Redpanda vs WarpStream BYOC Schema Registry
Redpanda
redpanda.comWarpStream BYOC Schema Registry
warpstream.comSide by side
| Figure | Redpanda | WarpStream BYOC Schema Registry |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $0.03/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Schema Registry Software | 8.4 (#3) | 7.3 (#15) |
| Architecture | The platform uses a native C++ architecture, single-binary deployment, and no external dependencies. | The stateless, zero-disk registry stores schemas in the customer's object store and embeds registry functionality in WarpStream Agents. |
| Deployment | Redpanda can run as Serverless, fully managed BYOC on AWS, GCP, or Azure, or self-managed on bare metal, virtual machines, Kubernetes, or Docker. | Customers can create a Schema Registry Virtual Cluster in the WarpStream console or through the API, and deploy its agent using the same binary as Kafka Agents. |
| Founded | 2019 | 2023 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States | Mountain View, California, United States |
Plans
Redpanda
- Community EditionFree
- Bring Your Own CloudPriced on request
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
- ServerlessPriced on request
WarpStream BYOC Schema Registry
- Dev$0.03 a month
- Fundamentals$0.17 a month
- Pro$0.52 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
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.
WarpStream BYOC Schema Registry
WarpStream BYOC Schema Registry stores and serves schemas for Kafka records through a REST server compatible with Confluent’s Schema Registry API. It supports Avro and protobuf, while WarpStream Agents validate records and can reject invalid data or emit metrics. The stateless, zero-disk registry stores schemas in the customer’s object storage, and WarpStream says they remain in that cloud account. Schema Linking migrates schemas from a Confluent-compatible registry while preserving IDs and compatibility rules. Authentication options include Basic Authentication, TLS and mutual TLS. Customers create a Schema Registry Virtual Cluster in the console or API, then deploy an agent using the Kafka Agents binary; agents emit logs and metrics. Each registry allows 100,000 schema versions and each schema 1 MB, with support-requested increases. Plans are Dev at $0.03 a month, Fundamentals at 0.17 USD, Pro at 0.52 USD, and Enterprise with no listed price. Cluster minutes use 15-minute billing intervals.