Buzz vs the alternatives
MQTT, without the Mosquitto cliffs or the per-message invoice
Mosquitto is free but rigid — password files, reboots to add a user, no native browser WebSocket, no recording. Managed brokers solve that but charge per connection and per message, and your traffic leaves your network. Buzz sits in the middle: full MQTT 5 over TCP/TLS/WebSocket, dynamic credentials via REST, browser-native WebSocket, and async recording to 10+ backends — in one self-hosted Docker image.
The dimensions that matter
| Option | Pricing model | Scaling | Data residency | Customization | Lock-in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz Self-hosted | Flat per-container licence | Horizontal on Docker/Kubernetes | In your VPC | REST API, all config live | Low — MQTT 5 is standard |
| AWS IoT Core Cloud | Per-connection + per-message | Managed by AWS | In AWS | IoT Rules / Lambda glue | High — AWS-specific features |
| HiveMQ Cloud SaaS | Concurrent-connection tiers | Managed by HiveMQ | In HiveMQ Cloud | Java extensions | Medium |
| Mosquitto (OSS) Open-source | Free | DIY Kubernetes | In your VPC | C plugins, config files | Low |
What each alternative is good at — and where it falls short
Every tool here is excellent. Read the strengths. Then read where it stops fitting your situation.
AWS IoT Core
CloudStrength
Deep AWS integration — Lambda triggers, Device Shadow, fleet provisioning, X.509 auth at scale.
Where it falls short
Per-connection and per-message pricing compounds fast at fleet scale. No browser WebSocket without a separate Cognito + API Gateway setup. Recording to your own Postgres means writing Lambda glue and paying for invocations.
Pricing model
Per-connection-minute + per-message + per-rule-executed.
HiveMQ Cloud
SaaSStrength
Enterprise-grade MQTT 5 with strong dashboard, rich extensions, and clean browser support.
Where it falls short
SaaS tiers scale with concurrent connections. Self-hosted HiveMQ Enterprise exists but is licensed per-node. Multi-backend message recording is not first-class.
Pricing model
Tiered concurrent-connection subscription.
Mosquitto (OSS)
Open-sourceStrength
Free, battle-tested, sub-MB footprint, runs everywhere.
Where it falls short
Password files and SIGHUP to add users. No built-in browser WebSocket bridge. No recording, no dashboard, no REST. Every integration is custom plugin code.
Pricing model
Free, but engineer-hours to glue in auth, recording, UI, and browser access.
If you want the breadth of AWS IoT without the bill, or the portability of Mosquitto without the rough edges, Buzz is the single Docker container that replaces both.
The principles behind self-hosting
These apply across every comparison on this site — not just this one.
Flat-rate cost model
A self-hosted container costs the same whether it processes 100 jobs or 10 million. SaaS and cloud alternatives meter per request, minute, or connection — costs scale linearly with usage.
Your data stays in your VPC
No cross-border data transfer. No vendor data-processing agreements. Compliance, residency, and audit are simpler when data never leaves.
No vendor lock-in
Every service speaks open standards — MQTT 5, OpenAPI, OCI Distribution, Redis protocol, S3 API. Migrating away is a DNS change, not a rewrite.
One contract across your stack
One platform contract. Once your team learns one service, onboarding the next is an afternoon. Compare to mastering AWS IoT and Document Intelligence and MediaConvert separately.
Scale on the boxes you already have
Every service is stateless HTTP plus a worker pool. Helm charts ship with every image. If you have a Kubernetes cluster, you already have the platform.
Extend without asking permission
Need a custom task, a new notification driver, or a bespoke integration? The source is yours to modify. No vendor roadmap. No feature request backlog.
Try Buzz. See the difference.
One Docker container. One live demo. Five minutes to see it running on your stack.