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Networking · head to head

HiveMQ vs Traefik

HiveMQ logo

HiveMQ

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Traefik logo

Traefik

Networking

Modern cloud-native edge router and API gateway

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.; Traefik no transparent pricing displayed for Traefik Hub API Gateway or API Management products
  • They diverge on capability: HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Traefik covers API Gateway.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HiveMQ and Traefik actually diverge.

Attributes where HiveMQ and Traefik differ
AttributeHiveMQTraefik
Pricing modelPer month by connections and throughputfreemium
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, WebKubernetes, Docker, Cloud
FoundedUnknown2015

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

  • API Gateway
  • Load Balancing
  • SSL/TLS Termination
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
  • Consul
  • etcd
  • Linux support

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

Traefik

  • API gateway for microservices architecturenot HiveMQ
  • Kubernetes ingress controllernot HiveMQ
  • Container and VM traffic routingnot HiveMQ
  • Cloud-native application managementnot 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.

Traefik

  • No transparent pricing displayed for Traefik Hub API Gateway or API Management products
  • No subscription period specified for paid tiers
  • Traefik Hub products require contacting sales for pricing

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

Traefik

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Traefik review.

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 Traefik if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud.
  • You also want load balancing.
Traefik review

Questions people ask

Is HiveMQ or Traefik better?
Neither clearly leads. HiveMQ starts at Free and Traefik at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HiveMQ or Traefik?
HiveMQ starts at Free and Traefik at Free.
Does HiveMQ or Traefik run on more platforms?
HiveMQ runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Web. Traefik runs on Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud.
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 Traefik is typically brought in for.
What can HiveMQ do that Traefik cannot?
HiveMQ covers MQTT 5 and 3.1.1, Native clustering, Data Hub, Extension framework. Traefik covers API Gateway, Load Balancing, SSL/TLS Termination, Kubernetes.

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.

Traefik: Is Traefik Proxy free to use?

Yes, Traefik Proxy is completely free and open source. You can download and use it at no cost.

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.

Traefik: What pricing model does Traefik use for its paid products?

Traefik Hub products (API Gateway and API Management) use quote-based pricing. Specific rates are not published on the pricing page; you must contact sales to request pricing.

Source
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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