Databases · head to head
EMQX vs Namespace
EMQX
Databases
Erlang MQTT broker for large IoT fleets, relicensed to BSL with production free use limited to one node
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Namespace
Developer Tools
The dev platform for the next 100 billion commits
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Namespace is a developer infrastructure platform.
- Free plans on both; paid from $234/mo and $100/mo.
- Only EMQX lists erlang clustering; only Namespace lists GitHub Actions runners.
- Where Namespace falls short: developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear.
- Prices and features on this page were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which EMQX and Namespace actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes).
Not yet recorded: pricing model for Namespace.
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 EMQX
- Erlang clustering
- MQTT 5.0 and QUIC
- Rule engine
- Data integration sinks
- Session persistence
- Multi protocol gateways
- Authentication and authorisation
- Dashboard and REST API
Only in Namespace
- Devboxes
- GitHub Actions runners
- Docker builds
- Cross-invocation caching
- NVMe storage
- High-speed networking
- Multiple OS support
- Bazel and Turborepo support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
EMQX
- A connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent MQTT sessions with QUIC for handover across mobile networksnot Namespace
- An industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into TimescaleDB or Kafka without writing a consumer servicenot Namespace
- An IoT product team that has outgrown a single Mosquitto instance and needs clustering and shared subscriptionsnot Namespace
- A smart building deployment mixing MQTT, CoAP and LwM2M devices on one brokernot Namespace
Namespace
- Providing AI coding agents with cloud-based development environmentsnot EMQX
- Accelerating CI builds with faster GitHub Actions runnersnot EMQX
- Distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructurenot EMQX
- Scaling development velocity for monorepo organizationsnot EMQX
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
EMQX
- The move to Business Source Licence 1.1 at version 5.9 in May 2025 limits free production use to a single node, so the clustering that justifies choosing EMQX now requires a paid subscription from the second node onward
- The relicensing arrived in a minor release, which caught users who had pinned to 5.x expecting Apache 2.0 terms and forced legal review of existing deployments
- Running an Erlang/OTP cluster well requires operational knowledge most teams do not have, and diagnosing distribution, mnesia or memory issues means learning a runtime you use for nothing else
- Enterprise pricing is quoted rather than published for the self-managed edition, so the cost of the clustered configuration you actually need is invisible until you talk to sales
- The Serverless tier caps at around a thousand connections and shares infrastructure, which makes it a prototyping tier rather than a genuine small production option
Namespace
- Developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear
- Team plan $100/mo is competitive but usage limits may be tight
- Devbox pricing separate at $0.004/minute could add up quickly
- Enterprise plan requires custom sales conversation
Pricing, plan by plan
EMQX
Free- Open Source single nodeFree
- BSL 1.1 licence since version 5.9
- Free production use of one node only
- All former enterprise features visible
- ServerlessFree
- Free monthly quota then pay as you go
- Up to 1,000 connections
- 8 by 5 support
- Dedicated Flex$234/mo
- Single tenant cluster
- Traffic allowance included
- 24/7 support
- Enterprise self-managedOn request
- Deploy on premises, at the edge or in any cloud
- Clustering licensed
- 256 MB maximum message size
Namespace
Free- DeveloperFree
- Pay-as-you-go
- On-demand compute
- Docker builds
- Team$100/mo
- 100,000 unit minutes
- 1,000 Docker builds
- Everything in Developer
- Business$250/mo
- 250,000 unit minutes
- 2,500 Docker builds
- Everything in Team
- EnterpriseOn request
- Custom compute/Docker build limits
- Audit log export
- Enterprise SSO
Which should you pick?
Choose EMQX if
- You need erlang clustering.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Self-hosted, Web, macOS.
- You also want mqtt 5.0 and quic.
Choose Namespace if
- You need devboxes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- You also want github actions runners.
Questions people ask
- Is EMQX or Namespace better?
- Neither clearly leads. EMQX starts at Free and Namespace at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, EMQX or Namespace?
- EMQX starts at Free and Namespace at Free.
- Does EMQX or Namespace run on more platforms?
- EMQX runs on Linux, Self-hosted, Web, macOS. Namespace runs on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use EMQX for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is EMQX best used for?
- EMQX is most often used for a connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent mqtt sessions with quic for handover across mobile networks, an industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into timescaledb or kafka without writing a consumer service, an iot product team that has outgrown a single mosquitto instance and needs clustering and shared subscriptions, a smart building deployment mixing mqtt, coap and lwm2m devices on one broker. Of those, a connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent mqtt sessions with quic for handover across mobile networks and an industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into timescaledb or kafka without writing a consumer service are not what Namespace is typically brought in for.
- What can EMQX do that Namespace cannot?
- EMQX covers Erlang clustering, MQTT 5.0 and QUIC, Rule engine, Data integration sinks. Namespace covers Devboxes, GitHub Actions runners, Docker builds, Cross-invocation caching.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
EMQX: Is EMQX still open source?
Not in the OSI sense since version 5.9. It is source-available under Business Source Licence 1.1, reverting to Apache 2.0 four years after each release.
Namespace: How is compute usage metered on the Developer plan?
Developer plan uses pay-as-you-go billing. Devboxes bill at $0.004 per minute. Storage and caching services have separate usage-based fees. A 30-day free trial is available to test usage patterns.
SourceEMQX: Can I run a free cluster?
No. The additional use grant permits free production use of one node; clustering requires a commercial licence.
Namespace: What is the difference between Team and Business plans?
Team ($100/mo) includes 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds with email support. Business ($250/mo) includes 250,000 unit minutes, 2,500 Docker builds, and high concurrency with a dedicated Slack channel.
SourceEMQX: What changed for existing users?
Community and enterprise editions merged, so all features are now visible, but the licence terms tightened in the same minor release.
Namespace: Can Namespace support AI coding agents?
Yes, Namespace Devboxes are specifically designed as feature-rich development environments for AI coding agents, with full tooling and performance optimization.
SourceEMQX: Which version is still Apache 2.0?
Releases before 5.9 remain under Apache 2.0, and each BSL release converts to Apache 2.0 four years after publication.
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- Namespace vs Daytona
- Namespace vs HCP Terraform
- Namespace vs Helm
- Namespace vs Jitsu
- Namespace vs Notepad++
- Namespace vs Postman
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