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Blynk vs HiveMQ

Blynk logo

Blynk

Smart Home

IoT cloud platform with mobile app builder for connected devices

From
Free
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

  • Each has a real cost: Blynk the free tier covers 5 devices, 1 user, 100,000 messages and one week of data retention; 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: Blynk covers Mobile App Builder, HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blynk and HiveMQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Blynk and HiveMQ differ
AttributeBlynkHiveMQ
Pricing modelfreemiumPer month by connections and throughput
PlatformsIOS, Android, Web, Any IoT deviceLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web
CategorySmart HomeNetworking
Founded2012Unknown

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 Blynk

  • Mobile App Builder
  • No-Code Interface
  • Real-Time Control
  • Cloud Storage
  • REST API
  • WebHooks
  • Mobile app
  • Cloud platform

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.

Blynk

  • Connecting IoT hardware to a hosted dashboard and mobile appnot HiveMQ
  • Over-the-air firmware updates to fleets of devicesnot HiveMQ
  • Automations triggered by device datanot HiveMQ
  • White-label device apps for a hardware productnot HiveMQ
  • Prototyping connected devices before committing to infrastructurenot HiveMQ

HiveMQ

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

Where each one falls short

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

Blynk

  • The free tier covers 5 devices, 1 user, 100,000 messages and one week of data retention
  • Data retention is tiered all the way up, reaching 12 months only on Enterprise
  • Automations and webhooks are rationed, from 5 scenarios and 1 webhook on free to 100 or more on Production
  • Over-the-air update campaigns are capped by tier, at 2 shipments on free and Starter
  • Production plans run from $199 to $1,099 a month depending on device count

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

Blynk

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 5 devices, 1 user
    • 1 week data retention
    • 100,000 messages/month
  • Starter$29/month
    • 10 devices, 1 user
    • 1 month data retention
    • 10,000,000 messages/month
  • Prototype$99/month
    • 50 devices and users
    • 6 months data retention
    • Unlimited messages/month
  • Production$199/month
    • 100-1000 devices and users
    • 12 months data retention
    • Unlimited messages/month

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 Blynk if

  • You need mobile app builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device.
  • You also want no-code interface.
Blynk 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 Blynk or HiveMQ better?
Neither clearly leads. Blynk starts at Free and HiveMQ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blynk or HiveMQ?
Blynk starts at Free and HiveMQ at Free.
Does Blynk or HiveMQ run on more platforms?
Blynk runs on IOS, Android, Web, Any IoT device. HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
Can I use Blynk for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Blynk best used for?
Blynk is most often used for connecting iot hardware to a hosted dashboard and mobile app, over-the-air firmware updates to fleets of devices, automations triggered by device data, white-label device apps for a hardware product. Of those, connecting iot hardware to a hosted dashboard and mobile app and over-the-air firmware updates to fleets of devices are not what HiveMQ is typically brought in for.
What can Blynk do that HiveMQ cannot?
Blynk covers Mobile App Builder, No-Code Interface, Real-Time Control, Cloud Storage. HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blynk: How much does Blynk cost?

Free plan available; Starter is $29/month; Prototype is $99/month; Production ranges $199-1,099/month; Enterprise has custom pricing.

Source
HiveMQ: Is HiveMQ free?

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

Blynk: What device and user limits does Blynk have?

Free plan supports 5 devices and 1 user. Starter supports 10 devices and 1 user. Prototype supports 50 devices and users. Production supports 100-1,000 devices and users. Enterprise offers custom limits.

Source
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.

Blynk: How long does Blynk retain data?

Free plan retains data for 1 week. Starter for 1 month. Prototype for 6 months. Production for 12 months. Enterprise can customize retention period.

Source
HiveMQ: Does it support MQTT 5?

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

Blynk: What message limits apply to Blynk plans?

Free plan includes 100,000 messages/month. Starter allows 10 million messages/month. Prototype and Production tiers include unlimited messages.

Source
HiveMQ: Can it bridge into Kafka?

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

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