Apache Kafka®
A better approach to managed Kafka
Get complete control in any cloud with Aiven for Apache Kafka's fully managed, enterprise-grade streaming service.
99.99% SLA
50+ connectors
Runs on any cloud
Includes $300 in free credits
Trusted by developers at
Aiven for Kafka: A Head to Head Comparison
Feature | Self-Hosted | AWS MSK | Aiven |
|---|---|---|---|
Vendor Independence | Open-source Kafka, trade no lock in for additional engineering time. | Introduces vendor lock-in, limiting flexibility. | True fully managed open-source Kafka. |
Control | Gives full control but demands extensive day-to-day management. | Only offers partial control of services. | Delivers a fully managed service, reducing operational burden. |
Predictable Pricing | Involves unpredictable costs due to fluctuating resource needs. | Has variable costs, making budget forecasting challenging. | Provides predictable pricing, simplifying financial planning. |
Flexible Scaling | Bring your own scaling. | Requires manual scaling, lacking automation. | Features auto-scaling, ensuring seamless adaptation to demand-scaling. |
Simple Setup | Involves a complex setup process. | Requires a complex VPC setup. | Simple setup in < 5 minutes, accelerating deployment. |
Cloud Support | Can be deployed on any cloud. | Limited to AWS only. | Offers multi-cloud support including AWS, Azure, and GCP. |
Support | Relies on community support. | AWS support. | 24/7 expert support. |
SLA | Bring your own SLAs. | Provides a 99.9% SLA. | Offers a 99.99% SLA, indicating a greater commitment to uptime and reliability. |
Additional Services | Limited to Kafka; manual integration with other services. | Access to the entire AWS Service catalogue and integrations. | Fully managed open-source services for a complete data pipeline (e.g. PostgreSQL, ClickHouse, etc). |
Why choose Aiven for Kafka
Built on 100% open-source Kafka, Aiven eliminates complexity, reduces
cost, and offers the flexibility modern teams need to scale quickly without lock-in.
And, unlike proprietary platforms that add operational overhead, vendor lock-in, and unpredictable costs, Aiven is designed from the ground up to deliver transparency, automation, and seamless integration across your cloud environment.
Simplified Operations
Automatic updates and upgrades. Zero stress. Fully managed Kafka reduces engineering effort, allowing teams to focus on innovation.
Mature Ecosystem
An ecosystem allowing schema management, enterprise integration, and data
synchronization.
Cost Optimization
Predictable pricing, efficient resource allocation, and BYOC help control expenses and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO).
Aiven’s Committed to Open Source
Aiven not only offers Open Source we also contribute to the community by making key features available and sustainable, like tiered storage.
Enterprise Reliability
99.99% uptime SLA, automated failover, and self-healing infrastructure ensure business continuity with dedicated, experienced support staff.
Streamlined Solutions
Easily integrate Kafka with any of our other services, like ClickHouse or OpenSearch, for a single pane of glass, simplifying your platform and data operations.
Enjoy high availability even with the smallest plan
Apache Kafka®
- 3 dedicated VMs
- 1 CPU per VM
- 2-4 GB RAM per VM
- 90 GB total cluster storage
- 3 dedicated VMs
- 1-8 CPU per VM
- 4-32 GB RAM per VM
- 600 GB-18.43 TB total cluster storage
- Everything in Startup, plus support for Kafka Connect in the same cluster
Add-ons
Tiered StorageStarting from $0.00012 per GB/hour
- 6-30 dedicated VMs
- 2-8 CPU per VM
- 8-32 GB RAM per VM
- 2.25 TB-184.32 TB total cluster storage
- Everything in Business, plus more compute and storage capacity
Add-ons
Tiered StorageStarting from $0.00012 per GB/hour
Need help? Use our Pricing Calculator to get a recommended plan based on your unique data needs and requirements.
Data retention is only limited by storage, with the exception of Free plan. For information about annual discount or plan capacity beyond the listed plans, please contact us
How our customers use Apache Kafka
Aiven’s customers unlock major cloud savings and full control with it's BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) model.
Ready to See the Difference?
Let us show you how Aiven for Kafka can reduce your costs, boost flexibility, and simplify your architecture—without locking you in.