EMQX vs Eclipse Mosquitto

EMQX8.9Visit Eclipse Mosquitto8.7Visit

Higher score EMQX #5 in MQTT Broker Software 8.9/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 2 features Visit EMQX

vs

Eclipse Mosquitto #7 in MQTT Broker Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Mosquitto

• EMQX fits best

  Teams needing MQTT with broad protocol connectivity

• Eclipse Mosquitto fits best

  A straightforward free self-hosted MQTT broker

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Side by side

Feature	EMQX 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Eclipse Mosquitto 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.7
Ranking	#5 in MQTT Broker Software	#7 in MQTT Broker Software
Best for	Teams needing MQTT with broad protocol connectivity	A straightforward free self-hosted MQTT broker
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	$234/mo	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Tickets, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features EMQX 0/2 · Eclipse Mosquitto 0/2
Retained messages	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Clustering	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
MQTT versions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Connection limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Authentication methods	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Connects MQTT with protocols including CoAP, STOMP, and NATS Routes and transforms data with SQL rules and a visual flow designer Offers TLS/mTLS, authentication controls, ACL/RBAC, and audit logs	Supports MQTT 5.0, 3.1.1, and 3.1 with QoS 0, 1, and 2 Includes TLS, authentication, and topic access control lists Offers retained messages, durable sessions, bridging, and WebSockets
Cons	Dedicated Flex starts at $234/month Serverless charges for usage beyond its free monthly quota Plan, capacity, cloud provider, and region affect pricing	Requires self-hosted deployment and broker administration Support channels are community and documentation No official paid plans for buyers seeking a paid support tier
Our verdict	EMQX provides MQTT publish/subscribe messaging for IoT, AI, and connected-device workloads. Its mix of managed cloud, bring-your-own-cloud, and self-hosted Enterprise options suits teams that need to connect device fleets or real-time data… Read the review →	Eclipse Mosquitto is an open-source MQTT message broker for clients, IoT devices, embedded systems, and servers. It suits solo developers and small or mid-market teams that want a free, self-hosted broker with standard MQTT messaging… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• EMQX — where it wins

  • Connects MQTT with protocols including CoAP, STOMP, and NATS
  • Routes and transforms data with SQL rules and a visual flow designer
  • Offers TLS/mTLS, authentication controls, ACL/RBAC, and audit logs

  Where it doesn't

  • Dedicated Flex starts at $234/month
  • Serverless charges for usage beyond its free monthly quota
  • Plan, capacity, cloud provider, and region affect pricing

• Eclipse Mosquitto — where it wins

  • Supports MQTT 5.0, 3.1.1, and 3.1 with QoS 0, 1, and 2
  • Includes TLS, authentication, and topic access control lists
  • Offers retained messages, durable sessions, bridging, and WebSockets

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires self-hosted deployment and broker administration
  • Support channels are community and documentation
  • No official paid plans for buyers seeking a paid support tier

• EMQX8.9/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A flexible MQTT platform with protocol gateways, durable queues, and cloud or self-hosted options.

  Visit EMQXFull verdict →
• Eclipse Mosquitto8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, self-hosted MQTT broker with core messaging, security, and bridging features.

  Visit MosquittoFull verdict →