HiveMQ Review, Pricing & Features

HiveMQ is a managed MQTT platform for IoT connectivity and data streaming, with MQTT 3.1/3.1.1/5.0 support. Free serverless tier; paid plans usage-based.

Category
Hosting
Pricing
Freemium, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 20, 2026
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Landshut, Germany
Free PlanAPIFreemiumSelf-Hosted

What Is HiveMQ?

HiveMQ is an MQTT messaging platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in Landshut, Germany, built to connect IoT devices and stream real-time data at scale. MQTT is a lightweight publish/subscribe protocol widely used for connecting sensors, vehicles, and industrial equipment.

The platform is offered both as a fully managed cloud service, HiveMQ Cloud, and as a self-hosted Enterprise edition that organizations can run on their own infrastructure for tighter control over deployment and compliance.

Key Features

HiveMQ supports MQTT versions 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0, with connections over TLS/SSL and WebSocket, and provides a Control Center for monitoring broker health and traffic in real time. It also exposes a REST API for programmatic management.

Data streaming integrations connect HiveMQ to systems like Kafka, Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub, MongoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Snowflake, and the platform runs across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, with Private Link support available on the Enterprise tier.

HiveMQ Pricing

HiveMQ Cloud's Serverless tier is free and includes 100 connections and 10GB of data per month, without an uptime SLA, making it suitable for testing and small projects.

The Starter tier is usage-based, priced at $0.34 per hour plus $0.80 per million messages, and includes unlimited connections, 1MB/s throughput, and a 99.95% uptime SLA. The Enterprise tier offers unlimited throughput, dedicated infrastructure, and custom regions at custom pricing.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Free Serverless tier makes it easy to start experimenting with MQTT at no cost
  • Supports all major MQTT protocol versions, including the newer 5.0 spec
  • Multi-cloud availability across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud
  • Self-hosted Enterprise option gives full infrastructure control
  • Used by major automotive manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes

Cons

  • Starter tier usage-based pricing can be harder to predict than flat per-seat pricing
  • Free Serverless tier has no uptime SLA, limiting it to non-critical use
  • Enterprise pricing is fully custom and requires a sales conversation
  • MQTT expertise may be needed to get the most out of the platform's features

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HiveMQ used for?

HiveMQ is used as an MQTT message broker to connect IoT devices and stream real-time data for applications in manufacturing, energy, logistics, and other industries.

Is HiveMQ free to use?

Yes, HiveMQ Cloud offers a free Serverless tier with 100 connections and 10GB of data per month, though without an uptime SLA.

Can HiveMQ be self-hosted?

Yes, HiveMQ offers a self-hosted Enterprise edition that can be deployed on an organization's own infrastructure.

What MQTT versions does HiveMQ support?

HiveMQ supports MQTT 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0 over TLS/SSL and WebSocket.

Who founded HiveMQ?

HiveMQ was founded in 2012 by Christian Gotz, Christoph Schabel, and Dominik Obermaier, and is headquartered in Landshut, Germany.

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