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Networking · head to head

Eclipse Mosquitto vs ZeroTier

Eclipse Mosquitto logo

Eclipse Mosquitto

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
ZeroTier logo

ZeroTier

Networking

Software-defined mesh networking, free up to 10 devices and one network, then billed per device

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.; ZeroTier the free tier caps at 10 devices and 1 network, which a small business will outgrow quickly and then face both a base plan fee and per-device overage charges
  • They diverge on capability: Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support, ZeroTier covers Peer-to-peer mesh networking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Eclipse Mosquitto and ZeroTier differ
AttributeEclipse MosquittoZeroTier
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeFree up to 10 devices and 1 network, then per additional device per month
PlatformsLinux, Windows, macOS, DockerWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android

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 Eclipse Mosquitto

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

Only in ZeroTier

  • Peer-to-peer mesh networking
  • Free personal tier
  • Per-device overage pricing
  • Multiple networks
  • Cross-platform clients

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 ZeroTier
  • An industrial gateway that buffers local telemetry and bridges selected topics to a cloud brokernot ZeroTier
  • Local development and testing of MQTT clients without provisioning a cloud IoT servicenot ZeroTier
  • An air-gapped deployment where a broker with no licence server and no phone-home behaviour is a requirementnot ZeroTier

ZeroTier

  • A hobbyist or small home lab wanting free virtual LAN connectivity across devices without a business tiernot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A small business connecting a handful of remote offices or remote workers into one virtual network on the Essential plannot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A growing company scaling past the free device limit that needs multiple networks and predictable per-device overage pricingnot Eclipse Mosquitto
  • A service provider or large IoT deployer needing custom Enterprise or Quantum packaging for very large device countsnot 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.

ZeroTier

  • The free tier caps at 10 devices and 1 network, which a small business will outgrow quickly and then face both a base plan fee and per-device overage charges
  • Per-additional-device pricing on Essential ($2.00 each) is proportionally expensive for a team that grows just past the included count, since the jump from free to paid is immediate once the 11th device joins
  • Relay fallback, when a direct peer-to-peer path cannot be established (common behind certain NAT or firewall configurations), routes traffic through ZeroTier's infrastructure, adding latency and a dependency the buyer does not fully control
  • Enterprise and Quantum tiers are entirely custom-quoted, so very large deployments cannot be budgeted from the public pricing page
  • Network administration for larger deployments (Scale and above) still requires understanding ZeroTier's access control and network rule model, which has a real learning curve beyond simple device joining
  • As with any software-defined mesh network, security depends on correctly configured network authorization; a misconfigured network can expose devices more broadly than intended

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

ZeroTier

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • 10 devices included
    • 1 network
  • Essential$18/month
    • 10 devices included
    • 10 networks
    • $2.00 per additional device/month
  • Scale$179/month
    • 100 devices included
    • Unlimited networks
    • $1.80 per additional device/month

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 ZeroTier if

  • You need peer-to-peer mesh networking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
  • You also want free personal tier.
ZeroTier review

Questions people ask

Is Eclipse Mosquitto or ZeroTier better?
Neither clearly leads. Eclipse Mosquitto starts at Free and ZeroTier at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Eclipse Mosquitto or ZeroTier?
Eclipse Mosquitto starts at Free and ZeroTier at Free.
Does Eclipse Mosquitto or ZeroTier run on more platforms?
Eclipse Mosquitto runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Docker. ZeroTier runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
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 ZeroTier is typically brought in for.
What can Eclipse Mosquitto do that ZeroTier cannot?
Eclipse Mosquitto covers MQTT 5.0 support, Very small footprint, Bridging, WebSockets listener. ZeroTier covers Peer-to-peer mesh networking, Free personal tier, Per-device overage pricing, Multiple networks.

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.

ZeroTier: Is ZeroTier free for personal use?

Yes, the Personal plan is free for up to 10 devices and 1 network.

Eclipse Mosquitto: What licence is it?

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

ZeroTier: How does overage pricing work?

Beyond a plan's included device count, additional devices are billed individually per month, at $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 each on Scale.

Eclipse Mosquitto: How many clients can it handle?

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

ZeroTier: Is there a nonprofit or education discount?

Yes, registered charities and educational organisations receive up to 50% off.

Eclipse Mosquitto: Does it support MQTT 5?

Yes, along with 3.1.1 and 3.1.

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