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Networking · head to head

Auvik vs HiveMQ

Auvik logo

Auvik

Networking

Cloud-based network monitoring and management priced by managed device count, quote-only

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

Enterprise MQTT broker for industrial IoT with a published self-managed price list

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HiveMQ has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Auvik no pricing is published anywhere on the site; every number requires submitting a lead form and speaking to sales, which slows down basic vendor comparison; HiveMQ the Community Edition lacks clustering, persistence extensions, the control centre and all enterprise bridges, so a prototype built on it does not become production by buying support.
  • They diverge on capability: Auvik covers Automated network mapping, HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Auvik and HiveMQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Auvik and HiveMQ differ
AttributeAuvikHiveMQ
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquote, per managed devicePer month by connections and throughput
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Networking).

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 Auvik

  • Automated network mapping
  • Configuration backup
  • Multi-tenant MSP view
  • Traffic insight
  • Device-based billing with exclusions

Only in HiveMQ

  • MQTT 5 and 3.1.1
  • Native clustering
  • Data Hub
  • Extension framework
  • Enterprise bridges
  • Control centre

What people use each for

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

Auvik

  • An MSP wanting a single SaaS platform to monitor and map multiple client networks with per-client segregationnot HiveMQ
  • An internal IT team wanting automatic, versioned configuration backup for switches and routers without managing that infrastructure themselvesnot HiveMQ
  • A network team wanting continuous, automatically updated network topology mapping rather than maintaining diagrams manuallynot HiveMQ
  • An organisation wanting traffic visibility by application without deploying a separate flow collectornot HiveMQ

HiveMQ

  • A connected vehicle fleet where devices drop off the network for hours and sessions must survivenot Auvik
  • An industrial plant bridging MQTT telemetry into Kafka without writing and operating the bridgenot Auvik
  • A utility that needs message-level schema validation so one faulty firmware release cannot corrupt the data lakenot Auvik
  • An IoT project that needs a self-managed broker price for a budget submission without entering a sales processnot Auvik

Where each one falls short

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

Auvik

  • No pricing is published anywhere on the site; every number requires submitting a lead form and speaking to sales, which slows down basic vendor comparison
  • Billing by managed device count means the total cost is not knowable in advance without first running an accurate device count against Auvik's specific inclusion and exclusion rules
  • As a SaaS-only product with no on-premises option, an organisation loses monitoring visibility if its own internet connection to Auvik's cloud goes down at the same time as the incident it needs to diagnose
  • MSP-focused multi-tenant packaging may include features an internal IT team monitoring only its own network does not need, while still pricing against that broader feature set
  • Configuration backup and restore depend on Auvik correctly supporting the specific hardware models on a given network; less common vendors may have thinner support
  • Volume discounts exist but are also not published, so an MSP scaling client count has no way to model margin impact before negotiating each contract renewal

HiveMQ

  • The Community Edition lacks clustering, persistence extensions, the control centre and all enterprise bridges, so a prototype built on it does not become production by buying support.
  • The entry commercial tiers cap at ten thousand connections, and device fleets grow, so the step to Enterprise capacity pricing arrives sooner than most projects plan for.
  • It is a JVM application, so memory tuning and garbage collection behaviour become the operator’s problem at high connection counts, unlike the C-based brokers in this space.
  • Extensions are written in Java against HiveMQ’s SPI, which means custom authentication logic is locked to the platform and cannot move to another broker.
  • For simple use cases it is substantially heavier and more expensive than Mosquitto or EMQX, and small deployments frequently pay enterprise prices for clustering they never use.

Pricing, plan by plan

Auvik

On request
  • Auvik$undefined/month
    • Automated network mapping
    • Configuration backup
    • MSP multi-tenant packages available

HiveMQ

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • MQTT 3.1.1 and 5 support
    • Single broker, no clustering
  • Launch$299/month
    • Ten thousand connections
    • Five hundred messages per second
    • Single broker deployment
  • Run$499/month
    • Ten thousand connections
    • One thousand messages per second
    • Single broker deployment
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Priced by connections and throughput
    • Multi-broker and multi-site deployments
    • Distributed data intelligence

Which should you pick?

Choose Auvik if

  • You need automated network mapping.
  • You also want configuration backup.
Auvik review

Choose HiveMQ if

  • You need mqtt 5 and 3.1.1.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
  • You also want native clustering.
HiveMQ review

Questions people ask

Is Auvik or HiveMQ better?
Neither clearly leads. Auvik starts at On request and HiveMQ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Auvik or HiveMQ?
HiveMQ has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Auvik and Free for HiveMQ.
Does Auvik or HiveMQ run on more platforms?
Auvik runs on Web. HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
Can I use HiveMQ for free?
Yes. HiveMQ has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Auvik starts at On request.
What is Auvik best used for?
Auvik is most often used for an msp wanting a single saas platform to monitor and map multiple client networks with per-client segregation, an internal it team wanting automatic, versioned configuration backup for switches and routers without managing that infrastructure themselves, a network team wanting continuous, automatically updated network topology mapping rather than maintaining diagrams manually, an organisation wanting traffic visibility by application without deploying a separate flow collector. Of those, an msp wanting a single saas platform to monitor and map multiple client networks with per-client segregation and an internal it team wanting automatic, versioned configuration backup for switches and routers without managing that infrastructure themselves are not what HiveMQ is typically brought in for.
What can Auvik do that HiveMQ cannot?
Auvik covers Automated network mapping, Configuration backup, Multi-tenant MSP view, Traffic insight. HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Auvik: Is Auvik priced per network or per device?

Per device, according to Auvik's own FAQ; some device categories like access points and printers are monitored at no additional charge.

HiveMQ: Is HiveMQ free?

The Community Edition is Apache 2.0 and free, but it has no clustering and none of the enterprise extensions.

Auvik: Is there any published price?

No, all pricing is quote-only through a sales conversation.

HiveMQ: What does the commercial version cost?

Self-managed Launch is 299 US dollars a month for ten thousand connections; Run is 499 with higher throughput.

Auvik: Does Auvik require an on-premises server?

No, it is SaaS-delivered with a lightweight local collector rather than a full on-premises monitoring server.

HiveMQ: Does it support MQTT 5?

Yes, both MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, including shared subscriptions and session expiry intervals.

HiveMQ: Can it bridge into Kafka?

Yes, via a commercial enterprise extension, not in the Community Edition.

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