Apache KafkavsNovu
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | Novu | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #2 of 19 in Notifications |
| GitHub stars | 34 152 | 40 219 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +346 | +170 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 12 |
| Latest release | — | @novu/framework@v2.14.0 · 28 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 76/100 for Novu, so it is the safer default.
Novu ships more often: 12 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 →Novu details →