TBMQ review
A flexible MQTT core with a free self-hosted edition and paid managed options.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
TBMQ routes messages between connected devices and applications, making it a fit for teams building IoT messaging systems that need an MQTT broker they can run themselves or deploy as a managed private cloud. It supports MQTT 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0, along with retained messages, persistent sessions, queued messages, shared subscriptions, and clustered deployment. Teams wanting control over deployment and a standards-focused broker can start with Community Edition; teams seeking managed isolation can consider Private Cloud.
The Community Edition is free and open source, with unlimited sessions and message throughput, and includes community support. The published paid self-managed entry is $15 per month for minimum configuration, 100 sessions, 100 messages per second, and one production instance, also with community support. Private Cloud is fully managed and isolated; its base capacity includes 5,000 sessions and 1,000 messages per second, plus a 99.9% uptime SLA. Its pricing is capacity-based. These options make the free tier useful for experimentation or self-hosted operation, while the paid tiers address defined production capacity or managed deployment needs.
Integration and deployment choices are a central strength: TBMQ can run on Linux, Windows, macOS, or self-hosted infrastructure, and it supports cloud deployment. HTTP, MQTT, and Kafka integrations connect it with messaging and event workflows, while ThingsBoard is also listed as an integration. Authentication includes Basic, X.509, SCRAM, JWT, and HTTP, with topic-level authorization rules and listeners over TCP, TLS, WebSocket, and secure WebSocket. Teams needing an MQTT broker with clustering and a choice of deployment models should shortlist it; those requiring a fixed published Private Cloud price or support beyond community channels on the self-managed plans may prefer another option.
TBMQ pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free, open-source Community Edition with unlimited sessions and throughput
- Supports MQTT 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0 with clustering and persistent sessions
- Offers Basic, X.509, SCRAM, JWT, and HTTP authentication
- Where it doesn't
- Community Edition comes with community support
- The $15/month self-managed plan is limited to 100 sessions and 100 messages per second
- Private Cloud pricing is capacity-based
TBMQ fact sheet, pricing and score →
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