Apache ActiveMQ vs IBM MQ
Apache ActiveMQ
activemq.apache.org
IBM MQ
ibm.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache ActiveMQ | IBM MQ |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1.02/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Message Broker Software | 9.0 (#3) | 6.7 (#36) |
| Spec score · Message Queue (MQ) Software | 9.0 (#3) | 6.6 (#26) |
Plans
IBM MQ
- IBM MQ Virtual Processor Core Subscription License$312 a month
- IBM MQ Advanced with AI Agents Virtual Processor Core Subscr$583 a month
- IBM MQ SaaS$727 a month
- IBM MQ SaaS pay-as-you-go$1.02 a month
- IBM MQ SaaS LitePriced on request
In their own words
Apache ActiveMQ
Apache ActiveMQ is an open-source messaging and Integration Patterns server for applications that exchange messages. It is self-hosted and supports OpenWire, STOMP, AMQP 1.0, MQTT 3.1, and REST. Listed client languages include Java, C, C++, C#, Ruby, Perl, Python, and PHP. Messaging features include message groups, virtual and composite destinations, wildcards, and enterprise integration patterns. ActiveMQ fully supports JMS 1.1 and J2EE 1.4+ messaging, including transient, persistent, transactional, and XA modes; support for Jakarta Messaging 3.1 and JMS 2.0 is partial. Transport options include in-VM, TCP, SSL, NIO, UDP, multicast, JGroups, and JXTA, with JDBC persistence and a high-performance journal. Browser access is available through a REST API and Ajax web streaming. Security options include pluggable providers, JAAS authentication, XML-configured authorization, and user, group, and destination permissions. ActiveMQ Classic costs nothing under the Apache License 2.0.