Software Alternatives & Startups

EMQX VS Opalstack

Compare EMQX VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

EMQX

EMQX is an open source MQTT 5.0 broker for mission-critical IoT scenarios, massively scalable and highly available clustering, running anywhere from edge to cloud.

EMQX Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source Freemium Free trial
Opalstack

Managed Hosting for developers, entrepreneurs, and businesses like yours

Opalstack Landing page
Rating
0 reviews
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Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

EMQX
Opalstack
Website emqx.io opalstack.com
Pricing
Open source Freemium Free trial
Company Startup from China · 50 - 99 employees · 2013
Listed in

About EMQX and Opalstack

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

EMQX
Opalstack

EMQX is the world's most scalable and reliable MQTT Broker designed by EMQ. It supports 100M concurrent IoT device connections per cluster while maintaining extremely high throughput and sub-millisecond latency. EMQX boasts more than 20,000 global users from over 50 countries, connecting more...

Read more about EMQX

No description of Opalstack yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

EMQX 6 features
Opalstack 5 features
  • High Performance
    EMQX is known for its high throughput and low latency, making it suitable for large-scale IoT and real-time messaging applications.
  • Scalability
    It supports horizontal scalability, allowing users to add more nodes to the cluster as needed without significant performance degradation.
  • Protocol Support
    EMQX supports multiple protocols including MQTT, MQTT-SN, CoAP, LwM2M, and WebSocket, offering flexibility for various use cases.
  • Enterprise Features
    It comes with advanced features such as rule engine, data integration, and server monitoring which are essential for enterprise environments.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, EMQX provides transparency, community support, and the ability to custom-tailor solutions based on specific needs.
  • Security
    Provides robust security features including SSL/TLS encryption, ACL, authentication, and ID verification ensuring secure communication.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complexity
    Setting up and managing an EMQX cluster can be complex and might require a significant amount of expertise and time.
  • Resource Intensive
    While it's performant, EMQX can be resource-intensive, especially under high loads, which could be a strain on less powerful hardware.
  • Cost
    While the open-source version is free, advanced enterprise features and customer support come at a higher cost that may not be feasible for small businesses.
  • Learning Curve
    New users may face a steep learning curve due to the variety of features and configurations available.
  • Dependency on Erlang
    EMQX is built on Erlang/OTP, which means that any issues or limitations within Erlang can directly affect the performance and stability of EMQX.
  • Developer-Friendly Hosting
    Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
  • Modern Control Panel
    Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
  • Strong Support for Multiple Applications
    The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
  • Reliable Infrastructure and Support
    Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
  • Limited Scalability Options
    Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
  • Not Ideal for Beginners
    While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
  • Limited Data Center Locations
    Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
  • Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
    Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

EMQX
Opalstack

Overall verdict

  • EMQX is considered a robust and reliable platform for MQTT messaging, particularly for IoT and real-time data streaming applications. Its performance, scalability, and feature set make it a strong contender in the MQTT broker market.

Why this product is good

  • EMQX is highly regarded for its ability to handle a high number of concurrent connections, making it a suitable choice for IoT applications. With a distributed architecture, EMQX offers several features such as MQTT over WebSocket, MQTT-SN, and integration with major cloud services. It supports extensive plugins and extensions, offers high availability and scalability, and provides a user-friendly management console.

Recommended for

  • IoT developers looking for a scalable and reliable MQTT broker
  • Businesses requiring high concurrency and low-latency message handling
  • Teams looking to integrate their IoT solutions with cloud platforms
  • Users seeking a broker with strong community support and ecosystem

Overall verdict

  • Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

  • Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
  • Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
  • Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
  • Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
  • Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
  • Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
  • Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
  • No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

  • Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
  • Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
  • Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
  • Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
  • Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
  • Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

EMQX 1 video + Add
Opalstack 0 videos + Add

EMQX Cloud in 90 seconds

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Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
EMQX
Opalstack
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
IoT
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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