Softwr

Networking · head to head

Domotz vs HiveMQ

Domotz logo

Domotz

Networking

Network monitoring for MSPs and IT teams priced per managed device or per collector, with published rates

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

Enterprise MQTT broker for industrial IoT with a published self-managed price list

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HiveMQ has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Domotz the Managed Device Plan bills in bundles of ten, so a network with, for example, eleven devices to manage pays for twenty rather than a precise count; HiveMQ the Community Edition lacks clustering, persistence extensions, the control centre and all enterprise bridges, so a prototype built on it does not become production by buying support.
  • They diverge on capability: Domotz covers Device discovery and monitoring, HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Domotz and HiveMQ actually diverge.

Attributes where Domotz and HiveMQ differ
AttributeDomotzHiveMQ
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer collector or per managed device per monthPer month by connections and throughput
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web

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

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 Domotz

  • Device discovery and monitoring
  • Remote access without VPN
  • Two published pricing models
  • Automated alerting
  • MSP client segregation

Only in HiveMQ

  • MQTT 5 and 3.1.1
  • Native clustering
  • Data Hub
  • Extension framework
  • Enterprise bridges
  • Control centre

What people use each for

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

Domotz

  • An MSP with high device density per client site wanting predictable flat pricing per collector rather than counting individual devicesnot HiveMQ
  • An IT integrator managing many small sites with few devices each, better served by per-device pricing than a flat collector feenot HiveMQ
  • A field services or retail IT team needing remote access to branch equipment without configuring VPN tunnels to each sitenot HiveMQ
  • A team wanting a directly comparable public price against Auvik before starting a sales conversation with either vendornot HiveMQ

HiveMQ

  • A connected vehicle fleet where devices drop off the network for hours and sessions must survivenot Domotz
  • An industrial plant bridging MQTT telemetry into Kafka without writing and operating the bridgenot Domotz
  • A utility that needs message-level schema validation so one faulty firmware release cannot corrupt the data lakenot Domotz
  • An IoT project that needs a self-managed broker price for a budget submission without entering a sales processnot Domotz

Where each one falls short

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

Domotz

  • The Managed Device Plan bills in bundles of ten, so a network with, for example, eleven devices to manage pays for twenty rather than a precise count
  • The Collector Plan gives full access per collector regardless of device count monitored by that collector, which can be inefficient for a site with very few devices relative to the flat $35 fee
  • As a SaaS platform, ongoing monitoring depends on the local Collector maintaining connectivity to Domotz's cloud, so a site-level outage that also cuts collector connectivity limits remote visibility exactly when it is needed
  • Feature depth for large enterprise NOC-style operations is narrower than platforms built for that scale, since Domotz's roadmap centres on MSP and integrator use cases
  • Remote access without VPN configuration is convenient but depends on Domotz's own relay infrastructure remaining available and trusted, which is a different security posture than a customer-controlled VPN
  • Volume and annual discounts exist but the specific discount schedule is not fully published, so very large deployments still benefit from negotiating directly rather than relying on the list price

HiveMQ

  • The Community Edition lacks clustering, persistence extensions, the control centre and all enterprise bridges, so a prototype built on it does not become production by buying support.
  • The entry commercial tiers cap at ten thousand connections, and device fleets grow, so the step to Enterprise capacity pricing arrives sooner than most projects plan for.
  • It is a JVM application, so memory tuning and garbage collection behaviour become the operator’s problem at high connection counts, unlike the C-based brokers in this space.
  • Extensions are written in Java against HiveMQ’s SPI, which means custom authentication logic is locked to the platform and cannot move to another broker.
  • For simple use cases it is substantially heavier and more expensive than Mosquitto or EMQX, and small deployments frequently pay enterprise prices for clustering they never use.

Pricing, plan by plan

Domotz

On request
  • Collector Plan$35/month
    • Full platform access on every device that collector monitors
  • Managed Device Plan$1.5/month
    • Billed in bundles of 10 devices
    • All non-managed devices on the network discovered at no extra cost

HiveMQ

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • MQTT 3.1.1 and 5 support
    • Single broker, no clustering
  • Launch$299/month
    • Ten thousand connections
    • Five hundred messages per second
    • Single broker deployment
  • Run$499/month
    • Ten thousand connections
    • One thousand messages per second
    • Single broker deployment
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Priced by connections and throughput
    • Multi-broker and multi-site deployments
    • Distributed data intelligence

Which should you pick?

Choose Domotz if

  • You need device discovery and monitoring.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want remote access without vpn.
Domotz review

Choose HiveMQ if

  • You need mqtt 5 and 3.1.1.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
  • You also want native clustering.
HiveMQ review

Questions people ask

Is Domotz or HiveMQ better?
Neither clearly leads. Domotz starts at On request and HiveMQ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Domotz or HiveMQ?
HiveMQ has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Domotz and Free for HiveMQ.
Does Domotz or HiveMQ run on more platforms?
Domotz runs on Web, iOS, Android. HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web.
Can I use HiveMQ for free?
Yes. HiveMQ has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Domotz starts at On request.
What is Domotz best used for?
Domotz is most often used for an msp with high device density per client site wanting predictable flat pricing per collector rather than counting individual devices, an it integrator managing many small sites with few devices each, better served by per-device pricing than a flat collector fee, a field services or retail it team needing remote access to branch equipment without configuring vpn tunnels to each site, a team wanting a directly comparable public price against auvik before starting a sales conversation with either vendor. Of those, an msp with high device density per client site wanting predictable flat pricing per collector rather than counting individual devices and an it integrator managing many small sites with few devices each, better served by per-device pricing than a flat collector fee are not what HiveMQ is typically brought in for.
What can Domotz do that HiveMQ cannot?
Domotz covers Device discovery and monitoring, Remote access without VPN, Two published pricing models, Automated alerting. HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Domotz: Is pricing based on networks, sites or devices?

Devices. Domotz states explicitly there are no per-site, per-network or per-user charges.

HiveMQ: Is HiveMQ free?

The Community Edition is Apache 2.0 and free, but it has no clustering and none of the enterprise extensions.

Domotz: What is the difference between the two plans?

The Collector Plan is a flat $35/month per collector with full access to everything that collector monitors; the Managed Device Plan is $1.50/month per device, billed in bundles of ten.

HiveMQ: What does the commercial version cost?

Self-managed Launch is 299 US dollars a month for ten thousand connections; Run is 499 with higher throughput.

Domotz: Is there a free trial?

Yes, a 14-day free trial is offered.

HiveMQ: Does it support MQTT 5?

Yes, both MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, including shared subscriptions and session expiry intervals.

HiveMQ: Can it bridge into Kafka?

Yes, via a commercial enterprise extension, not in the Community Edition.

Share

Related pages

More on Domotz

More on HiveMQ

Keep looking

Other head to heads