

  • A limit of 30,000 messages per month between all of your devices combined, and the Blynk server
  • 20 datastreams per template
  • A limit of 10 templates, 10 devices and 1 user

The limit of 30,000 messages per month for the new free account means that this type of account is crippled to the point where it can’t be used for most real-world projects, because its limited to around 1,000 messages per day which is about one every two minutes. If you’re okay with one device that uses one datastream to monitor something like temperature or humidity every two minutes or more then it’s still useable, but for anything more then you’ll run out of messages quite quickly.

I have an old free account that I use for testing and that still allows me to delete datastreams and add new ones up to the limit of 10 per template. Some users have said that the limit is now 5 per template, so I guess that there are different flavours of the old free account that have different limits imposed.

In that case, if you want more functionality than your existing old free account or a new free account provides, then unfortunately Blynk is no longer the platform for you.

Pete.