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Databases · head to head

EMQX vs Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

EMQX logo

EMQX

Databases

Erlang MQTT broker for large IoT fleets, relicensed to BSL with production free use limited to one node

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure logo

Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

Energy

IoT-enabled, open, interoperable architecture and platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EMQX has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: EMQX covers Erlang clustering, Schneider Electric EcoStruxure covers IoT connectivity.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EMQX and Schneider Electric EcoStruxure actually diverge.

Attributes where EMQX and Schneider Electric EcoStruxure differ
AttributeEMQXSchneider Electric EcoStruxure
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by connection and session volumesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOSWeb, Mobile, On-premise, Api
CategoryDatabasesEnergy
FoundedUnknown1836

Identical on both: 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 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 Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

  • IoT connectivity
  • Real-time analytics
  • Energy monitoring
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Asset management
  • Building automation
  • Power management
  • Sustainability tracking

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 Schneider Electric EcoStruxure
  • An industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into TimescaleDB or Kafka without writing a consumer servicenot Schneider Electric EcoStruxure
  • An IoT product team that has outgrown a single Mosquitto instance and needs clustering and shared subscriptionsnot Schneider Electric EcoStruxure
  • A smart building deployment mixing MQTT, CoAP and LwM2M devices on one brokernot Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

  • Building energy managementnot EMQX
  • Smart grid operationsnot EMQX
  • Industrial automationnot EMQX
  • Data center efficiencynot EMQX
  • Sustainability reportingnot 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.

Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

Nothing recorded yet. See the Schneider Electric EcoStruxure review.

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$234/month
    • Single tenant cluster
    • Traffic allowance included
    • 24/7 support
  • Enterprise self-managed$undefined/year
    • Deploy on premises, at the edge or in any cloud
    • Clustering licensed
    • 256 MB maximum message size

Schneider Electric EcoStruxure

On request
  • Building$undefined/custom
    • Building management
    • Energy optimization
    • HVAC control
  • Grid$undefined/custom
    • Grid management
    • Distribution automation
    • Outage management
  • Industry$undefined/custom
    • Industrial automation
    • Process optimization
    • Predictive maintenance

Which should you pick?

Choose EMQX if

  • You need erlang clustering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOS.
  • You also want mqtt 5.0 and quic.
EMQX review

Choose Schneider Electric EcoStruxure if

  • You need iot connectivity.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, On-premise, Api.
  • You also want real-time analytics.
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure review

Questions people ask

Is EMQX or Schneider Electric EcoStruxure better?
Neither clearly leads. EMQX starts at Free and Schneider Electric EcoStruxure at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EMQX or Schneider Electric EcoStruxure?
EMQX has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for EMQX and On request for Schneider Electric EcoStruxure.
Does EMQX or Schneider Electric EcoStruxure run on more platforms?
EMQX runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOS. Schneider Electric EcoStruxure runs on Web, Mobile, On-premise, Api.
Can I use EMQX for free?
Yes. EMQX has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Schneider Electric EcoStruxure starts at On request.
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 Schneider Electric EcoStruxure is typically brought in for.
What can EMQX do that Schneider Electric EcoStruxure cannot?
EMQX covers Erlang clustering, MQTT 5.0 and QUIC, Rule engine, Data integration sinks. Schneider Electric EcoStruxure covers IoT connectivity, Real-time analytics, Energy monitoring, Predictive maintenance.

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.

EMQX: Can I run a free cluster?

No. The additional use grant permits free production use of one node; clustering requires a commercial licence.

EMQX: 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.

EMQX: 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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