Apache Kafkavsrudderstack
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Kafka | rudderstack | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 83/100 | 63/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 12 in Message Broker | #1 of 3 in Customer Data Platform |
| GitHub stars | 34 153 | 4 508 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +347 | +20 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 39 |
| Latest release | — | v1.92.1 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Apache Kafka scores 83/100 against 63/100 for rudderstack, so it is the safer default.
rudderstack ships more often: 39 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Apache Kafka.
Apache Kafka is growing faster right now (+347 stars in 30 days).
Apache Kafka details →rudderstack details →