Best Message Queue (MQ) Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Aiven for Apache Kafka is ranked #1 of 27 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Amazon SQS and Confluent Cloud. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Amazon SQS. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka at $0.11/mo.
Message queue software moves messages between services and applications, and the entries vary in deployment, protocol support and delivery behavior. Compare delivery guarantees, message retention and maximum message size to see how each handles messages over time and across workloads. Throughput limits are another point of comparison, alongside deployment options and supported protocols. The list also notes whether a free plan is available and the paid starting point. Aiven for Apache Kafka, Amazon SQS and Confluent Cloud are among the entries at the top. Use these characteristics to compare how queue options align with your requirements for message handling and infrastructure.
27 message queue (MQ) software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | App | Score | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment | Delivery guarantee | Protocols | Message retention | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aiven for Apache Kafka | 6.4 | $35/mo | Yes | 35 /mo | — | — | — | — | View |
| 2 | Amazon SQS | 6.4 | Free | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 3 | Confluent Cloud | 6.4 | $385/mo | Yes | 385 /mo | — | — | — | — | View |
| 4 | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 6.4 | $40/mo | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 5 | Redpanda | 6.4 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 6 | Apache ActiveMQ | 6.3 | Free | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 7 | Apache Pulsar | 6.3 | Free | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 8 | EMQX | 6.3 | $234/mo | Yes | 234 /mo | — | — | — | — | View |
| 9 |  HiveMQ MQTT Broker | 6.3 | $0.34/mo | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 10 | RabbitMQ | 6.3 | Free | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 11 | IBM MQ | 6.2 | $1.02/mo | Yes | 312 /mo | — | — | — | — | View |
| 12 | Azure App Service | 5.9 | Free | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 13 | Solace PubSub+ Event Broker | 5.8 | — | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 14 | Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka | 5.6 | $0.11/mo | — | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 15 |  beanstalkd | 5.5 | — | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 16 | Eclipse Mosquitto | 5.5 | — | Yes | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 17 | Google Cloud Managed Service for Apache Kafka | 5.3 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 18 |  StreamNative | 5.3 | $73/mo | No | 73 /mo | — | — | — | — | View |
| 19 | Tencent Distributed Message Queue (TDMQ) | 5.1 | — | — | — | cloud | — | Pulsar, RocketMQ, RabbitMQ | — | View |
| 20 |  Apache Kafka | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 21 |  VerneMQ | 4.9 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 22 | Amazon MQ | 4.7 | — | No | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 23 |  Apache Qpid Broker-J | 4.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 24 |  Apache RocketMQ | 4.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | View |
| 25 |  NATS | 4.7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | View |
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 queue (MQ) software is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Aiven for Apache Kafka is ranked #1 of 27 with a score of 6.4. Amazon SQS is second and Confluent Cloud third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 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 Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.11/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.