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Networking · head to head

HiveMQ vs Node-RED

HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Node-RED logo

Node-RED

Smart Home

Flow-based programming tool for IoT and home automation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Node-RED the Node-RED editor ships unsecured: anyone who can reach its IP address can open the editor and deploy changes until adminAuth is configured
  • They diverge on capability: HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Node-RED covers Visual Editor.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HiveMQ and Node-RED actually diverge.

Attributes where HiveMQ and Node-RED differ
AttributeHiveMQNode-RED
Pricing modelPer month by connections and throughputopen-source
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, WebNode.js, Docker, Cloud, Edge devices
CategoryNetworkingSmart Home
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 HiveMQ

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

Only in Node-RED

  • Visual Editor
  • Flow-Based Programming
  • Extensible
  • HTTP Integration
  • MQTT
  • REST API
  • WebSocket
  • Database

What people use each for

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

HiveMQ

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

Node-RED

  • Low-code event-driven application developmentnot HiveMQ
  • IoT and device integration workflowsnot HiveMQ
  • Visual programming for server-side integrationsnot HiveMQ

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Node-RED

  • The Node-RED editor ships unsecured: anyone who can reach its IP address can open the editor and deploy changes until adminAuth is configured
  • HTTPS is off by default and must be enabled through the https setting
  • HTTP endpoints and dashboards exposed by flows are unauthenticated unless httpNodeAuth is configured separately
  • All three security layers are optional additions the administrator must implement by editing the settings file

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Node-RED

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Visual editor
    • Extensible
    • REST API

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Node-RED if

  • You need visual editor.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Node.js, Docker, Cloud, Edge devices.
  • You also want flow-based programming.
Node-RED review

Questions people ask

Is HiveMQ or Node-RED better?
Neither clearly leads. HiveMQ starts at Free and Node-RED at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HiveMQ or Node-RED?
HiveMQ starts at Free and Node-RED at Free.
Does HiveMQ or Node-RED run on more platforms?
HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web. Node-RED runs on Node.js, Docker, Cloud, Edge devices.
Can I use HiveMQ for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is HiveMQ best used for?
HiveMQ is most often used for a connected vehicle fleet where devices drop off the network for hours and sessions must survive, an industrial plant bridging mqtt telemetry into kafka without writing and operating the bridge, a utility that needs message-level schema validation so one faulty firmware release cannot corrupt the data lake, an iot project that needs a self-managed broker price for a budget submission without entering a sales process. Of those, a connected vehicle fleet where devices drop off the network for hours and sessions must survive and an industrial plant bridging mqtt telemetry into kafka without writing and operating the bridge are not what Node-RED is typically brought in for.
What can HiveMQ do that Node-RED cannot?
HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework. Node-RED covers Visual Editor, Flow-Based Programming, Extensible, HTTP Integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HiveMQ: Is HiveMQ free?

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

Node-RED: Is Node-RED free?

Yes, Node-RED is completely free and open source. It is available under the MIT License through GitHub and npm package manager. The project is maintained by the OpenJS Foundation.

Source
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.

Node-RED: Does Node-RED offer commercial support?

Node-RED itself is free and community-supported. FlowFuse, Inc. was founded in 2021 as a separate commercial entity offering enterprise support and a professional platform for Node-RED deployment, but FlowFuse is not Node-RED.

Source
HiveMQ: Does it support MQTT 5?

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

Node-RED: What is Node-RED pricing model?

Node-RED has no pricing model. It is completely free open source software. Commercial support and hosting options may be available separately through third-party providers like FlowFuse, but the core software is not sold.

Source
HiveMQ: Can it bridge into Kafka?

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

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