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CloudAMQP vs HCP Terraform

CloudAMQP logo

CloudAMQP

Technology

Managed RabbitMQ and LavinMQ clusters, hosted and fully managed

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
HCP Terraform logo

HCP Terraform

Developer Tools

Infrastructure as code provisioning and management, formerly Terraform Cloud

From
Free
Free plan
Yes

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: CloudAMQP free tier messaging limits are low: 1-2M messages/month; HCP Terraform legacy free version deprecated; no current freemium tier
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which CloudAMQP and HCP Terraform actually diverge.

Attributes where CloudAMQP and HCP Terraform differ
AttributeCloudAMQPHCP Terraform
Pricing modelfreemiumusage-based
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools

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

What people use each for

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

CloudAMQP

  • Message queue servicesnot HCP Terraform
  • Message brokers for distributed systemsnot HCP Terraform
  • RabbitMQ and LavinMQ hostingnot HCP Terraform
  • Asynchronous task processingnot HCP Terraform

HCP Terraform

  • Infrastructure as Code managementnot CloudAMQP
  • Cloud resource provisioningnot CloudAMQP

Where each one falls short

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

CloudAMQP

  • Free tier messaging limits are low: 1-2M messages/month
  • Free tier connection limits are restrictive: 20-40
  • Multi-tenant plans have queue limits (200-2,000 max)
  • Dedicated plans expensive at scale: up to $14,995-$17,495/month
  • Extra disk space add-on at $0.35/month per GB may add significant cost

HCP Terraform

  • Legacy free version deprecated; no current freemium tier
  • New users receive $500 credit but still require usage to continue service
  • Terraform Enterprise requires custom pricing

Pricing, plan by plan

CloudAMQP

Free
  • LavinMQ - Loyal Lemming (Free)Free
    • 2 million messages per month
    • 40 connection limit
    • 200 queue maximum
  • RabbitMQ - Little Lemur (Free)Free
    • 1 million messages per month
    • 20 connection limit
    • 100 queue maximum
  • LavinMQ - Elegant Ermine$19/month
    • 20 million messages per month
    • 200 connections
    • 2,000 queue maximum
  • RabbitMQ - Tough Tiger$19/month
    • 10 million messages per month
    • 100 connections
    • 1,000 queue maximum

HCP Terraform

Free
  • Essentials$0.1/month
    • Per resource pricing
    • Remote state storage
    • VCS connection
  • Standard$0.47/month
    • Per resource pricing
    • Essentials features plus unlimited modules
    • Module deprecation
  • Premium$0.99/month
    • Per resource pricing
    • Standard features plus module revocation
    • Waypoint actions

Which should you pick?

Choose CloudAMQP if

  • You want to start without paying.

Choose HCP Terraform if

  • You want to start without paying.

Questions people ask

Is CloudAMQP or HCP Terraform better?
Neither clearly leads. CloudAMQP starts at Free and HCP Terraform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, CloudAMQP or HCP Terraform?
CloudAMQP starts at Free and HCP Terraform at Free.
Does CloudAMQP or HCP Terraform run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use CloudAMQP for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is CloudAMQP best used for?
CloudAMQP is most often used for message queue services, message brokers for distributed systems, rabbitmq and lavinmq hosting, asynchronous task processing. Of those, message queue services and message brokers for distributed systems are not what HCP Terraform is typically brought in for.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

CloudAMQP: Does CloudAMQP offer free plans?

Yes, CloudAMQP offers free tiers: LavinMQ Loyal Lemming with 2M messages/month, and RabbitMQ Little Lemur with 1M messages/month. Both include connection and queue limits.

Source
HCP Terraform: How much does HCP Terraform cost?

HCP Terraform uses per-resource pricing starting at $0.10/month/resource for Essentials, $0.47/month/resource for Standard, and $0.99/month/resource for Premium.

Source
CloudAMQP: What is the cheapest paid plan?

Both LavinMQ Elegant Ermine and RabbitMQ Tough Tiger cost $19/month. LavinMQ includes 20M messages/month with 200 connections; RabbitMQ includes 10M messages/month with 100 connections.

Source
HCP Terraform: Does HCP Terraform offer a free tier?

No, the legacy free version has been deprecated. However, new users receive $500 credit to try the service.

Source
CloudAMQP: How are messages charged on CloudAMQP?

CloudAMQP plans include monthly message quotas. All plans are charged on a per-second basis with monthly billing cycles.

Source
HCP Terraform: What does the Standard plan include?

Standard plan at $0.47/month/resource includes unlimited modules, module deprecation, team notifications, no-code provisioning, and Waypoint templates.

Source
CloudAMQP: What add-ons are available?

CloudAMQP offers Virtual Private Cloud add-on at $99/month, and extra disk space at $0.35/month per GB (25-2,000 GB available).

Source
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