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Automation Integration · head to head

Hatchet vs IBM MQ

Hatchet logo

Hatchet

Automation Integration

Postgres-backed distributed task queue and workflow engine for Python, TypeScript and Go

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
IBM MQ logo

IBM MQ

Automation Integration

Transactional message queuing for systems where a lost message is a lost payment

From
$312/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hatchet has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Hatchet postgres as the queue backend simplifies operations but sets a throughput ceiling, and very high task rates require database tuning or partitioning work that a purpose-built queue would not demand.; IBM MQ virtual Processor Core licensing is capacity-based, so an over-provisioned server is charged for cores the queue manager never uses, and consumption ratios differ between MQ and MQ Advanced.
  • They diverge on capability: Hatchet covers Postgres-backed queue, IBM MQ covers Assured once-only delivery.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hatchet and IBM MQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Hatchet and IBM MQ differ
AttributeHatchetIBM MQ
Starting priceFree$312/month
Pricing modelPer month by task run countPer virtual processor core per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudLinux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

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 Hatchet

  • Postgres-backed queue
  • Durable execution
  • DAG workflows
  • Concurrency and fairness
  • Rate limiting
  • Cron and scheduling
  • Multi-language SDKs
  • Self-hosting

Only in IBM MQ

  • Assured once-only delivery
  • Multi-platform queue managers
  • Native high availability
  • Advanced Message Security
  • Managed File Transfer
  • MQ Telemetry

What people use each for

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

Hatchet

  • An AI product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflownot IBM MQ
  • A team that outgrew Celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building themnot IBM MQ
  • An engineering group that wants durable execution self-hosted with no datastore beyond the Postgres they already runnot IBM MQ
  • A multi-tenant SaaS that needs one noisy customer's jobs not to starve everyone else'snot IBM MQ

IBM MQ

  • Core banking or payments where a message must participate in the same transaction as a database updatenot Hatchet
  • A mainframe estate that needs reliable messaging between z/OS applications and distributed Linux servicesnot Hatchet
  • Regulated file movement that must be auditable end to end, using Managed File Transfernot Hatchet
  • Replacing bespoke retry and idempotency code in inter-system integrations with a queue that guarantees once-only deliverynot Hatchet

Where each one falls short

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

Hatchet

  • Postgres as the queue backend simplifies operations but sets a throughput ceiling, and very high task rates require database tuning or partitioning work that a purpose-built queue would not demand.
  • Data retention on the managed tiers is three days on Team and seven on Scale, which is short for debugging intermittent failures and forces you to export run history elsewhere.
  • The step from the free tier to Team is 500 US dollars a month plus usage, which is a large increment for a small team that simply needs a production SLA.
  • Hatchet is a young company in a category with Temporal, Inngest and cloud-native alternatives already established, so ecosystem, hiring pool and third-party material are all thin.
  • Self-hosting the MIT engine is realistic but you then run the engine, its Postgres and its workers yourself, and the managed features such as audit logs and support are not part of that.

IBM MQ

  • Virtual Processor Core licensing is capacity-based, so an over-provisioned server is charged for cores the queue manager never uses, and consumption ratios differ between MQ and MQ Advanced.
  • Container licensing requires Kubernetes with the IBM License Service, so Podman or plain Docker deployments cannot use the optimised metric and pay materially more.
  • Distributed and z/OS platforms use different licensing models, and organisations running both routinely misapply one to the other, which surfaces as exposure at audit.
  • Operating MQ needs specialist skills that are increasingly scarce, and the pool of engineers who understand channel and queue manager administration is shrinking with every retirement.
  • IBM’s acquisition of Confluent in March 2026 puts MQ and Kafka under one vendor, which resolves the integration story but removes the competitive tension that kept renewal negotiations honest.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hatchet

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • First 100,000 task runs included
    • $10 per million task runs after
    • No card required
  • Team$500/month
    • Usage billed on top of the base fee
    • 10 users and 5 tenants
    • 3 day data retention
  • Scale$1000/month
    • Unlimited users and tenants
    • 7 day data retention
    • Audit logs
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • 300 million plus runs a month
    • Latency guarantees and custom SLAs
    • SSO and audit logging

IBM MQ

$312/month
  • IBM MQ$312/month
    • Per Virtual Processor Core subscription
    • Minimum one year term
    • Assured once-only delivery
  • IBM MQ Advanced$583/month
    • Per Virtual Processor Core subscription
    • Advanced Message Security
    • Managed File Transfer
  • Pay as you go$undefined/month
    • Approximately 1.02 USD per Virtual Processor Core per hour
    • No annual commitment
    • Suited to variable or short-lived capacity

Which should you pick?

Choose Hatchet if

  • You need postgres-backed queue.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want durable execution.
Hatchet review

Choose IBM MQ if

  • You need assured once-only delivery.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want multi-platform queue managers.
IBM MQ review

Questions people ask

Is Hatchet or IBM MQ better?
Neither clearly leads. Hatchet starts at Free and IBM MQ at $312/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hatchet or IBM MQ?
Hatchet has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Hatchet and $312/month for IBM MQ.
Does Hatchet or IBM MQ run on more platforms?
Hatchet runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. IBM MQ runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
Can I use Hatchet for free?
Yes. Hatchet has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IBM MQ starts at $312/month.
What is Hatchet best used for?
Hatchet is most often used for an ai product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflow, a team that outgrew celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building them, an engineering group that wants durable execution self-hosted with no datastore beyond the postgres they already run, a multi-tenant saas that needs one noisy customer's jobs not to starve everyone else's. Of those, an ai product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflow and a team that outgrew celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building them are not what IBM MQ is typically brought in for.
What can Hatchet do that IBM MQ cannot?
Hatchet covers Postgres-backed queue, Durable execution, DAG workflows, Concurrency and fairness. IBM MQ covers Assured once-only delivery, Multi-platform queue managers, Native high availability, Advanced Message Security.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hatchet: Is Hatchet open source?

Yes, the engine is MIT licensed and can be self-hosted, with a managed cloud offered alongside.

IBM MQ: How is IBM MQ licensed?

By Virtual Processor Core subscription, around 312 US dollars per VPC per month for MQ and 583 for MQ Advanced, minimum one year.

Hatchet: What does it cost?

Free for the first 100,000 task runs, then 10 US dollars per million. Team is 500 US dollars a month plus usage; Scale is 1,000.

IBM MQ: Should we replace MQ with Kafka?

Only if you actually need a replayable log. MQ is a transactional queue; replacing it with Kafka usually means rebuilding transactional semantics in application code.

Hatchet: Why Postgres as the queue?

So durable task state lives in a database your team already backs up, replicates and can inspect with SQL, instead of a second system.

IBM MQ: What does MQ Advanced add?

Advanced Message Security, Managed File Transfer, MQTT telemetry and quorum-based high availability.

Hatchet: How does it compare with Temporal?

Lighter to adopt and operate, with a much smaller ecosystem and a lower throughput ceiling from the Postgres backend.

IBM MQ: Does container deployment change the cost?

Yes. Optimised container licensing needs Kubernetes with the IBM License Service; Podman or Docker deployments do not qualify.

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