# Google Cloud Pub/Sub alternatives: what AI models name instead, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition. 210 of the 252 answers in the 1 category where Google Cloud Pub/Sub 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/google-cloud-pub-sub/alternatives/

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

- Confluent Cloud: 65
- Redpanda: 30
- Apache Kafka: 23
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: 6
- Upstash Kafka: 5
- NATS JetStream: 4

## Streaming platforms

**Small business**: 68 of 84 answers did not name Google Cloud Pub/Sub (Google Cloud Pub/Sub is #3 of 16 at 6%).

- Redpanda: first choice in 16 of those 68
- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 14 of those 68
- Upstash Kafka: first choice in 5 of those 68
- Apache Kafka: first choice in 4 of those 68
- NATS JetStream: first choice in 4 of those 68
- StreamYard: first choice in 4 of those 68
- NATS: first choice in 3 of those 68
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: first choice in 2 of those 68

**Mid-market**: 71 of 84 answers did not name Google Cloud Pub/Sub (Google Cloud Pub/Sub is #8 of 11 at 2%).

- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 19 of those 71
- Redpanda: first choice in 9 of those 71
- Apache Kafka: first choice in 8 of those 71
- Dacast: first choice in 2 of those 71
- YouTube Live: first choice in 2 of those 71
- Amazon Kinesis Data Streams: first choice in 1 of those 71
- Amazon MSK: first choice in 1 of those 71
- Apache Pulsar: first choice in 1 of those 71

**Enterprise**: 71 of 84 answers did not name Google Cloud Pub/Sub (Google Cloud Pub/Sub is #7 of 10 at 0%).

- Confluent Cloud: first choice in 32 of those 71
- Apache Kafka: first choice in 11 of those 71
- Redpanda: first choice in 5 of those 71
- Aiven for Apache Kafka: first choice in 4 of those 71
- Amazon MSK: first choice in 2 of those 71
- Amazon MSK Provisioned: first choice in 1 of those 71
- Azure Event Hubs: first choice in 1 of those 71
- Bizzabo: first choice in 1 of those 71

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