Best Event Streaming Platforms in 2026
Updated
In short: Lightstreamer is ranked #1 of 23 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Aiven for Apache Kafka and Apache Pulsar. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Aiven for Apache Kafka. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka at $0.11/mo.
Event streaming platforms carry data produced as events between the systems that create, process, and consume it. The entries are ordered by rank, with RisingWave, Aiven for Apache Kafka, and Apache Pulsar among those near the top. Compared on deployment model and delivery guarantee, they also show connectors, supported client languages, and maximum retention. Check whether stream processing and a schema registry are listed for the workflows you have in mind. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context; deployment preferences and retention needs can help narrow what to compare.
23 event streaming platforms ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
6 of the 23 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LightstreamerWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 6 of 6 | Free | 6.8 | |
| 2 | Aiven for Apache KafkaWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $35/mo | 6.5 | |
| 3 | Apache PulsarWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 4 | Apache RocketMQWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Confluent CloudWeb · Linux · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $385/mo | 6.5 | |
| 6 | DataStax Astra StreamingWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 7 | RisingWaveWeb · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $0.23/mo | 5.6 |
| 8 | PravegaLinux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 9 | RedpandaWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 10 | HadronSelf-hosted | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 11 | Solace PubSub+ Event BrokerWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 12 | Keen Product AnalyticsWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $149/mo | 5.2 |
| 13 | StreamHouseWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 14 | Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache KafkaWeb · Linux · API | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | $0.11/mo | 5.1 |
| 15 | Apache KafkaNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 16 | Amazon Kinesis Data StreamsWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 17 | Google Cloud Managed Service for Apache KafkaWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 18 | Instaclustr Managed PostgreSQLWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 19 | StreamNativeWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $73/mo | 5.0 |
| 20 | Alibaba Cloud Message Queue for Apache KafkaWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 21 | AutoMQWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 22 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure StreamingWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 23 | WisemblyWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | €79/mo | 4.9 |
Compare all 23 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | Maximum retention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lightstreamer | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 2 | Aiven for Apache Kafka | 6.5 | Free plan | $35/mo | Yes | 35 /mo | hybrid | 3 days |
| 3 | Apache Pulsar | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | self-hosted | — |
| 4 | Apache RocketMQ | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | self-hosted | — |
| 5 | Confluent Cloud | 6.5 | Free plan | $385/mo | Yes | 385 /mo | cloud | — |
| 6 | DataStax Astra Streaming | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | cloud | — |
| 7 | RisingWave | 5.6 | No | $0.23/mo | No | — | hybrid | — |
| 8 | Pravega | 5.5 | No | — | Yes | — | self-hosted | — |
| 9 | Redpanda | 5.5 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | — |
| 10 | Hadron | 5.3 | No | — | — | — | self-hosted | — |
| 11 | Solace PubSub+ Event Broker | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | hybrid | — |
| 12 | Keen Product Analytics | 5.2 | No | $149/mo | No | 149 /mo | — | — |
| 13 | StreamHouse | 5.2 | No | — | — | — | hybrid | — |
| 14 | Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka | 5.1 | No | $0.11/mo | — | — | cloud | — |
| 15 | Apache Kafka | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | self-hosted | — |
| 16 | Amazon Kinesis Data Streams | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | cloud | 365 days |
| 17 | Google Cloud Managed Service for Apache Kafka | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | cloud | — |
| 18 | Instaclustr Managed PostgreSQL | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | hybrid | — |
| 19 | StreamNative | 5.0 | No | $73/mo | No | 73 /mo | cloud | — |
| 20 | Alibaba Cloud Message Queue for Apache Kafka | 4.9 | No | — | No | — | cloud | — |
| 21 | AutoMQ | 4.9 | No | — | No | 300 /mo | hybrid | 90 days |
| 22 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Streaming | 4.9 | No | — | No | — | cloud | 7 days |
| 23 | Wisembly | 4.9 | No | €79/mo | No | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which event streaming platform is ranked first on Freedom251?
Lightstreamer is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 6.8. Aiven for Apache Kafka is second and Apache Pulsar third.
How many of these have a free plan?
6 of the 23 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.11/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.