# Apache Pulsar vs Inngest

| Attribute | Apache Pulsar | Inngest |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 58.9 (29% (low)) | 60.6 (74% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 69 | 88 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 316 | 2 |
| adoption.github_stars | 15,315 | 5,765 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 1,746,391 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A distributed messaging system built for cloud deployments that enables applications to reliably publish and consume messages—either individually or as continuous streams—with sub-10-millisecond latency, supporting millions of independent topics and large-scale streaming workloads. | 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. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","ordering":"per_partition","paradigm":"pubsub","protocol":"pulsar://","message_replay":true,"persistent_log":true,"consumer_groups":true,"geo_replication":true,"kafka_compatible":true,"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 | 35 | 5 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Kafka"},{"name":"RabbitMQ"},{"name":"MongoDB"},{"name":"Cassandra"},{"name":"Elasticsearch"},{"name":"HBase"},{"name":"HDFS"},{"name":"InfluxDB"},{"name":"Redis"},{"name":"Solr"},{"name":"DynamoDB"},{"name":"Kinesis"},{"name":"Azure Data Explorer"},{"name":"ClickHouse"},{"name":"PostgreSQL"},{"name":"MariaDB"},{"name":"SQLite"},{"name":"Debezium MySQL"},{"name":"Debezium PostgreSQL"},{"name":"Debezium MongoDB"},{"name":"Debezium Oracle"},{"name":"Debezium Microsoft SQL Server"},{"name":"Canal"},{"name":"Aerospike"},{"name":"Alluxio"},{"name":"NSQ"},{"name":"Netty"},{"name":"HTTP"},{"name":"File"}]` | `[{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"Vercel"},{"name":"OpenAI"},{"name":"Discord"},{"name":"Deno"}]` |
| language.primary | Java | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://pulsar.apache.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:10:46.807Z"}` | `{"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 | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | low |
| pricing.transparent | - | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 1 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.2.4","date":"2026-08-03T09:19:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.13","date":"2026-08-03T09:19:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.2.3","date":"2026-07-06T08:46:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.12","date":"2026-07-06T08:46:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v5.0.0-M1","date":"2026-06-23T14:11:26Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v5.0.0-M1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.2.2","date":"2026-06-08T18:16:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.11","date":"2026-06-08T18:16:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.2.1","date":"2026-04-27T13:04:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.10","date":"2026-04-27T13:04:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v3.0.17","date":"2026-04-27T13:03:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.2.0","date":"2026-03-31T21:12:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.1.3","date":"2026-02-19T19:48:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.9","date":"2026-02-19T19:48:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v3.0.16","date":"2026-02-16T09:24:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.1.2","date":"2025-11-17T07:58:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.8","date":"2025-11-17T07:58:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v3.0.15","date":"2025-11-17T07:57:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.0.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.1.1","date":"2025-09-27T04:40:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v4.0.7","date":"2025-09-27T04:40:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/apache/pulsar/releases/tag/v3.3.9","date":"2025-09-27T04:39:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.3.9"}]` | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.31.0","date":"2026-06-18T20:14:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.30.0","date":"2026-06-17T21:46:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.30.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.29.0","date":"2026-06-17T20:17:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/inngest/inngest/releases/tag/v1.28.0","date":"2026-06-16T14:09:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.28.0"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.hipaa | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=maven&package_name=org.apache.pulsar%3Apulsar-client-admin&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 Pulsar | 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 | pulsar:// | 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 | Cloud + self-hosted | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Processing** |  |  |
| Built-in stream processing | ✓ | ✗ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:44:24.677Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*