Comparison

Apache Kafka vs ZeroMQ

On the evidence we track, Apache Kafka leads this comparison with a composite score of 57/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Apache Kafka57
ZeroMQ49
Score
vioscaleAI score
Apache Kafka57 / 100low · 49%
ZeroMQ49 / 100medium · 58%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ✓
Model
Apache Kafkaopen_source
Price level
Apache Kafkafree
ZeroMQfree
Transparent
Apache Kafka–
ZeroMQ✓
Integrations
Count
Apache Kafka4
ZeroMQ11
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Kafka1
ZeroMQ2,003
Github stars
Apache Kafka33,937
ZeroMQ11,016
Package downloads weekly
Apache Kafka3,890,048
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Kafka100
ZeroMQ0
Release
Cadence days
Apache Kafka–
ZeroMQ114
History
Apache Kafka–
ZeroMQ13 items
License
Spdx
Apache KafkaApache-2.0
ZeroMQMPL-2.0
Language
Primary
Apache KafkaJava
ZeroMQC++
Market
Availability
ZeroMQ–
Content
Faq
Apache Kafka6 items
ZeroMQ6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for message queues. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Messaging paradigm
Apache KafkaPub/sub
ZeroMQPub/sub
Correctness
Delivery guarantee
Apache KafkaExactly-once
ZeroMQ-
Ordering guarantee
Apache KafkaPer-partition
ZeroMQ-
Durability
Durable replayable log
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-
Message replay / rewind
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-
Interop
Wire protocol
Apache KafkaBinary over TCP (SSL/SASL for authentication/encryption)
ZeroMQZMTP/3.1
Kafka-protocol compatible
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-
Scale
Partitioned horizontal scaling
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ✓
Geo / cross-region replication
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-
Consumption
Consumer groups / competing consumers
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-
Dead-letter queue
Apache Kafka-
ZeroMQ-
Deployment
Managed cloud offering exists
Apache Kafka✗
ZeroMQ✗
Hosting
Apache KafkaSelf-hosted only
ZeroMQSelf-hosted only
Processing
Built-in stream processing
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache Kafka

Leader

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.

Independently observed

ZeroMQ

Enables programs to exchange information through sockets across multiple protocols and network types, with built-in support for various communication patterns such as broadcast, queue-based delivery, and request-response architectures

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache Kafka

Leader
Open source
as of verify ↗

ZeroMQ

Open source
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Android
Apache Kafka✗
ZeroMQ✓
Windows
Apache Kafka✗
ZeroMQ✓
Linux
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ✓
CLI
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ✗
Deployment
Self-hosted
Apache Kafka✓
ZeroMQ✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Apache Kafka

Leader
4 total
  • Postgres
  • JMS
  • Elasticsearch
  • AWS S3
Independently observed

ZeroMQ

11 total
  • Microsoft
  • Samsung
  • AT&T
  • Spotify
  • Facebook
  • Digital Ocean
  • Auth0
  • Bitcoin
  • Jupyter
  • Mongrel2
  • Jina
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Apache Kafka or ZeroMQ: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.