When is EMQX Serverless the better choice?

You need to connect more than 100 devices or clients without paying immediately. Your app needs recurring monthly quotas for session minutes, rule actions, and broker traffic. You want a free broker that can support a small live product, not just a lab project. You want 8/5 support and basic monitoring included in the free tier. You expect to grow into a dedicated broker later and want a clearer jump from free to paid.

When is HiveMQ Cloud the better choice?

You are learning MQTT and want a small free sandbox with clear limits. You want 10 GB of traffic on the free tier and do not need a large connection cap. You need WebSocket support in the free plan. You are fine with a plan that is explicitly basic-support oriented and has no uptime SLA. You expect to move into a dedicated paid setup where per-hour plus per-message pricing may fit a small workload.

EMQX Serverless vs HiveMQ Cloud: Free Tier Comparison

Q: How much does EMQX Serverless cost after the free tier?

Dedicated Flex - Starts at $234 / Month. EMQX Serverless uses usage-based pricing on the next paid path, then jumps to Dedicated Flex at $234/month with tiered limits and stronger infrastructure features. HiveMQ Cloud’s Starter plan is usage-based at $0.34/hour plus $0.80 per million messages, so the cost rises with always-on time and message volume. For small, steady workloads, HiveMQ can start cheaper in absolute terms, but EMQX’s paid entry is simpler and the free tier is much larger. Once usage grows, HiveMQ’s per-hour and per-message charges can add up quickly.

Q: How much does HiveMQ Cloud cost after the free tier?

Starter - Starting from $0.34/hour + $0.80/million messages. EMQX Serverless uses usage-based pricing on the next paid path, then jumps to Dedicated Flex at $234/month with tiered limits and stronger infrastructure features. HiveMQ Cloud’s Starter plan is usage-based at $0.34/hour plus $0.80 per million messages, so the cost rises with always-on time and message volume. For small, steady workloads, HiveMQ can start cheaper in absolute terms, but EMQX’s paid entry is simpler and the free tier is much larger. Once usage grows, HiveMQ’s per-hour and per-message charges can add up quickly.

Quick answer

EMQX Serverless - EMQX Serverless wins for most builders because its free tier is much larger and more usable for real MQTT workloads, while HiveMQ Cloud’s free plan is better only if you need a smaller learning sandbox and plan to stay within a tighter cap.

How the free tiers compare

These two free tiers aim at similar MQTT use cases, but the shape of the offer is very different. EMQX Serverless gives a broader free envelope: up to 1,000 connections, 1 million session minutes, 1 GB of traffic, and 1 million rule actions each month, plus TLS/SSL, monitoring, and 8/5 support. That makes it more suitable for a small production broker or an app with intermittent device traffic. HiveMQ Cloud’s free Serverless plan is more clearly positioned for learning and experimentation. It includes 100 connections, 10 GB of traffic, MQTT protocol support, TLS/SSL, WebSocket support, and basic support, but no uptime SLA. If you outgrow the free tier, EMQX jumps to a tiered dedicated plan starting at $234/month, while HiveMQ starts from an hourly usage-based Starter plan plus per-message charges, which can stay cheaper for light dedicated use but scales with traffic.

EMQX Serverless vs HiveMQ Cloud free tier, side by side

	EMQX ServerlessFTV 67	HiveMQ CloudFTV 44
ConnectionsEMQX allows about 10x more connections on the free tier.	Up to 1,000	100 included
Monthly trafficHiveMQ lists more free traffic, but with a much smaller connection cap.	1 GB per month free	10 GB per month
Session minutesOnly EMQX provides a session-minute quota in the provided data.	1,000,000 per month free	Not listed
Rule actionsEMQX includes rule-action quota; HiveMQ free plan details provided here do not.	1,000,000 per month free	Not listed
SupportBoth are limited compared with paid tiers.	8/5 support	Basic support
Uptime SLAHiveMQ explicitly says the free plan does not include an uptime SLA.	Not listed on free tier	None on free tier

After you outgrow the free tier

EMQX Serverless uses usage-based pricing on the next paid path, then jumps to Dedicated Flex at $234/month with tiered limits and stronger infrastructure features. HiveMQ Cloud’s Starter plan is usage-based at $0.34/hour plus $0.80 per million messages, so the cost rises with always-on time and message volume. For small, steady workloads, HiveMQ can start cheaper in absolute terms, but EMQX’s paid entry is simpler and the free tier is much larger. Once usage grows, HiveMQ’s per-hour and per-message charges can add up quickly.

EMQX Serverless next stepDedicated Flex - Starts at $234 / MonthTiered

HiveMQ Cloud next stepStarter - Starting from $0.34/hour + $0.80/million messagesUsage-based

Cost at real usage

Usage	EMQX Serverless	HiveMQ Cloud
100k messages/month, small always-on deploymentHiveMQ estimate uses only the stated $0.34/hour base plus $0.80 per million messages, and assumes 24/7 uptime. Exact cost can vary with usage details.	$234/mo minimum	~$244/mo est.
1M messages/month, small always-on deploymentHiveMQ estimate uses 730 hours/month at $0.34/hour plus $0.80 for 1M messages.	$234/mo minimum	~$244.80/mo est.
10M messages/month, small always-on deploymentHiveMQ estimate uses 730 hours/month at $0.34/hour plus $8 for 10M messages.	$234/mo minimum	~$252/mo est.

Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.

When to pick each one

Pick EMQX Serverless when…

You need to connect more than 100 devices or clients without paying immediately.
Your app needs recurring monthly quotas for session minutes, rule actions, and broker traffic.
You want a free broker that can support a small live product, not just a lab project.
You want 8/5 support and basic monitoring included in the free tier.
You expect to grow into a dedicated broker later and want a clearer jump from free to paid.

Pick HiveMQ Cloud when…

You are learning MQTT and want a small free sandbox with clear limits.
You want 10 GB of traffic on the free tier and do not need a large connection cap.
You need WebSocket support in the free plan.
You are fine with a plan that is explicitly basic-support oriented and has no uptime SLA.
You expect to move into a dedicated paid setup where per-hour plus per-message pricing may fit a small workload.

Bottom line

For the most common builder choice, EMQX Serverless is the better free tier because it gives you more room to build, test, and even run a modest live MQTT workload before you pay. HiveMQ Cloud is the cleaner fit if you are mainly experimenting, need WebSocket support in the free plan, or want to move into a smaller usage-based paid setup. If you expect more than a handful of devices, EMQX is usually the less cramped starting point.

Read the full listings: EMQX Serverless and HiveMQ Cloud. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.