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Apache Kafka vs MuleSoft Anypoint Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Apache Kafka offers quick ROI with cost savings, valuable insights, and ease of use despite configuration challenges.
Sentiment score
6.7
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform reduces costs, modernizes legacy systems, and ensures ROI for enterprises, with variable outcomes for smaller companies.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.8
Apache Kafka support varies between community forums, paid services, self-support, with satisfaction depending on service type and user experiences.
Sentiment score
6.7
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform offers responsive customer service, excelling for premium users, though mixed opinions exist on availability and documentation.
The Apache community provides support for the open-source version.
The Salesforce team offers different levels of support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Apache Kafka offers high scalability and seamless integration, managing large data volumes efficiently across industries, even with some manual management.
Sentiment score
7.8
MuleSoft Anypoint is scalable for medium to large enterprises, handling workloads efficiently but with noted costs and limitations.
Customers have not faced issues with user growth or data streaming needs.
MuleSoft provides the ability to scale, yet it is costly to do so.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Apache Kafka is generally stable, with ratings of 7-9, though evolving APIs and configuration challenges can affect performance.
Sentiment score
7.9
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is stable and reliable, with some limitations in scalability and issues with connectors and Java troubleshooting.
 

Room For Improvement

Apache Kafka needs UI, integration, deployment, monitoring, performance, and documentation improvements, plus simpler authentication and stability enhancements.
Users seek enhanced support, simpler setup, better integration, improved documentation, AI capabilities, and cost reduction for MuleSoft Anypoint Platform.
The performance angle is critical, and while it works in milliseconds, the goal is to move towards microseconds.
We are always trying to find the best configs, which is a challenge.
MuleSoft is considered expensive, so pricing is a major concern.
When dealing with multiple transactions or trading, the system can lose control, and tracking becomes hectic.
 

Setup Cost

Apache Kafka is cost-effective but managed services and on-premises enterprise versions can incur significant costs.
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is complex and costly, with high prices but potential savings for large-scale usage and pay-as-you-go options.
The open-source version of Apache Kafka results in minimal costs, mainly linked to accessing documentation and limited support.
MuleSoft is considered one of the more expensive products in the market.
The platform reduces manual workload in maintaining infrastructure, but it does come with some cost considerations.
 

Valuable Features

Apache Kafka excels in scalability, reliability, and integration, offering robust analytics, data processing, and event-driven operations support.
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform excels in API management, integration, scalability, and user-friendly deployment with strong support and security features.
It allows the use of data in motion, allowing data to propagate from one source to another while it is in motion.
The most valuable feature is the full lifecycle management, including Anypoint Designer and Exchange, as well as Discofolio API.
The platform is integrated with Salesforce, making it preferable when using Salesforce products.
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache Kafka
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Streaming Analytics (7th)
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Message Queue (MQ) Software (4th), Business-to-Business Middleware (1st), Workload Automation (9th), Cloud Data Integration (4th), Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

Apache Kafka and MuleSoft Anypoint Platform aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Apache Kafka is designed for Streaming Analytics and holds a mindshare of 0.4%, up 0.0% compared to last year.
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, on the other hand, focuses on Business-to-Business Middleware, holds 13.5% mindshare, down 14.3% since last year.
Streaming Analytics
Business-to-Business Middleware
 

Featured Reviews

Snehasish Das - PeerSpot reviewer
Data streaming transforms real-time data movement with impressive scalability
I worked with Apache Kafka for customers in the financial industry and OTT platforms. They use Kafka particularly for data streaming. Companies offering movie and entertainment as a service, similar to Netflix, use Kafka Apache Kafka offers unique data streaming. It allows the use of data in…
Vijay Subramanyam - PeerSpot reviewer
Robust, reliable, and stable, ensuring high availability for critical integrations
I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten; it is a highly scalable solution. We have around 200 end users using this solution in our company. We use it to its maximum capacity. However, it's not for P1 applications, but definitely for severity two cases (P2 level). It integrates critical applications, but it's not a platform that, if it stops, the entire system would come down. So, it's more like a severity two level. However, it has the potential to eventually become a P1 platform. Not exactly P1 applications, but a P1 platform. Because now we are still in the transition to migrate everything, all the integrations to Mule Anypoint Platform. But once it's done, then this platform becomes critical. Because even now, we have point-to-point connections.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
31%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Retailer
5%
Educational Organization
24%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What are the differences between Apache Kafka and IBM MQ?
Apache Kafka is open source and can be used for free. It has very good log management and has a way to store the data used for analytics. Apache Kafka is very good if you have a high number of user...
What do you like most about Apache Kafka?
Apache Kafka is an open-source solution that can be used for messaging or event processing.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Apache Kafka?
The open-source version of Apache Kafka results in minimal costs, mainly linked to accessing documentation and limited support. Enterprises usually opt for the more cost-effective open-source edition.
What advice do you have for others considering Mule Anypoint Platform?
I architected solutions using Oracle SOA/OSB, Spring Boot, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform on cloud / on-premises and hybrid modes; What I see is though if you are an enterprise and have enough money th...
How does TIBCO BusinessWorks compare with Mule Anypoint Platform?
Our organization ran comparison tests to determine whether TIBCO BusinessWorks or Mule Anypoint platform integration and connectivity software was the better fit for us. We decided to go with Mule...
What can Mule Anypoint Platform be used for and what do you use it for most often?
This is a very flexible solution that comes with multiple uses. My organization mostly uses Mule Anypoint Platform for API management, as it lets us build new APIs easily and design new interfaces...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Data Integrator, Anypoint MQ
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Uber, Netflix, Activision, Spotify, Slack, Pinterest
VMware, Gucci, MasterCard, Target, Time Inc, Hershey's, Tesla, Spotify, Office Depot, Intuit, CBS, Amtrak, Salesforce, Gap, Ralph Lauren
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