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Databases · head to head

EMQX vs Instaclustr

EMQX logo

EMQX

Databases

Erlang MQTT broker for large IoT fleets, relicensed to BSL with production free use limited to one node

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Instaclustr logo

Instaclustr

Databases

NetApp-owned managed service for Cassandra, Kafka, OpenSearch, PostgreSQL and Cadence with a bring-your-own-cloud model

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only EMQX has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: EMQX the move to Business Source Licence 1.1 at version 5.9 in May 2025 limits free production use to a single node, so the clustering that justifies choosing EMQX now requires a paid subscription from the second node onward.; Instaclustr pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.
  • They diverge on capability: EMQX covers Erlang clustering, Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which EMQX and Instaclustr actually diverge.

Attributes where EMQX and Instaclustr differ
AttributeEMQXInstaclustr
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer month by connection and session volumequote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOSCloud, Linux

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

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 EMQX

  • Erlang clustering
  • MQTT 5.0 and QUIC
  • Rule engine
  • Data integration sinks
  • Session persistence
  • Multi protocol gateways
  • Authentication and authorisation
  • Dashboard and REST API

Only in Instaclustr

  • Unmodified open source
  • Bring your own cloud
  • Multi technology platform
  • 24/7 operations
  • Managed backups
  • Terraform provider
  • SOC 2 and compliance
  • Consulting and support

What people use each for

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

EMQX

  • A connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent MQTT sessions with QUIC for handover across mobile networksnot Instaclustr
  • An industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into TimescaleDB or Kafka without writing a consumer servicenot Instaclustr
  • An IoT product team that has outgrown a single Mosquitto instance and needs clustering and shared subscriptionsnot Instaclustr
  • A smart building deployment mixing MQTT, CoAP and LwM2M devices on one brokernot Instaclustr

Instaclustr

  • An enterprise running Cassandra and Kafka that cannot hire and retain specialists for bothnot EMQX
  • A company with cloud committed spend that wants managed data infrastructure to draw down that commitment through the bring-your-own-cloud modelnot EMQX
  • A team that left Elastic over the licence change and wants OpenSearch operated by someone else without another proprietary forknot EMQX
  • An organisation migrating off Amazon MSK or Keyspaces that wants the same open source software with vendor operations but portability intactnot EMQX

Where each one falls short

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

EMQX

  • The move to Business Source Licence 1.1 at version 5.9 in May 2025 limits free production use to a single node, so the clustering that justifies choosing EMQX now requires a paid subscription from the second node onward.
  • The relicensing arrived in a minor release, which caught users who had pinned to 5.x expecting Apache 2.0 terms and forced legal review of existing deployments.
  • Running an Erlang/OTP cluster well requires operational knowledge most teams do not have, and diagnosing distribution, mnesia or memory issues means learning a runtime you use for nothing else.
  • Enterprise pricing is quoted rather than published for the self-managed edition, so the cost of the clustered configuration you actually need is invisible until you talk to sales.
  • The Serverless tier caps at around a thousand connections and shares infrastructure, which makes it a prototyping tier rather than a genuine small production option.

Instaclustr

  • Pricing is only obtainable through a configurator or sales conversation, so comparing against AWS MSK or Confluent list prices requires several rounds of quotes rather than a spreadsheet.
  • It manages infrastructure, not data modelling, so a poor Cassandra partition key or a mis-sized Kafka topic still causes outages that the managed service will not prevent.
  • NetApp ownership since 2022 has put the roadmap inside a large storage vendor, and the product is now one line in a portfolio rather than the whole company.
  • The catalogue is broad but each technology is served at a general level, so teams needing deep, vendor-specific tuning often find a specialist provider goes further on their one technology.
  • Bring your own cloud reduces lock-in but shifts networking, IAM and VPC peering complexity onto the customer, which needs cloud engineering capacity the managed service was meant to save.

Pricing, plan by plan

EMQX

Free
  • Open Source single nodeFree
    • BSL 1.1 licence since version 5.9
    • Free production use of one node only
    • All former enterprise features visible
  • ServerlessFree
    • Free monthly quota then pay as you go
    • Up to 1,000 connections
    • 8 by 5 support
  • Dedicated Flex$234/month
    • Single tenant cluster
    • Traffic allowance included
    • 24/7 support
  • Enterprise self-managed$undefined/year
    • Deploy on premises, at the edge or in any cloud
    • Clustering licensed
    • 256 MB maximum message size

Instaclustr

On request
  • Instaclustr Managed Platform$undefined/month
    • Priced per node size, technology, cloud provider and region
    • Interactive calculator requires configuration before a figure appears
    • Discounts on 12 month commitment

Which should you pick?

Choose EMQX if

  • You need erlang clustering.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOS.
  • You also want mqtt 5.0 and quic.
EMQX review

Choose Instaclustr if

  • You need unmodified open source.
  • You work on Cloud, Linux.
  • You also want bring your own cloud.
Instaclustr review

Questions people ask

Is EMQX or Instaclustr better?
Neither clearly leads. EMQX starts at Free and Instaclustr at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, EMQX or Instaclustr?
EMQX has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for EMQX and On request for Instaclustr.
Does EMQX or Instaclustr run on more platforms?
EMQX runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud, macOS. Instaclustr runs on Cloud, Linux.
Can I use EMQX for free?
Yes. EMQX has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Instaclustr starts at On request.
What is EMQX best used for?
EMQX is most often used for a connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent mqtt sessions with quic for handover across mobile networks, an industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into timescaledb or kafka without writing a consumer service, an iot product team that has outgrown a single mosquitto instance and needs clustering and shared subscriptions, a smart building deployment mixing mqtt, coap and lwm2m devices on one broker. Of those, a connected vehicle platform needing millions of persistent mqtt sessions with quic for handover across mobile networks and an industrial operator routing sensor telemetry straight into timescaledb or kafka without writing a consumer service are not what Instaclustr is typically brought in for.
What can EMQX do that Instaclustr cannot?
EMQX covers Erlang clustering, MQTT 5.0 and QUIC, Rule engine, Data integration sinks. Instaclustr covers Unmodified open source, Bring your own cloud, Multi technology platform, 24/7 operations.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

EMQX: Is EMQX still open source?

Not in the OSI sense since version 5.9. It is source-available under Business Source Licence 1.1, reverting to Apache 2.0 four years after each release.

Instaclustr: Does Instaclustr modify the open source software?

No. Its stated commitment is one hundred per cent open source with no proprietary extensions, which is the main reason licence-averse buyers choose it.

EMQX: Can I run a free cluster?

No. The additional use grant permits free production use of one node; clustering requires a commercial licence.

Instaclustr: Who owns Instaclustr?

NetApp, which acquired the company in 2022. It is now branded NetApp Instaclustr.

EMQX: What changed for existing users?

Community and enterprise editions merged, so all features are now visible, but the licence terms tightened in the same minor release.

Instaclustr: Is pricing published?

No. There is an interactive calculator, but figures depend on technology, node size, cloud and region, and commitments are negotiated.

EMQX: Which version is still Apache 2.0?

Releases before 5.9 remain under Apache 2.0, and each BSL release converts to Apache 2.0 four years after publication.

Instaclustr: Can clusters run in my own cloud account?

Yes, through the bring-your-own-cloud model, so the infrastructure spend also counts toward your cloud commitment.

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