Solace PubSub+ Event Broker vs Apache ActiveMQ

Solace PubSub+ Event Broker8.7Visit Apache ActiveMQ8.6Visit

Higher score Solace PubSub+ Event Broker #7 in Message Queue (MQ) Software 8.7/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial Visit Solace

vs

Apache ActiveMQ #8 in Message Queue (MQ) Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan Try Apache ActiveMQ

• Solace PubSub+ Event Broker fits best

  Enterprises connecting events across protocols

• Apache ActiveMQ fits best

  Teams needing free, self-hosted multi-protocol messaging

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Side by side

Feature	Solace PubSub+ Event Broker 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Apache ActiveMQ 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.6
Ranking	#7 in Message Queue (MQ) Software	#8 in Message Queue (MQ) Software
Best for	Enterprises connecting events across protocols	Teams needing free, self-hosted multi-protocol messaging
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	Free plan · 30-day trial	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, Linux
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community · 24/7	Community, Docs
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Delivery guarantee	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Protocols	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Message retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Throughput limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Max message size	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports pub/sub, point-to-point, request/reply and FIFO queue messaging Routes events dynamically across hybrid environments and event meshes Connects MQTT, AMQP, JMS, REST, WebSockets and Kafka	Supports OpenWire, STOMP, AMQP, MQTT, and REST connectivity Offers persistent, transactional, and XA messaging with redelivery policies Includes dead-letter queues, message groups, and broker clustering
Cons	No built-in stream-processing capability Schema Registry is a separate component, not part of the broker The broker is proprietary rather than open source	Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the broker No official hosted offering or paid plans are listed Support channels are community resources and documentation
Our verdict	Solace PubSub+ Event Broker routes real-time events between applications, services and devices. Its messaging modes include publish/subscribe, point-to-point, request/reply and FIFO queues, making it suitable for enterprise event-driven… Read the review →	Apache ActiveMQ is an open-source message broker for applications that need queue-based or publish-subscribe messaging. Its protocol coverage includes OpenWire, STOMP, AMQP, MQTT, and REST, with support for multiple client languages. It is… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Solace PubSub+ Event Broker — where it wins

  • Supports pub/sub, point-to-point, request/reply and FIFO queue messaging
  • Routes events dynamically across hybrid environments and event meshes
  • Connects MQTT, AMQP, JMS, REST, WebSockets and Kafka

  Where it doesn't

  • No built-in stream-processing capability
  • Schema Registry is a separate component, not part of the broker
  • The broker is proprietary rather than open source

• Apache ActiveMQ — where it wins

  • Supports OpenWire, STOMP, AMQP, MQTT, and REST connectivity
  • Offers persistent, transactional, and XA messaging with redelivery policies
  • Includes dead-letter queues, message groups, and broker clustering

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the broker
  • No official hosted offering or paid plans are listed
  • Support channels are community resources and documentation

• Solace PubSub+ Event Broker8.7/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A protocol-rich broker for enterprises routing events across hybrid environments.

  Visit SolaceFull verdict →
• Apache ActiveMQ8.6/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted broker with broad protocol support and configurable delivery features.

  Try Apache ActiveMQFull verdict →