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Networking · head to head

Eclipse Mosquitto vs Serverless Framework

Eclipse Mosquitto logo

Eclipse Mosquitto

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Serverless Framework logo

Serverless Framework

Cloud

Build and deploy serverless applications on AWS Lambda

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Serverless Framework exclusive to AWS Lambda - no support for other cloud providers
  • They diverge on capability: Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support, Serverless Framework covers YAML configuration.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Eclipse Mosquitto and Serverless Framework actually diverge.

Attributes where Eclipse Mosquitto and Serverless Framework differ
AttributeEclipse MosquittoServerless Framework
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUnknown
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, DockerAWS Lambda, AWS API Gateway, AWS CloudFormation
CategoryNetworkingCloud

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 Eclipse Mosquitto

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

Only in Serverless Framework

  • YAML configuration
  • Single command deployment
  • Extensible plugin ecosystem
  • Multi-language support
  • Unified dashboard
  • Built-in metrics and alerts

What people use each for

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

Eclipse Mosquitto

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

Serverless Framework

  • Deploying APIs and microservices to AWS Lambdanot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • Building event-driven applications with serverless functionsnot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • Managing multi-language serverless projectsnot Eclipse Mosquitto

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Serverless Framework

  • Exclusive to AWS Lambda - no support for other cloud providers
  • Paid tier requires credit system that can be confusing for budgeting
  • Plugin ecosystem quality varies significantly

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Serverless Framework

Free
  • FreeFree
    • For organizations with under $2M annual revenue
    • All Framework features included
  • Pay-As-You-Go$4/credit
    • 1 credit = 1 Service Instance or 50K Traces or 4M Metrics
    • Standard rate for larger organizations
  • Reserved Credits$1/credit
    • Discounts up to 74% off (1-year), 77% off (2-year), 80% off (3-year)
    • Additional 10% off for upfront payment

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Serverless Framework if

  • You need yaml configuration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on AWS Lambda, AWS API Gateway, AWS CloudFormation.
  • You also want single command deployment.
Serverless Framework review

Questions people ask

Is Eclipse Mosquitto or Serverless Framework better?
Neither clearly leads. Eclipse Mosquitto starts at Free and Serverless Framework at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Eclipse Mosquitto or Serverless Framework?
Eclipse Mosquitto starts at Free and Serverless Framework at Free.
Does Eclipse Mosquitto or Serverless Framework run on more platforms?
Eclipse Mosquitto runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker. Serverless Framework runs on AWS Lambda, AWS API Gateway, AWS CloudFormation.
Can I use Eclipse Mosquitto for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Eclipse Mosquitto best used for?
Eclipse Mosquitto is most often used for a home or building automation stack where the broker must run on the same small computer as everything else, an industrial gateway that buffers local telemetry and bridges selected topics to a cloud broker, local development and testing of mqtt clients without provisioning a cloud iot service, an air-gapped deployment where a broker with no licence server and no phone-home behaviour is a requirement. Of those, a home or building automation stack where the broker must run on the same small computer as everything else and an industrial gateway that buffers local telemetry and bridges selected topics to a cloud broker are not what Serverless Framework is typically brought in for.
What can Eclipse Mosquitto do that Serverless Framework cannot?
Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support, Very small footprint, Bridging, WebSockets listener. Serverless Framework covers YAML configuration, Single command deployment, Extensible plugin ecosystem, Multi-language support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Eclipse Mosquitto: Can Mosquitto be clustered?

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

Serverless Framework: When do I have to pay for Serverless Framework?

The Serverless Framework CLI v4+ is free for organizations earning under $2 million annually. Organizations earning more must purchase credits at $4 per credit standard rate or reserved credits starting at $1 per credit with volume discounts.

Source
Eclipse Mosquitto: What licence is it?

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

Serverless Framework: What cloud providers does Serverless Framework support?

Serverless Framework is exclusive to AWS Lambda. It does not support other cloud providers like Azure or Google Cloud.

Source
Eclipse Mosquitto: How many clients can it handle?

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

Serverless Framework: What does one credit cover?

One credit equals 1 Service Instance, 50,000 Traces, or 4 Million Metrics.

Source
Eclipse Mosquitto: Does it support MQTT 5?

Yes, along with 3.1.1 and 3.1.

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