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Databases · head to head

Apache Kafka vs Redis

Apache Kafka logo

Apache Kafka

Databases

Open-source distributed event streaming platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Redis logo

Redis

Technology

The real-time data platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apache Kafka operationally heavy to self-host: brokers, storage, rebalancing and upgrades are a standing job, which is why managed Kafka is a large market; Redis licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Kafka covers Durable commit log, Redis covers In-memory data store.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Kafka and Redis actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Kafka and Redis differ
AttributeApache KafkaRedis
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; managed services billed separatelyUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, DockerLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryDatabasesTechnology
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apache Kafka

  • Durable commit log
  • Horizontal scale
  • Kafka Connect
  • Kafka Streams
  • Low latency

Only in Redis

  • In-memory data store
  • Data structures
  • Pub/Sub messaging
  • Lua scripting
  • Transactions
  • Persistence options
  • Clustering
  • Python

Both cover

  • Replication

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apache Kafka

  • Moving events between services without point-to-point couplingnot Redis
  • Feeding analytics and warehouses from operational systems in near real timenot Redis
  • Replaying history to rebuild state after a consumer bugnot Redis
  • Buffering bursty producers ahead of slower downstream systemsnot Redis

Redis

  • Cachingnot Apache Kafka
  • Session managementnot Apache Kafka
  • Real-time analyticsnot Apache Kafka
  • Message queuingnot Apache Kafka
  • Leaderboardsnot Apache Kafka

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apache Kafka

  • Operationally heavy to self-host: brokers, storage, rebalancing and upgrades are a standing job, which is why managed Kafka is a large market
  • Overkill for straightforward job queues, where a simpler broker is easier to run and reason about
  • Ordering guarantees hold per partition, not per topic, and getting partitioning wrong is a common and expensive design mistake
  • The ecosystem is fragmented across the Apache project and vendor distributions, so documentation and tooling advice often assume a particular distribution

Redis

  • Licensing changed from BSD to AGPL in 2025, impacting open-source usage
  • All data must fit in memory, limiting scalability to available RAM
  • No built-in support for multi-tenancy
  • Limited transaction support compared to traditional databases

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Kafka

Free
  • Apache KafkaFree
    • Full platform
    • Kafka Connect
    • Kafka Streams

Redis

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Redis review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Apache Kafka if

  • You need durable commit log.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Docker.
  • You also want horizontal scale.
Apache Kafka review

Choose Redis if

  • You need in-memory data store.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want data structures.
Redis review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Kafka or Redis better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Kafka starts at Free and Redis at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Kafka or Redis?
Apache Kafka starts at Free and Redis at Free.
Does Apache Kafka or Redis run on more platforms?
Apache Kafka runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Self-hosted, Docker. Redis runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Apache Kafka for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apache Kafka best used for?
Apache Kafka is most often used for moving events between services without point-to-point coupling, feeding analytics and warehouses from operational systems in near real time, replaying history to rebuild state after a consumer bug, buffering bursty producers ahead of slower downstream systems. Of those, moving events between services without point-to-point coupling and feeding analytics and warehouses from operational systems in near real time are not what Redis is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Kafka do that Redis cannot?
Apache Kafka covers Durable commit log, Horizontal scale, Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams. Redis covers In-memory data store, Data structures, Pub/Sub messaging, Lua scripting. Both handle Replication.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apache Kafka: Is Apache Kafka free?

Yes. Kafka is open source under the Apache License v2 with no licence fee. Costs come from the infrastructure you run it on, or from a managed service such as Confluent Cloud.

Redis: Is Redis open source?

Redis was open source under the BSD license since its inception in 2009 and has remained open source. However, in 2024-2025, Redis Labs changed licensing to source-available and AGPL, prompting the creation of Valkey, a BSD-licensed open-source fork.

Source
Apache Kafka: How is Kafka different from a message queue?

A queue usually removes a message once it is consumed. Kafka keeps an ordered, durable log, so consumers track their own position and history can be replayed — which is what makes rebuilding state after a bug possible.

Redis: What is Redis used for?

Redis is an in-memory data structure store used primarily as a cache, database, and message broker. It provides high-speed data access for real-time applications, sessions, leaderboards, real-time analytics, and other use cases requiring fast data retrieval.

Source
Apache Kafka: Who uses Kafka?

The project reports use by more than 80% of the Fortune 100, with over 5 million lifetime downloads.

Apache Kafka: Do I need to run Kafka myself?

No. Self-hosting is the operationally expensive option; managed services such as Confluent Cloud run the brokers for you and bill on throughput and storage instead.

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