# Apache Kafka vs Inngest

| Attribute | Apache Kafka | Inngest |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 57.2 (49% (low)) | 56.4 (69% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1 | 2 |
| adoption.github_stars | 33,937 | 5,939 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 3,890,048 | 2,477,593 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Apache Kafka is a free system for capturing, storing, and processing data streams in real time. It enables organizations to reliably move large volumes of data between applications and systems, with support for transformations, aggregations, and stateful processing. It is indexed under Message Queues.","source":"https://kafka.apache.org","question":"What is Apache Kafka?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Apache Kafka is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://kafka.apache.org","question":"Is Apache Kafka free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Apache Kafka supports Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://kafka.apache.org","question":"What platforms does Apache Kafka support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Apache Kafka can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://kafka.apache.org","question":"Can Apache Kafka be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 4 integrations for Apache Kafka, including Postgres, JMS, Elasticsearch and AWS S3. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://kafka.apache.org","question":"What does Apache Kafka integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Apache Kafka is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/apache/kafka","question":"Is Apache Kafka open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"Provides an execution layer that automatically handles durability, retries, and state management for background jobs, scheduled tasks, and AI workflows through code-based function definitions. It is indexed under Message Queues.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"What is Inngest?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Inngest is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. A commercial or hosted edition starts at $0.50. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"Is Inngest free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Inngest supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"What platforms does Inngest support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Inngest can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"Can Inngest be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for Inngest, including Datadog, Vercel, OpenAI, Discord and Deno. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"What does Inngest integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and HIPAA for Inngest. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Inngest not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.inngest.com/","question":"What security certifications does Inngest have?","confidence":0.48},{"answer":"Yes. Inngest is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://www.npmjs.com/package/inngest","question":"Is Inngest open source?","confidence":0.85}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source system for capturing, storing, and processing continuous data flows at scale. Used to build real-time analytics, data connectors, and mission-critical applications. | Inngest enables developers to write durable functions with built-in checkpointing and retry logic that survive failures. Functions execute step-by-step with automatic recovery and detailed observability, eliminating the need for manual infrastructure management. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"self","ordering":"per_partition","paradigm":"pubsub","protocol":"Binary over TCP (SSL/SASL for authentication/encryption)","message_replay":true,"persistent_log":true,"consumer_groups":true,"geo_replication":true,"kafka_compatible":true,"managed_offering":false,"stream_processing":true,"delivery_guarantee":"exactly_once","horizontal_scaling":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","paradigm":"durable_exec","protocol":"HTTPS","message_replay":true,"persistent_log":true,"consumer_groups":false,"kafka_compatible":false,"managed_offering":true,"stream_processing":false,"delivery_guarantee":"at_least_once","horizontal_scaling":true}` |
| integrations.count | 4 | 3 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Postgres"},{"name":"JMS"},{"name":"Elasticsearch"},{"name":"AWS S3"}]` | `[{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Discord"},{"name":"Deno"},{"name":"PostgreSQL","native":true,"category":"database"}]` |
| language.primary | Java | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://kafka.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T13:46:57.642Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Hobby","summary":"Free","features":["50k executions","5 concurrent executions","500 MB span data ingested","10K scores","500k events ingested","100k queue depth","50 realtime connections","Basic tracing, metrics, and alerts","3 users","3 workers","Unlimited serverless workers"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For individual developers and small projects getting started with durable execution.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"3","events":"500k/mo","scores":"10K","workers":"3","span_data":"500 MB","executions":"50k/mo","queue_depth":"100k","realtime_connections":"50","concurrent_executions":"5"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"Starting at $99/mo + metered usage","features":["1M executions included","Pay as you go up to 20M","100+ concurrent executions","5 GB span data ingested","50K scores","5M+ events ingested","1M+ queue depth","1000 realtime connections","Granular tracing, metrics, alerts + 7 day trace retention","Increased throughput","15 users","20 workers","Unlimited serverless workers"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":25,"unit":"concurrent_execution"},"kind":"metered","amount":25,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"gb"},"kind":"metered","amount":3,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000000,"unit":"event"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.5,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1000,"unit":"score"},"kind":"metered","amount":1.5,"currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"user","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"worker","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing teams building production-ready workflows with increased scale and reliability.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"15","events":"5M+/mo","scores":"50K","workers":"20","span_data":"5 GB","executions":"1M + pay as you go up to 20M","queue_depth":"1M+","realtime_connections":"1000","concurrent_executions":"100+"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing. Contact sales.","features":["Custom executions","Custom concurrent executions","Custom span data ingested","Custom scores","Custom events ingested","Custom queue depth","Custom realtime connections","Advanced tracing, metrics, alerts + 90 day trace retention","Dedicated Slack channel","SAML, RBAC, audit trails"],"description":"For organizations running critical workflows at scale with advanced security, support, and customization.","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"HIPAA BAAs"},{"name":"Advanced observability","components":[{"kind":"one_time","amount":300,"currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"Free tier available. Pro from $99/mo + metered usage.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.inngest.com/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T22:31:13.499Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| release.cadence_days | - | 4 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.46.0","date":"2026-10-06T15:01:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.46.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.45.1","date":"2026-09-17T20:51:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.45.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.45.0","date":"2026-09-17T18:14:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.45.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.44.0","date":"2026-08-26T20:55:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.44.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.43.0","date":"2026-08-20T15:03:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.43.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.42.0","date":"2026-08-19T16:58:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.42.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.41.1","date":"2026-08-05T18:45:29Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.41.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.41.0","date":"2026-08-03T22:45:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.41.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.40.0","date":"2026-07-30T21:12:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.40.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.39.0","date":"2026-07-28T16:50:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.39.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.38.1","date":"2026-07-21T21:45:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.38.0","date":"2026-07-21T20:00:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.37.0","date":"2026-07-14T21:06:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.36.0","date":"2026-07-08T21:24:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.35.0","date":"2026-07-07T23:33:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.34.0","date":"2026-06-29T17:37:09Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.33.1-test.3","date":"2026-06-25T16:32:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.33.1-test.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.33.1-test.2","date":"2026-06-24T00:54:39Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.33.1-test.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.33.0","date":"2026-06-23T17:42:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.32.0","date":"2026-06-22T23:34:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.32.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active","evidenceUrl":"https://www.inngest.com/docs/learn/security"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 6.1 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://www.inngest.com/docs/learn/security |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fapache%2Fkafka&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=inngest-cli&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Message Queues)

| Capability | Apache Kafka | Inngest |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Messaging paradigm | Pub/sub | Durable execution |
| **Correctness** |  |  |
| Delivery guarantee | Exactly-once | At-least-once |
| Ordering guarantee | Per-partition | - |
| **Durability** |  |  |
| Durable replayable log | ✓ | ✓ |
| Message replay / rewind | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Interop** |  |  |
| Wire protocol | Binary over TCP (SSL/SASL for authentication/encryption) | HTTPS |
| Kafka-protocol compatible | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Scale** |  |  |
| Partitioned horizontal scaling | ✓ | ✓ |
| Geo / cross-region replication | ✓ | - |
| **Consumption** |  |  |
| Consumer groups / competing consumers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Dead-letter queue | - | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Managed cloud offering exists | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hosting | Self-hosted only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Processing** |  |  |
| Built-in stream processing | ✓ | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:04:31.076Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*