HiveMQ
Industrial IoT software
IoT connectivity management software
Message queue (MQ) software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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Pay-as-you-go
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Small
Medium
Large
- Manufacturing
- Energy and utilities
- Transportation and logistics
What is HiveMQ
HiveMQ is an MQTT-based messaging broker used to connect IoT devices and applications through publish/subscribe messaging. It is typically used by IoT platform teams and industrial engineering/IT groups to ingest telemetry, distribute commands, and integrate device data into downstream systems. The product focuses on MQTT 3.1.1/5.0 features, operational controls for large client fleets, and deployment options across cloud, on‑premises, and containerized environments. It also offers extensions and integrations to connect MQTT traffic to enterprise and cloud services.
MQTT-focused broker capabilities
HiveMQ centers on MQTT publish/subscribe messaging, including support for MQTT 5 features such as enhanced session and message handling. This makes it well-suited for device telemetry and command-and-control patterns common in industrial and edge scenarios. Compared with broader industrial platforms, it stays focused on connectivity and message routing rather than end-to-end manufacturing applications. The narrow scope can simplify architecture when MQTT is the standard protocol.
Scalable deployment options
HiveMQ supports multiple deployment models, including self-managed deployments and managed cloud offerings (depending on edition). This helps teams align with security, latency, and data residency requirements that are common in industrial environments. Container and orchestration-friendly deployment patterns fit modern infrastructure practices. It can be positioned as a dedicated messaging layer alongside separate data historian, analytics, or MES components.
Extensibility and integrations
HiveMQ provides extension mechanisms and integrations to connect MQTT streams to other systems (for example, via connectors or plugins depending on the product edition). This supports common integration needs such as forwarding device data to cloud services, streaming platforms, or enterprise applications. The approach allows customization without rewriting the broker. It can reduce the need for custom middleware in some architectures.
Not a full IIoT platform
HiveMQ primarily addresses MQTT connectivity and message brokering, not full industrial IoT application enablement. Capabilities such as asset modeling, historian functions, manufacturing workflows, and turnkey dashboards typically require additional products. Buyers looking for an all-in-one industrial platform may need to assemble multiple components. This can increase integration and lifecycle management effort.
MQTT-centric protocol scope
HiveMQ is optimized for MQTT, so environments that rely heavily on other industrial protocols often need gateways or protocol servers to bridge into MQTT. This adds architectural components and operational overhead. In mixed-protocol plants, protocol normalization and edge translation become part of the implementation scope. The product is less directly applicable when MQTT is not the chosen standard.
Operational complexity at scale
Running a high-availability broker for large device fleets requires careful design around authentication, authorization, certificates, topic structures, and capacity planning. While the product provides controls, teams still need strong operational practices to avoid performance bottlenecks and security gaps. Troubleshooting distributed connectivity issues can be non-trivial, especially across constrained networks. Organizations without dedicated platform operations may find the learning curve meaningful.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Serverless (Free Data Streaming) | Free — shared broker | 100 connections free; 10 GB data traffic/month; MQTT 3.1/3.1.1/5.0; No uptime SLA; Basic/online support. |
| Cloud Starter | Starting from $0.34 per hour + $0.80 per million messages | Dedicated MQTT platform; Unlimited connections; Up to 1 MB/s throughput; 99.95% uptime SLA; HiveMQ Control Center & REST API; 15-day free trial (no credit card). |
| Enterprise Platform (Cloud or Self‑Managed) | Priced by usage or site — Request quote | Custom scale and SLAs (up to 99.999%); Dedicated support; Pricing based on number of devices, sites or vehicles and complexity; Self‑managed licensing available via contact/sales. |
Seller details
HiveMQ GmbH
Landshut, Germany
2012
Private
https://www.hivemq.com/
https://x.com/hivemq
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hivemq/
