When building IoT solutions, choosing the right platform is crucial for success. While HiveMQ offers a robust MQTT broker, Qubitro provides a complete IoT platform that includes MQTT messaging along with essential features for modern IoT deployments. Let's explore the key differences and why a unified platform approach might be better for your IoT projects.
Qubitro vs HiveMQ: Full Platform vs MQTT Broker
HiveMQ is a high-performance MQTT broker built for message transport between devices and backends. Qubitro offers a full device data platform that includes MQTT connectivity and built-in capabilities for storage, real-time processing, dashboards, and alerting. If you only need MQTT message brokering, HiveMQ works well. If you want a streamlined platform to handle everything from ingestion to visualization—without stitching multiple tools together—Qubitro is the better choice.
MQTT Connectivity vs. Full Data Pipeline
- HiveMQ specializes in MQTT brokering—moving messages reliably between publishers and subscribers. It’s robust, scalable, and designed to be integrated into a broader system.
- Qubitro includes MQTT as one of many protocols and extends beyond it. It acts as an ingestion point and pipeline, with storage, processing, transformation, and delivery included out of the box.
Data Storage & Handling
- HiveMQ requires external databases to store telemetry data long-term. It offers extensions to integrate with SQL, NoSQL, and cloud storage, but users must manage and maintain these themselves.
- Qubitro includes managed time-series storage by default. Incoming messages are automatically persisted and available via the API and dashboard—no external DB required.
Real-Time Processing & Automation
- HiveMQ does not process messages beyond delivery. Rules, alerts, or transformations must be handled by external systems or custom code.
- Qubitro supports real-time processing through its no-code Functions feature. You can define logic (e.g., “send SMS if pressure < 250 PSI”) without managing extra services.
Visualization & Analytics
- HiveMQ provides no built-in dashboards. You'll need to forward data to an analytics platform like Grafana or build a frontend.
- Qubitro offers native dashboards with widgets, charts, and maps. Users can monitor data in real-time and create alert-driven views without any frontend coding.
Operational Simplicity
- HiveMQ must be paired with external systems (DBs, processing engines, dashboards). Even with HiveMQ Cloud, you're managing integrations and infrastructure complexity.
- Qubitro is a managed, end-to-end platform. No extra setup needed for ingestion, storage, visualization, or rule logic. Ideal for lean teams or fast deployment.
Scalability & Cost Efficiency
- HiveMQ is scalable as a broker, but total system scalability depends on all connected services. Costs span multiple services (HiveMQ + DB + analytics + compute).
- Qubitro scales with device count and data volume. Pricing is centralized and predictable, covering storage, compute, and dashboards in one place.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | HiveMQ | Qubitro |
|---|---|---|
| MQTT Broker | ✅ Enterprise-grade MQTT | ✅ Built-in MQTT + HTTP/LoRaWAN support |
| Managed Storage | ❌ External DB required | ✅ Native time-series storage |
| Real-Time Processing | ❌ Needs external code | ✅ Built-in Functions & alerts |
| Dashboard Visualization | ❌ Not included | ✅ Native UI with charts, maps, widgets |
| Third-Party Integration | ✅ via extensions | ✅ via webhooks and integrations |
| Operational Simplicity | ❌ Requires multiple tools | ✅ All-in-one platform |
| Scalability | ✅ Broker scales independently | ✅ Platform-wide scalability |
| Pricing Model | ❌ Varies across services | ✅ Transparent per-device or per-project pricing |
Conclusion
If you’re building a highly customized IoT system and want to plug MQTT into your own architecture, HiveMQ is a solid broker choice. But if you’d rather avoid the cost and complexity of stitching together multiple systems—Qubitro provides a production-ready, integrated solution for ingesting, storing, processing, and visualizing IoT data.
Qubitro is especially valuable for lean engineering teams, system integrators, and businesses that want to move quickly from device connection to real-world insight—without maintaining infrastructure for every layer of the stack.
