Side by side

Aiven for Apache Kafka vs Apache Kafka

Both stand on message queue (mq) software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Aiven for Apache Kafka

Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+1

Aiven for Apache Kafka combines managed operations with storage, monitoring, and integration features. Check the plan limits and cloud availability against your workload before choosing a tier.

Visit Aiven for Apache Kafka

Choose Apache Kafka if you need a free, open-source stream-processing system that supports stateful processing and event-time windows and can be self-hosted. Its listed client options cover several languages and REST APIs. Look elsewhere if SQL processing is required.

Visit Apache Kafka

The facts

	Aiven for Apache Kafka	Apache Kafka
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Yes	Not published
Runs on	API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web	API, Self-hosted
Lowest paid plan	Developer: $35 a month	Free or on request
Plans published	3	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	aiven.io	kafka.apache.org
On message queue (mq) software	#1 of 29	#11 of 29

Aiven for Apache Kafka: what it does well

Managed provisioning, patching, backups, and security
Runs on six listed cloud providers
Includes Schema Registry and REST proxy
Predictive consumer-lag monitoring
Free plan and 30-day trial

What to know first

Free throughput capped at 250 KiB/s
Free retention limited to three days
Free plan limited to five topics
Developer starts at $35 a month

Apache Kafka: what it does well

Free and open source.
Self-hosted deployment model.
Supports stateful processing and event-time windows.
Delivery guarantee is listed as both.
Client options include Java, Scala, Go, Python, C, C++, and REST APIs.

What to know first

SQL processing is not supported.
Teams must use the self-hosted deployment model.

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