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Automation Integration · head to head

jBPM vs Eclipse Mosquitto

jBPM logo

jBPM

Automation Integration

Long-running Java BPMN engine, now developed inside Apache KIE with commercial support from IBM

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Eclipse Mosquitto logo

Eclipse Mosquitto

Networking

Small, EPL-licensed MQTT broker that runs on hardware other brokers cannot

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: jBPM the project moved to the Apache Software Foundation as Apache KIE and is still in incubation, which is a weaker governance signal than a vendor-owned product and a harder case to make to an architecture board.; Eclipse Mosquitto there is no clustering: Mosquitto is a single process, so high availability means building your own failover and accepting session loss on switchover.
  • They diverge on capability: jBPM covers BPMN 2.0 execution, Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which jBPM and Eclipse Mosquitto actually diverge.

Attributes where jBPM and Eclipse Mosquitto differ
AttributejBPMEclipse Mosquitto
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, KubernetesLinux, Windows, macOS, Docker
CategoryAutomation IntegrationNetworking

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), 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 jBPM

  • BPMN 2.0 execution
  • Drools integration
  • Human task service
  • Kogito compilation
  • Process designer
  • Timers and signals
  • REST and Java APIs
  • Case management

Only in Eclipse Mosquitto

  • MQTT 5.0 support
  • Very small footprint
  • Bridging
  • WebSockets listener
  • Command line clients
  • Dynamic security plugin

What people use each for

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

jBPM

  • A Java organisation already running jBPM 7 that needs to decide between the Apache KIE line, Kogito or migration awaynot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A team that wants BPMN processes and Drools business rules executing in one runtime without integrating two productsnot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A government or banking system with long-running processes needing durable timers and full audit history at no licence costnot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A Quarkus estate adopting Kogito to run compiled processes with container-appropriate startup timesnot Eclipse Mosquitto

Eclipse Mosquitto

  • A home or building automation stack where the broker must run on the same small computer as everything elsenot jBPM
  • An industrial gateway that buffers local telemetry and bridges selected topics to a cloud brokernot jBPM
  • Local development and testing of MQTT clients without provisioning a cloud IoT servicenot jBPM
  • An air-gapped deployment where a broker with no licence server and no phone-home behaviour is a requirementnot jBPM

Where each one falls short

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

jBPM

  • The project moved to the Apache Software Foundation as Apache KIE and is still in incubation, which is a weaker governance signal than a vendor-owned product and a harder case to make to an architecture board.
  • The classic jBPM 7.x line has not had a Red Hat-sponsored release since 2023, so staying on it means running effectively frozen software while the development happens under a different name.
  • Kogito is architecturally different from the classic runtime, using ahead-of-time compilation, so moving forward is a migration project rather than a version upgrade.
  • Commercial support has shifted to IBM Business Automation Manager Open Editions, which means renegotiating with a different vendor under different terms than Red Hat customers signed.
  • The tooling and workbench have long been the weakest part, and organisations routinely build their own process administration interfaces because the shipped ones are dated.

Eclipse Mosquitto

  • There is no clustering: Mosquitto is a single process, so high availability means building your own failover and accepting session loss on switchover.
  • Persistence is a local file rather than a replicated store, so a disk failure or an unclean shutdown can lose retained messages and queued QoS traffic.
  • Practical capacity is a few thousand concurrent clients on typical hardware, so a growing device fleet eventually forces a migration to a clustered broker.
  • The Eclipse Public Licence is weak copyleft rather than permissive, which some legal teams treat as a blocker when embedding the broker in a shipped commercial product.
  • There is no commercial support to buy from the project, so production incidents rely on community mailing lists or on paying a third party who happens to know the codebase.

Pricing, plan by plan

jBPM

Free
  • jBPMFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence with no usage restrictions
    • Full BPMN engine, human tasks and Drools integration
    • Community support via Apache KIE mailing lists

Eclipse Mosquitto

Free
  • Eclipse MosquittoFree
    • Eclipse Public License 2.0 with Eclipse Distribution Licence
    • MQTT 5.0, 3.1.1 and 3.1
    • No client or message limits beyond your hardware

Which should you pick?

Choose jBPM if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want drools integration.
jBPM review

Choose Eclipse Mosquitto if

  • You need mqtt 5.0 support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker.
  • You also want very small footprint.
Eclipse Mosquitto review

Questions people ask

Is jBPM or Eclipse Mosquitto better?
Neither clearly leads. jBPM starts at Free and Eclipse Mosquitto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, jBPM or Eclipse Mosquitto?
jBPM starts at Free and Eclipse Mosquitto at Free.
Does jBPM or Eclipse Mosquitto run on more platforms?
jBPM runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Eclipse Mosquitto runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker.
Can I use jBPM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is jBPM best used for?
jBPM is most often used for a java organisation already running jbpm 7 that needs to decide between the apache kie line, kogito or migration away, a team that wants bpmn processes and drools business rules executing in one runtime without integrating two products, a government or banking system with long-running processes needing durable timers and full audit history at no licence cost, a quarkus estate adopting kogito to run compiled processes with container-appropriate startup times. Of those, a java organisation already running jbpm 7 that needs to decide between the apache kie line, kogito or migration away and a team that wants bpmn processes and drools business rules executing in one runtime without integrating two products are not what Eclipse Mosquitto is typically brought in for.
What can jBPM do that Eclipse Mosquitto cannot?
jBPM covers BPMN 2.0 execution, Drools integration, Human task service, Kogito compilation. Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support, Very small footprint, Bridging, WebSockets listener.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

jBPM: Is jBPM dead?

No. Development continues as part of Apache KIE, with releases through 2025, but the Red Hat-sponsored 7.x line has been static since 2023.

Eclipse Mosquitto: Can Mosquitto be clustered?

No. It is a single process. High availability requires an external failover arrangement you build yourself.

jBPM: Who provides commercial support?

IBM, through Business Automation Manager Open Editions, following the transition away from Red Hat Process Automation Manager as a growth product.

Eclipse Mosquitto: What licence is it?

Eclipse Public License 2.0 alongside the Eclipse Distribution License, a weak copyleft rather than a permissive licence.

jBPM: What is Kogito?

The cloud-native successor that compiles processes ahead of time for Quarkus and Spring Boot, architecturally different from the classic jBPM runtime.

Eclipse Mosquitto: How many clients can it handle?

A few thousand concurrent connections on ordinary hardware; beyond that, use a clustered broker.

jBPM: Does it cost anything?

No. It is Apache 2.0 licensed with no fee. Costs are support contracts and the engineering effort to run it.

Eclipse Mosquitto: Does it support MQTT 5?

Yes, along with 3.1.1 and 3.1.

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