Is Grist or VerneMQ better?

Neither clearly leads. Grist starts at Free and VerneMQ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Grist or VerneMQ?

Grist starts at Free and VerneMQ at Free.

Does Grist or VerneMQ run on more platforms?

Grist runs on Web. VerneMQ runs on Linux, Docker, macOS, Kubernetes.

Can I use Grist for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Grist best used for?

Grist is most often used for collaborative data and spreadsheet management, database creation and automation, team data analysis and reporting. Of those, collaborative data and spreadsheet management and database creation and automation are not what VerneMQ is typically brought in for.

What can Grist do that VerneMQ cannot?

VerneMQ covers Erlang/OTP clustering, MQTT 5.0 support, Plugin system, Backpressure handling.

Databases · head to head

Grist vs VerneMQ

Grist

Databases

The evolution of spreadsheets

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

VerneMQ

Databases

Erlang MQTT broker whose source is Apache 2.0 but whose official binaries need a paid subscription

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Grist business plan has minimum 5-user requirement; VerneMQ the official binaries and Docker images are not Apache 2.0 but sit under a EULA requiring a yearly commercial subscription, a distinction easy to miss and awkward to discover during a licence audit.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Grist and VerneMQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Grist and VerneMQ differ
Attribute	Grist	VerneMQ
Pricing model	freemium	quote
Platforms	Web	Linux, Docker, macOS, Kubernetes

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

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 Grist

Nothing recorded that VerneMQ does not also cover.

Only in VerneMQ

Erlang/OTP clustering
MQTT 5.0 support
Plugin system
Backpressure handling
Bridge support
Metrics export
MQTT over WebSockets
Pluggable auth backends

What people use each for

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

Grist

Collaborative data and spreadsheet managementnot VerneMQ
Database creation and automationnot VerneMQ
Team data analysis and reportingnot VerneMQ

VerneMQ

An industrial operator that wants an MQTT broker with predictable memory behaviour and no data integration features it will not usenot Grist
A team building from source to stay strictly under Apache 2.0 terms with no vendor licence entanglementnot Grist
A deployment needing custom authentication logic implemented as a plugin in Lua or over a webhooknot Grist
An organisation that wants a broker maintained by a small European company rather than by a vendor that keeps changing licencesnot Grist

Where each one falls short

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

Grist

Business plan has minimum 5-user requirement
Enterprise self-hosted pricing not disclosed publicly
Annual billing discount only 20%, lower than some competitors

VerneMQ

The official binaries and Docker images are not Apache 2.0 but sit under a EULA requiring a yearly commercial subscription, a distinction easy to miss and awkward to discover during a licence audit.
Octavo Labs is a very small company, so support depth, response times and the bus factor on the codebase are materially thinner than at HiveMQ or EMQ.
There is no data integration or rule engine layer, so routing messages into a database means writing and operating your own consumer service.
Operating an Erlang cluster requires runtime knowledge that most teams do not have and will use for nothing else in their stack.
There is no vendor-managed cloud offering, so every deployment is self-operated with the infrastructure and on-call cost that implies.

Pricing, plan by plan

Grist

Free

FreeFree
- Unlimited documents
- Up to 5,000 records per document
- 30-day snapshot history
Pro$10/month
- Up to 100,000 records per document
- 3-year snapshot history
- 100+ AI credits monthly
Business$30/month
- 150,000 records per document
- 5-year snapshot history
- 2,000 AI credits monthly

VerneMQ

Free

Source buildFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed source from GitHub
- Full clustering and plugin capability
- You compile and package it yourself
Binary packages and Docker images$undefined/year
- Covered by the VerneMQ EULA, not Apache 2.0
- Yearly usage subscription expected for commercial use
- Official builds and Docker images
Commercial support$undefined/year
- Evaluation, customisation and operations assistance
- Custom development
- Long-term maintenance agreements

Which should you pick?

Choose Grist if

You want to start without paying.

Grist review

Choose VerneMQ if

You need erlang/otp clustering.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Docker, macOS, Kubernetes.
You also want mqtt 5.0 support.

VerneMQ review

Questions people ask

Is Grist or VerneMQ better?: Neither clearly leads. Grist starts at Free and VerneMQ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Grist or VerneMQ?: Grist starts at Free and VerneMQ at Free.
Does Grist or VerneMQ run on more platforms?: Grist runs on Web. VerneMQ runs on Linux, Docker, macOS, Kubernetes.
Can I use Grist for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Grist best used for?: Grist is most often used for collaborative data and spreadsheet management, database creation and automation, team data analysis and reporting. Of those, collaborative data and spreadsheet management and database creation and automation are not what VerneMQ is typically brought in for.
What can Grist do that VerneMQ cannot?: VerneMQ covers Erlang/OTP clustering, MQTT 5.0 support, Plugin system, Backpressure handling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Grist: Does Grist have a free version?

Yes. Grist Free includes unlimited documents with up to 5,000 records each, 30-day snapshot history, and 100 AI Assistant credits. No credit card required.

Source

VerneMQ: Is VerneMQ free?

The source is Apache 2.0 and free. The official binary packages and Docker images are covered by a separate EULA that expects a yearly fee for commercial use.

Grist: How much does Grist Pro cost?

Grist Pro is $10/user/month (billed monthly) or $8/user/month with annual billing. It includes up to 100,000 records per document and 3-year snapshot history.

Source

VerneMQ: Is the project still maintained?

Yes. Octavo Labs AG in Zurich continues to publish 2.x releases, most recently in 2026.

Grist: What does Grist's Business plan include?

Grist Business is $30/user/month ($24 annually) with a minimum of 5 users. It includes 150,000 records per document, 5-year snapshot history, 2,000 AI credits monthly, and automations with priority support.

Source

VerneMQ: Does it have a managed cloud?

No. Every deployment is self-hosted, with commercial support available from Octavo Labs.

Grist: Do nonprofits get discounts on Grist?

Yes. Nonprofits receive a 50% discount on the Pro plan with Letter of Determination verification.

Source

VerneMQ: How does it compare to EMQX?

Narrower in features and without a rule engine, but with a simpler licence story for source builds after EMQX moved to BSL.

Grist vs VerneMQ

Grist

VerneMQ

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Grist

Only in VerneMQ

What people use each for

Grist

VerneMQ

Where each one falls short

Grist

VerneMQ

Pricing, plan by plan

Grist

VerneMQ

Which should you pick?

Choose Grist if

Choose VerneMQ if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Grist

More on VerneMQ

Keep looking

Other head to heads