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Networking · head to head

HiveMQ vs Palo Alto Networks

HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Palo Alto Networks logo

Palo Alto Networks

Networking

Enterprise cybersecurity platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only HiveMQ has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Palo Alto Networks enterprise-focused pricing model
  • They diverge on capability: HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HiveMQ and Palo Alto Networks actually diverge.

Attributes where HiveMQ and Palo Alto Networks differ
AttributeHiveMQPalo Alto Networks
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by connections and throughputsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, WebCloud, On-premises, Hybrid
FoundedUnknown2005

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 HiveMQ

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

Only in Palo Alto Networks

  • Advanced threat prevention
  • Threat detection and response
  • Cloud security
  • Endpoint protection
  • Network security
  • API protection
  • Incident response
  • Threat intelligence

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 Palo Alto Networks
  • An industrial plant bridging MQTT telemetry into Kafka without writing and operating the bridgenot Palo Alto Networks
  • A utility that needs message-level schema validation so one faulty firmware release cannot corrupt the data lakenot Palo Alto Networks
  • An IoT project that needs a self-managed broker price for a budget submission without entering a sales processnot Palo Alto Networks

Palo Alto Networks

  • Enterprise network security and threat protectionnot HiveMQ
  • Cloud-native application protectionnot HiveMQ
  • Identity and access securitynot HiveMQ
  • Security operations and incident responsenot 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.

Palo Alto Networks

  • Enterprise-focused pricing model
  • Complex implementation required

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

Palo Alto Networks

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Threat prevention
    • Detection and response
    • Cloud security

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 Palo Alto Networks if

  • You need advanced threat prevention.
  • You work on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want threat detection and response.
Palo Alto Networks review

Questions people ask

Is HiveMQ or Palo Alto Networks better?
Neither clearly leads. HiveMQ starts at Free and Palo Alto Networks at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HiveMQ or Palo Alto Networks?
HiveMQ has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for HiveMQ and On request for Palo Alto Networks.
Does HiveMQ or Palo Alto Networks run on more platforms?
HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web. Palo Alto Networks runs on Cloud, On-premises, Hybrid.
Can I use HiveMQ for free?
Yes. HiveMQ has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Palo Alto Networks starts at On request.
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 Palo Alto Networks is typically brought in for.
What can HiveMQ do that Palo Alto Networks cannot?
HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework. Palo Alto Networks covers Advanced threat prevention, Threat detection and response, Cloud security, Endpoint protection.

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.

Palo Alto Networks: How much do Palo Alto Networks products cost?

Palo Alto Networks does not publish pricing on their main website. Customers must request a demo, trial, or contact their sales team directly to receive custom pricing based on specific security needs and deployment scale.

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.

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.

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