Apache ActiveMQ vs Solace PubSub+ Event Broker
Apache ActiveMQ
activemq.apache.org
Solace PubSub+ Event Broker
solace.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache ActiveMQ | Solace PubSub+ Event Broker |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 5 |
| Spec score · Message Broker Software | 9.0 (#3) | 8.2 (#13) |
| Spec score · Message Queue (MQ) Software | 9.0 (#3) | 8.2 (#11) |
| Integrations | The site lists Spring support, JCA 1.5 resource adaptors, and testing in TomEE, Geronimo, JBoss, GlassFish, and WebLogic. | Solace offers supported micro-integrations for applications, cloud services, and integration tools. |
| Licence | ActiveMQ is open source under the Apache License 2.0. | The Event Broker is proprietary Solace software rather than open source; cloud terms grant limited, non-transferable use rights. |
| Messaging features | It supports Message Groups, Virtual Destinations, Wildcards, Composite Destinations, and Enterprise Integration Patterns. | The platform supports exchange patterns and qualities of service, plus caching, partitioned queues, and replay. |
| Rating on Capterra | 5.0 out of 5 from 3 reviews | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Rating on G2 | 4.3 out of 5 from 16 reviews | 4.4 out of 5 from 7 reviews |
| Security | The security documentation describes pluggable providers, JAAS authentication, and XML-configured authorization. | Solace Cloud states that its infrastructure for customer event broker services, Solace Home Cloud, and the Cloud Console complies with GDPR, SOC 2 Type 2, and ISO 27001. |
| Self-hosting | Users can download binary or source archives, run the broker as a standalone process, or embed it in an application. | Self-managed software can run across public or private cloud, on-premises, containers and virtual machines. |
| What it does | Apache ActiveMQ is a Java-based, open-source message broker for asynchronous application communication. | Solace Event Broker moves real-time information among applications, AI agents and devices across cloud, on-premises and edge environments. |
Plans
Solace PubSub+ Event Broker
- Event Broker Software StandardFree
- Solace Cloud Event Broker TrialFree
- Solace Cloud trialFree
- Solace Event Broker Software Free VersionFree
- Event Broker Software EnterprisePriced 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.
Solace PubSub+ Event Broker
Solace PubSub+ Event Broker streams information among applications, AI agents, and devices across cloud, on-premises, and edge environments. Multiple brokers can form an event mesh to route data across clouds, data centers, and geographies. It is offered as a cloud service, software, or appliance, for deployment in clouds, data centers, and remote locations. Messaging features include exchange patterns, qualities of service, caching, partitioned queues, and replay. Supported protocols include AMQP, Kafka, MQTT, REST, and WebSocket, alongside APIs for programming languages. Solace offers supported micro-integrations for applications, cloud services, and integration tools. Monitoring includes custom dashboards and alerts, and distributed tracing is broker-native and based on OpenTelemetry. Cloud services enable secure protocol ports by default and disable plain-text ports by default. Free options include a 30-day cloud trial and a free enterprise-grade software version. Solace was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.