# Apache Kafka alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 196 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Apache Kafka holds a standing named it neither first nor as an alternative; these are the first choices those answers made. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/vendors/apache-kafka/alternatives/

## Named instead, most often (every category and segment added)

- Confluent Cloud: 66
- Redpanda: 29
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: 7
- Google Cloud Pub/Sub: 5
- Upstash Kafka: 5
- Amazon Kinesis Data Streams: 4

## Streaming platforms

**Small business**: 75 of 84 answers did not name Apache Kafka (Apache Kafka is #8 of 16 at 3%).

- Redpanda: first choice in 18 of those 75
- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 17 of those 75
- Google Cloud Pub/Sub: first choice in 5 of those 75
- Upstash Kafka: first choice in 5 of those 75
- Amazon Kinesis Data Streams: first choice in 4 of those 75
- NATS JetStream: first choice in 4 of those 75
- StreamYard: first choice in 4 of those 75
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: first choice in 3 of those 75

**Mid-market**: 62 of 84 answers did not name Apache Kafka (Apache Kafka is #3 of 11 at 7%).

- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 19 of those 62
- Redpanda: first choice in 9 of those 62
- Dacast: first choice in 2 of those 62
- YouTube Live: first choice in 2 of those 62
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: first choice in 1 of those 62
- Amazon MSK: first choice in 1 of those 62
- Apache Pulsar: first choice in 1 of those 62
- Bizzabo: first choice in 1 of those 62

**Enterprise**: 59 of 84 answers did not name Apache Kafka (Apache Kafka is #3 of 10 at 9%).

- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 30 of those 59
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: first choice in 3 of those 59
- Amazon MSK: first choice in 2 of those 59
- Redpanda: first choice in 2 of those 59
- Amazon MSK Provisioned: first choice in 1 of those 59
- Azure Event Hubs: first choice in 1 of those 59
- Bizzabo: first choice in 1 of those 59
- Confluent BYOC: first choice in 1 of those 59

Published under CC BY 4.0. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.