activemqvsNATS
Two self-hosted Message Broker projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| activemq | NATS | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 64/100 | 80/100 |
| Rank in category | #7 of 12 in Message Broker | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 2 462 | 20 954 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 | +192 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 24 | 18 |
| Latest release | activemq-5.19.12 · 22 Oct 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
NATS scores 80/100 against 64/100 for activemq, so it is the safer default.
activemq ships more often: 24 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for NATS.
NATS is growing faster right now (+192 stars in 30 days).
activemq details →NATS details →All Message Broker projects →
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