Softwr

Networking · head to head

HiveMQ vs TimescaleDB

HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
TimescaleDB logo

TimescaleDB

Databases

Time-series database built on PostgreSQL for real-time analytics

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.; TimescaleDB inherits PostgreSQL write path limitations, creating a ceiling on ingestion throughput
  • They diverge on capability: HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, TimescaleDB covers Time-series Optimization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HiveMQ and TimescaleDB actually diverge.

Attributes where HiveMQ and TimescaleDB differ
AttributeHiveMQTimescaleDB
Pricing modelPer month by connections and throughputUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, WebLinux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure)
CategoryNetworkingDatabases
FoundedUnknown2012

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 TimescaleDB

  • Time-series Optimization
  • PostgreSQL Extension
  • Automatic Partitioning
  • Continuous Aggregates
  • Native Compression
  • Full SQL Support
  • Real-time Analytics
  • PostgreSQL

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

TimescaleDB

  • Monitoringnot HiveMQ
  • IoT datanot HiveMQ
  • Financial datanot HiveMQ
  • Log analyticsnot HiveMQ
  • Observabilitynot 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.

TimescaleDB

  • Inherits PostgreSQL write path limitations, creating a ceiling on ingestion throughput
  • Operational complexity increases significantly at scale, requiring expertise in chunk tuning and autovacuum management
  • Bloom filter indexes on compressed columns can return incorrect query results before upgrade
  • PostgreSQL 15 support ending June 2026, forcing mandatory upgrades to PostgreSQL 16 or later

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

TimescaleDB

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Self-hosted TimescaleDB
    • MIT-licensed core
    • Full PostgreSQL compatibility
  • Scale Plan (Cloud)$36/month
    • Compute and storage charges
    • Multi-node HA
    • Unlimited VPCs

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 TimescaleDB if

  • You need time-series optimization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • You also want postgresql extension.
TimescaleDB review

Questions people ask

Is HiveMQ or TimescaleDB better?
Neither clearly leads. HiveMQ starts at Free and TimescaleDB at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HiveMQ or TimescaleDB?
HiveMQ starts at Free and TimescaleDB at Free.
Does HiveMQ or TimescaleDB run on more platforms?
HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web. TimescaleDB runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure).
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 TimescaleDB is typically brought in for.
What can HiveMQ do that TimescaleDB cannot?
HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework. TimescaleDB covers Time-series Optimization, PostgreSQL Extension, Automatic Partitioning, Continuous Aggregates.

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.

TimescaleDB: Is TimescaleDB free?

Yes. TimescaleDB is free and open source under the Timescale License. The managed cloud service offers a free trial with $1,000 in credits expiring in 30 days.

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.

TimescaleDB: What database does TimescaleDB run on top of?

TimescaleDB is a PostgreSQL extension that runs on top of PostgreSQL. You retain full PostgreSQL compatibility including SQL queries, transactions, and ecosystem tools.

Source
HiveMQ: Does it support MQTT 5?

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

TimescaleDB: How much can TimescaleDB compress data?

TimescaleDB offers transparent columnar compression that can reduce storage by up to 95%. Newer data remains in row-oriented format for fast writes, while older data is automatically compressed to the column store.

Source
HiveMQ: Can it bridge into Kafka?

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

TimescaleDB: Does TimescaleDB require manual partitioning?

No. TimescaleDB handles automatic time-based partitioning through hypertables. Data is automatically chunked based on time intervals, requiring no manual partition management.

Source
TimescaleDB: What PostgreSQL versions does TimescaleDB support?

As of October 2025, TimescaleDB requires PostgreSQL 16 or greater. PostgreSQL 15 support will end with the June 2026 release, after which all instances must upgrade to PostgreSQL 16.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on HiveMQ

More on TimescaleDB

Keep looking

Other head to heads