vioscaleAI
Comparison

HiveMQ vs PubNub

On the evidence we track, PubNub leads this comparison with a composite score of 81/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

HiveMQ full profile →PubNub full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
HiveMQ55
★PubNub81
Score
vioscaleAI score
HiveMQ55 / 100high · 75%
PubNub81 / 100medium · 61%
Pricing
Free tier
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Model
HiveMQfreemium
PubNubfreemium
Price level
HiveMQhigh
PubNubhigh
Starting price
HiveMQ$299
PubNub$98
Transparent
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Integrations
Count
HiveMQ5
PubNub–
Security
Certifications
Gdpr
HiveMQ–
PubNub✓
Hipaa
HiveMQ–
PubNub✓
Iso27001
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Soc2
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Trust center
Reliability
Sla pct
HiveMQ99.95
PubNub99.999
Status page
HiveMQ–
PubNub✓
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
HiveMQ7 items
PubNub5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for realtime messaging infra. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Presence
HiveMQ-
PubNub✓
Message history replay
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Delivery guarantee
HiveMQAt least once
PubNub-
Global edge network
HiveMQ-
PubNub✓
Scaling model
HiveMQ-
PubNub-
Offline reconnect catchup
HiveMQ-
PubNub✓
Push notification bridge
HiveMQ-
PubNub✓
Auth model
HiveMQMTLS
PubNubToken/JWT
Self hostable
HiveMQ✓
PubNub-
Mqtt support
HiveMQ✓
PubNub-
Deployment
HiveMQHybrid
PubNubCloud hosted
Pricing model
HiveMQConnections metered
PubNubMAU metered

What each one is

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

HiveMQ

HiveMQ is a messaging platform purpose-built around MQTT to transport data from industrial equipment and IoT devices to business applications across hybrid environments. It supports managed cloud, self-hosted, and on-premise deployments with strong security, scalability, and governance features for mission-critical operations.

Independently observed

PubNub

Leader

PubNub provides a cloud-based pub/sub messaging service with integrated presence tracking, message playback, access control, and serverless functions running on a global network with 11 points of presence. The platform consolidates multiple communication services into a single SDK and billing model, with options for regional data residency.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

HiveMQ

from $299/moHybridFree tier

Free tiers available. Production from $299/month. Usage-based and capacity-based options for larger deployments.

  • LabFree
    • TLS encryption
    • Authentication & authorization
    • Free MQTT connectivity
  • Production$299/month
    • TLS encryption
    • RBAC
    • 99.95% Uptime SLA
    • Broker REST API
  • Cloud ServerlessFree
    • TLS encryption
    • Authentication
    • Authorization
  • Cloud StarterUsage-based pricing
    • TLS encryption
    • Authentication
    • Authorization
    • 99.95% Uptime SLA
    • Broker REST API
  • Cloud EnterpriseContact sales
    • Full RBAC
    • Client certificate authentication
    • OAuth/JWT
    • Audit logging
    • Client event history
    • +2 more
  • Self-Managed EnterpriseContact sales
    • On-premise deployment
    • Up to 99.99% Uptime SLA
    • Full RBAC
    • Client certificate authentication
    • OAuth/JWT
    • +3 more
as of verify ↗

PubNub

Leader
from $98/moUsage-basedFree tier

Free tier with up to 200 MAU. Starter at $98/month for 1,000 MAU. Pro with tiered usage-based pricing starting around $370/month for 5,000 MAU.

  • FreeFree
    • Presence tracking
    • Chat
    • Push notifications
    • Message history
    • Access control
    • +1 more
  • Starter$98/mo
    • User management
    • Insights
    • 6-month chat history
    • Advanced analytics
    • 99.999% SLA
    • +2 more
  • ProContact sales
    • Unlimited chat storage
    • Custom allowances
    • Volume discounts
    • Premium support options
    • All Starter features
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
iOS
HiveMQ✗
PubNub✓
Android
HiveMQ✗
PubNub✓
CLI
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✓
Self-hosted
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✗
On-premise
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✗
Hybrid
HiveMQ✓
PubNub✗

Integrations

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

HiveMQ

9 total
  • Kafka
  • Amazon Kinesis
  • AWS CloudWatch
  • Prometheus
  • Graphite
  • Apache Kafka
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Kubernetes
  • OpenShift
Independently observed

PubNub

Leader

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

HiveMQ or PubNub: 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.