Buf Schema Registry vs Redpanda
Buf Schema Registry
buf.build
Redpanda
redpanda.comSide by side
| Figure | Buf Schema Registry | Redpanda |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Schema Registry Software | 8.3 (#4) | 8.4 (#3) |
| Deployment | Enterprise offers self-hosted, on-prem deployments, while Pro provides a managed private BSR instance. | Redpanda can run as Serverless, fully managed BYOC on AWS, GCP, or Azure, or self-managed on bare metal, virtual machines, Kubernetes, or Docker. |
| Headquarters | United States | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Support | The pricing page lists Community Slack support and email support with a 48-business-hour response SLA for Teams, Pro, and Enterprise. | Paid offerings advertise 24x7 helpdesk coverage with SLAs, a direct Slack channel, designated account management and solutions experts. |
Plans
Buf Schema Registry
- CommunityFree
- Teams$0.50 a month
- Pro$5 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
Redpanda
- Community EditionFree
- Bring Your Own CloudPriced on request
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
- ServerlessPriced on request
In their own words
Buf Schema Registry
Buf Schema Registry (BSR) is a Protobuf-aware registry for managing API schemas, dependencies, and client access as APIs change. Teams publish Protobuf files as versioned modules and resolve dependencies declared in buf.yaml. BSR generates hosted SDKs for supported languages and browsable documentation from schema versions and comments. Server-side lint and breaking-change policies can reject updates or hold them for review. The registry also shows which modules depend on another, helping teams identify affected consumers before deprecation. A GitHub Action handles build, lint, formatting, breaking-change checks, and publishing; the Buf CLI can connect to other CI/CD systems. RPC APIs are available through Connect, gRPC, and gRPC-Web. Community costs nothing and includes one private repository limited to 100 types plus unlimited public repositories. Teams costs $0.50 a month per type and includes a 30-day trial. Pro costs $5 a month per type with a $3000/month minimum spend. Enterprise pricing is custom.
Redpanda
Redpanda is an event-streaming platform for storing real-time events in ordered topics that can be replayed, with access through the Apache Kafka API. Its Kafka compatibility is intended to let existing applications and tools continue without rewrites or changes. The platform uses a native C++ architecture, runs as a single binary, and has no external dependencies. Redpanda Connect supplies more than 300 pre-built connectors for sources, sinks, processors, databases, APIs, cloud services, and AI pipelines. Native Apache Iceberg support and Iceberg topics let streams be materialized into lakehouse-ready tables. Deployment options include Serverless, managed BYOC on AWS, GCP, or Azure, and self-managed installations on bare metal, virtual machines, Kubernetes, or Docker. Redpanda also lists stream processing, a schema registry, both delivery guarantees, and client support for Java, C/C++, Go, Python, Rust, and Node.js. The maker states that its platform delivers 10x lower tail latencies than open-source Kafka.