ARi vs Rigado: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
Rigado (4.3/5) edges ahead of ARi (4.0/5) overall. Rigado is the better choice for commercial IoT deployments needing pre-certified BLE modules and firmware. ARi is the stronger option for large industrial programs needing firmware inside a broader engineering scope. The right choice depends on your project size, budget, and required tech stack.
ARi vs Rigado: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | ARi | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 | 2010 |
| HQ | East Peoria, Illinois, USA | Portland and Salem, Oregon, USA (also London, UK and Shenzhen, China) |
| Team size | 1,100+ | 12–17 |
| Rating | 4.0 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Industrial engineering scale spanning mechanical design, manufacturing, and embedded firmware in one organization | Pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts |
| Pricing model | Integrated engineering and manufacturing services engagements | Product and firmware engagements, plus module and hardware sales |
| Min. engagement | Not published | Not published |
| Primary tech stack | Embedded C/C++, Industrial automation platforms, Manufacturing engineering tooling | BLE, 802.15.4, Edge computing platforms |
| Industries served | Industrial automation, Robotics, Manufacturing | Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking |
ARi vs Rigado: overview
ARi
ARi traces its engineering roots to 2001 and began operating under the ARi brand in 2006, headquartered in East Peoria, Illinois, with seven additional locations across North America and Asia Pacific; the company reports more than 1,100 employees. Embedded software and firmware sit inside a much broader industrial engineering business that also covers mechanical product design, manufacturing engineering, industrial automation, and robotics, so ARi suits a client whose project spans hardware, firmware, and manufacturing rather than firmware in isolation. Its scale supports large industrial programs that a boutique firmware firm could not staff alone.
Rigado
Rigado was founded in 2010 by Justin Rigling and Ben Corrado and is headquartered in Portland and Salem, Oregon, with additional offices in London and Shenzhen; employee counts are reported between roughly 12 and 17 people depending on the source. The firm provides pre-certified low-power wireless modules alongside gateways, firmware, and an edge computing platform for commercial and industrial IoT deployments such as asset tracking and smart buildings. Its small team size focused on Bluetooth Low Energy and edge connectivity makes it a narrower specialist than the larger, broader-scope firms on this list.
Services and capabilities: ARi vs Rigado
| Capability | ARi | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| RTOS firmware development | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bare-metal & driver development | ✗ | ✗ |
| Secure boot / OTA firmware updates | ✗ | ✗ |
| MCU & platform migration | ✗ | ✓ |
| Connectivity & IoT protocols | ✗ | ✓ |
| Functional safety / MISRA compliance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Embedded AI / on-device inference | ✗ | ✗ |
| Firmware GUI development | ✗ | ✗ |
| Staff augmentation | ✗ | ✗ |
Tech stack comparison: ARi vs Rigado
| Framework / platform | ARi | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| FreeRTOS | N/A | N/A |
| Zephyr | N/A | N/A |
| STM32 | N/A | N/A |
| ARM Cortex-M | N/A | N/A |
| BLE | N/A | ✓ |
| Embedded Linux | N/A | N/A |
| Secure OTA | N/A | N/A |
| PCB | N/A | N/A |
| AWS IoT | N/A | N/A |
| RISC-V | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: ARi vs Rigado
| Criterion | ARi | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum engagement | Not published | Not published |
| Engagement models | Fixed project, Dedicated team | Fixed project |
| Rate transparency | Not public | Not public |
| Price tier | Mid-market | Mid-market |
Target audience comparison: ARi vs Rigado
| Dimension | ARi | Rigado |
|---|---|---|
| Best company size | Startup to mid-market | Startup to mid-market |
| Best industries | Industrial automation, Robotics, Manufacturing | Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking |
| Best use cases | Industrial equipment program needing mechanical design, manufacturing, and firmware together, Robotics platform requiring embedded firmware integrated with automation hardware | Large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules, Smart building or asset-tracking program requiring an edge computing platform alongside firmware |
| Typical project type | Fixed project | Fixed project |
ARi vs Rigado: pros and cons
| ARi | |
|---|---|
| + | More than 1,100 employees and eight total locations support very large industrial programs |
| + | Embedded firmware sits alongside mechanical design and manufacturing engineering for hardware-heavy products |
| + | Long engineering history predating the current brand, formalized under the ARi name in 2006 |
| - | Firmware is a smaller specialty inside a much larger industrial automation and manufacturing business |
| - | Scale and process overhead can be more than a small firmware-only project actually needs |
| Rigado | |
|---|---|
| + | Pre-certified BLE and low-power wireless modules can shorten time to certification for a new IoT product |
| + | Offices spanning Oregon, London, and Shenzhen give reach across major IoT manufacturing and deployment regions |
| + | Edge computing platform plus firmware and modules covers the full connectivity stack for large rollouts |
| - | Team size in the low teens limits capacity for large, multi-workstream programs |
| - | Narrow specialization in BLE and edge connectivity is a weaker fit for RTOS-heavy or bare-metal firmware projects outside that scope |
Who should choose ARi?
A typical fit: industrial equipment program needing mechanical design, manufacturing, and firmware together.
Industrial engineering scale spanning mechanical design, manufacturing, and embedded firmware in one organization. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Industrial automation, Robotics, Manufacturing.
Who should choose Rigado?
A typical fit: large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules.
Pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts. Minimum engagement is not publicly disclosed. Works best with clients in Retail IoT, Smart buildings, Asset tracking.
Decision matrix: ARi vs Rigado
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You need full-ownership delivery on a defined project scope | ARi |
| You need a large dedicated team for an ongoing programme | ARi |
| Your budget is at the lower end | Compare: ARi (Not published) vs Rigado (Not published) |
| You need specialist depth in a specific vertical | ARi |
| You need staff augmentation or team extension | Neither; consider alternatives that offer staff aug |
| You need consulting before committing to a build | Both may offer discovery engagements |
Use case fit: ARi vs Rigado
| Use case | ARi fit | Rigado fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial equipment program needing mechanical design, manufacturing, and firmware together | Strong | Limited | ARi |
| Robotics platform requiring embedded firmware integrated with automation hardware | Strong | Limited | ARi |
| Large-scale commercial IoT deployment needing pre-certified BLE modules | Limited | Strong | Rigado |
| Smart building or asset-tracking program requiring an edge computing platform alongside firmware | Limited | Strong | Rigado |
| Fixed-price build | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
| Staff augmentation | Limited | Limited | Both equally |
Verdict: ARi vs Rigado
Rigado (4.3/5) is the stronger overall choice for most Firmware Development projects. Pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts.
ARi (4.0/5) is worth a look if you need robotics platform requiring embedded firmware integrated with automation hardware. If your situation matches that, ARi is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
ARi vs Rigado FAQ
Is ARi better than Rigado?
Rigado (4.3/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. ARi's strongest advantage: more than 1,100 employees and eight total locations support very large industrial programs. Rigado's strongest advantage: pre-certified BLE and low-power wireless modules can shorten time to certification for a new IoT product.
How do ARi and Rigado differ in pricing?
ARi uses integrated engineering and manufacturing services engagements pricing. Rigado uses product and firmware engagements, plus module and hardware sales pricing. Neither firm publishes a full rate card; a discovery call is required for project-specific quotes.
Which is better for enterprise: ARi or Rigado?
Rigado is the larger team and typically the better enterprise-scale choice. For very large programmes, verify team size and compliance coverage directly with each company before shortlisting.
What are the main differences between ARi and Rigado?
ARi's primary differentiator is: industrial engineering scale spanning mechanical design, manufacturing, and embedded firmware in one organization. Rigado's primary differentiator is: pre-certified low-power wireless modules paired with edge computing and firmware for large-scale commercial IoT rollouts. They also differ in team size (1,100+ vs 12–17), minimum engagement (Not published vs Not published), and primary industries served (Industrial automation, Robotics vs Retail IoT, Smart buildings).
Verify all details directly with each company before making a decision.