Top Alternatives to Mosquitto MQTT Broker
Introduction to MQTT and Mosquitto
MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight, publish-subscribe messaging protocol designed for IoT (Internet of Things) and real-time applications. Due to its efficiency and low bandwidth consumption, MQTT is widely used in industries such as smart homes, industrial automation, and connected vehicles.
Eclipse Mosquitto is one of the most popular open-source MQTT brokers, known for its simplicity, lightweight nature, and cross-platform support. However, depending on specific requirements like scalability, security, or cloud integration, users may seek alternatives that offer additional features.
In this article, we will explore various open-source and cloud-based MQTT brokers that serve as viable alternatives to Mosquitto.
Why Look for Mosquitto Alternatives?
While Mosquitto is a great MQTT broker, it has some limitations, such as:
- Limited scalability: While Mosquitto is lightweight and efficient, it is not the best choice for handling millions of simultaneous connections.
- Basic authentication and security: Although it supports authentication and TLS, advanced security features like OAuth or JWT-based authentication require external configurations.
- Limited built-in clustering: Mosquitto doesn’t natively support clustering; external solutions are needed.
- Lack of built-in monitoring and analytics: Other brokers offer better monitoring tools for debugging and optimizing MQTT traffic.
If your application requires high scalability, better security, or built-in analytics, one of the following MQTT brokers may be a better choice.
Best Open-Source MQTT Brokers
1. EMQX – High-Performance, Scalable MQTT Broker
Overview:
is one of the most powerful and scalable open-source MQTT brokers, designed to handle millions of connections. It supports both MQTT 3.1.1 and MQTT 5.0, making it a modern and feature-rich alternative to Mosquitto.
Key Features:
✅ High Scalability: Can handle millions of concurrent MQTT connections.
✅ Clustering Support: Built-in clustering for high availability and fault tolerance.
✅ Multi-Protocol Support: Supports MQTT, WebSockets, CoAP, and HTTP APIs.
✅ Security & Authentication: Supports TLS/SSL, JWT, OAuth2, and various authentication mechanisms.
✅ Rule Engine & Data Integration: Allows transforming and routing MQTT messages using SQL-like queries.
✅ Enterprise Features: The paid version includes monitoring, tracing, and Kubernetes support.
Use Cases:
- Large-scale IoT deployments
- Smart cities
- Industrial automation
- Cloud-integrated MQTT solutions
Why Choose EMQX Over Mosquitto?
- Better scalability and clustering capabilities
- Built-in security and monitoring features
- Supports multiple messaging protocols beyond MQTT
2. HiveMQ – Enterprise-Ready MQTT Broker
Overview:
is a highly optimized MQTT broker designed for enterprise use cases. It is available in both open-source (HiveMQ Community Edition) and commercial versions with advanced features.
Key Features:
✅ Scalable Architecture: Supports high-throughput messaging and clustering.
✅ MQTT 5.0 Support: Implements advanced MQTT 5 features such as enhanced session management and flow control.
✅ Enterprise-Grade Security: Supports TLS, X.509 certificates, and fine-grained access control.
✅ Observability & Monitoring: Comes with built-in monitoring tools and dashboard integration.
✅ Cloud-Native Deployment: Supports Kubernetes, Docker, and cloud platforms.
Use Cases:
- Industrial IoT
- Connected vehicles
- Financial services and smart banking
- Large-scale enterprise MQTT deployments
Why Choose HiveMQ Over Mosquitto?
- Better performance for large-scale applications
- Native MQTT 5 support with advanced features
- More enterprise-friendly security and observability tools
3. VerneMQ – A Distributed MQTT Broker for High Availability
Overview:
is an MQTT broker written in Erlang, designed for high availability and scalability. It is ideal for distributed systems requiring fault tolerance.
Key Features:
✅ Clustering & High Availability: Automatically distributes MQTT messages across a cluster of nodes.
✅ Multi-Tenancy Support: Allows different clients to share the same broker securely.
✅ Authentication & Authorization: Supports various authentication mechanisms, including OAuth 2.0 and JWT.
✅ Pluggable Architecture: Allows custom extensions in Elixir, Python, or JavaScript.
Use Cases:
- IoT applications with high availability requirements
- Financial transactions and banking applications
- Edge computing environments
Why Choose VerneMQ Over Mosquitto?
- Built-in clustering for large-scale applications
- More robust authentication and authorization options
- Better fault tolerance for distributed environments
4. RabbitMQ (with MQTT Plugin) – Multi-Protocol Message Broker
Overview:
is a general-purpose message broker that supports multiple protocols, including MQTT, AMQP, and WebSockets. It is a great choice if you need MQTT integration with other messaging systems.
Key Features:
✅ Multi-Protocol Support: Connects MQTT, AMQP, STOMP, and HTTP clients.
✅ Message Queuing & Persistence: Offers durable message storage and delivery confirmation.
✅ High Availability & Clustering: Provides built-in clustering support.
✅ Pluggable Architecture: Supports various extensions and integrations.
Use Cases:
- Hybrid messaging systems combining MQTT with other protocols
- Financial applications requiring message persistence
- Enterprise message queuing systems
Why Choose RabbitMQ Over Mosquitto?
- Supports multiple messaging protocols
- Built-in queuing and message persistence
- Strong integration with enterprise applications
Cloud-Based MQTT Broker Alternatives
1. AWS IoT Core
- Fully managed MQTT broker by Amazon Web Services
- Supports MQTT over TLS and WebSockets
- Integrates with AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, and other cloud services
- Scalable and secure for IoT applications
2. Azure IoT Hub
- Microsoft’s managed MQTT service
- Supports device authentication and secure messaging
- Integrates with Azure Machine Learning and analytics tools
3. IBM Watson IoT Platform
- Supports MQTT with advanced analytics and AI-powered insights
- Cloud-based and integrates with IBM Cloud services
Conclusion: Which MQTT Broker Should You Choose?
| Feature | Mosquitto | EMQX | HiveMQ | VerneMQ | RabbitMQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scalability | ❌ Limited | ✅ High | ✅ High | ✅ High | ✅ High |
| Clustering | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Security | ⚠️ Basic | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced | ✅ Advanced |
| Protocol Support | MQTT | MQTT, CoAP, WebSockets | MQTT | MQTT | MQTT, AMQP, STOMP |
| Enterprise Features | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
If you need a simple, lightweight broker, Mosquitto is fine. But if you need scalability, clustering, and advanced security, EMQX, HiveMQ, or VerneMQ are better choices.
Which broker are you considering for your project? 🚀
