Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka
6.1#13 in event streaming platformsFrom $0.11 a monthWebAPILinux
VisitAmazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka vs Confluent Cloud
Confluent Cloud
7.1#3 in schema registry softwareFrom $385 a monthFree planWebAPILinux
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka | Confluent Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Cluster options | MSK offers Provisioned clusters, where customers choose broker and storage options, and Serverless clusters, which automatically adjust resources to workload needs. | The page lists Basic, Standard, Enterprise, and Freight clusters, alongside Dedicated clusters for workloads needing pre-provisioned resources. |
| Integrations | Listed integrations include Amazon S3, Amazon Redshift, Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink, AWS Lambda, AWS Glue Schema Registry, and AWS Database Migration Service. | Confluent Cloud offers pre-built and fully managed Kafka connectors for sources and sinks such as databases, data lakes, and data warehouses. |
| Security | MSK supports IAM access control, SASL/SCRAM or mutual TLS authentication for Provisioned clusters, and encryption at rest and in transit. | The page names RBAC, self-managed encryption keys, client-side field-level encryption, and audit logs among its security features. |
Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka plans
- MSK Connect$0.11 a month
- MSK Provisioned — Standard brokers$0.20 a month
- MSK Replicator$0.30 a month
- MSK Provisioned — Express brokers$0.41 a month
- MSK Serverless$0.75 a month
Confluent Cloud plans
- BasicFree
- Standard$385 a month
- Enterprise$895 a month
- Confluent CloudFree
Pick Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka if…
MSK is aimed at developers and DevOps or platform engineers building streaming applications on AWS. It suits teams that want managed Kafka operations and can account for usage-based charges across brokers, storage, processing, or connectivity.
Pick Confluent Cloud if…
Confluent Cloud suits teams building real-time streaming, event-driven, analytics, or AI/ML workflows. Its options include managed connectors, stream processing, and cross-cluster data sharing.