Best Message Broker Software in 2026
Updated
In short: HiveMQ MQTT Broker is ranked #1 of 38 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of RabbitMQ and Apache Artemis. The best-ranked option with a free plan is RabbitMQ. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon SNS at $0.06/mo.
Message brokers pass messages between applications and services, so the details of delivery and deployment can shape which option fits your system. Compare supported protocols and deployment models, then review delivery guarantees, ordering guarantees, and dead-letter queues for the controls each entry lists. Maximum message size can help distinguish requirements for the messages you handle, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. RabbitMQ, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, and Apache Artemis appear at the top of the ranking, followed by Amazon SQS and Apache ActiveMQ. Consider how your applications exchange messages and what delivery behavior you need as you compare these ranked options.
38 message broker software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
#1 HiveMQ MQTT Broker Top pick · 7.1 Free plan · $299/mo
#2 RabbitMQ Runner-up · 7.1 Free plan · Free
#3 Apache Artemis Also great · 7.0 Free plan · Free
- Free planFree trial apiLinuxself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$299/mofirst paid tier About HiveMQ MQTT BrokerVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiLinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan LinuxmacOSself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_partition
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$0.06/mofirst paid tier About Amazon SNSVisit site - Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 19 /mo
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$19/mofirst paid tier About CloudAMQPVisit site - Free planFree trial apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$40/mofirst paid tier About Google Cloud Pub/SubVisit site - Free plan apiWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 234 /mo
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms$234/mofirst paid tier About EMQXVisit site - LinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsLinuxiOSAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- hybrid
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - AndroidiOSWeb
- Free plan
- No
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- none
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- at_least_once
- Ordering guarantees
- none
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebAndroidiOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- cloud
- Delivery guarantees
- at_least_once
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WebLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - Web
- Deployment model
- hybrid
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
- Dead-letter queues
- Yes
- Ordering guarantees
- per_queue
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsAndroid
- Free plan
- Yes
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsLinux
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms - WindowsmacOSLinux
- Deployment model
- self_hosted
- Delivery guarantees
- configurable
RecognisedDocumentedFree planPlatforms
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which message broker software is ranked first on Everything Xiaomi?
HiveMQ MQTT Broker is ranked #1 of 38 with a score of 7.1. RabbitMQ is second and Apache Artemis third.
How many of these have a free plan?
10 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon SNS has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.06/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.