Apache Kafkavsautomq
Two self-hosted Message Broker projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | automq | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 68/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #6 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 10 921 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +346 | +71 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 10 |
| Latest release | — | 1.7.4 · 29 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Java | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 68/100 for automq, so it is the safer default.
automq ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
Apache Kafka is growing faster right now (+346 stars in 30 days).
Apache Kafka details →automq details →All Message Broker projects →