Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Apache Kafka vs Redis 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Apache Kafka
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Streaming Analytics (7th)
Redis
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
NoSQL Databases (7th), In-Memory Data Store Services (1st), Vector Databases (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Apache Kafka and Redis aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Apache Kafka is designed for Streaming Analytics and holds a mindshare of 2.3%, up 2.0% compared to last year.
Redis, on the other hand, focuses on In-Memory Data Store Services, holds 13.3% mindshare, down 16.6% since last year.
Streaming Analytics
In-Memory Data Store Services
 

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…
Yaseer Arafat - PeerSpot reviewer
Unmatched Performance and Scalability for Modern Applications
Redis has room for improvement in a few areas. Enhanced tools for managing and monitoring clusters would be beneficial, as would built-in security mechanisms like advanced encryption and granular access controls. Simplifying setup and configuration could make Redis more accessible to new users. Introducing more enterprise-grade features, such as better multi-tenancy support and improved backup and restore capabilities, would also be advantageous. For the next release, it would be great to see enhanced cluster management tools, native multi-region supports for better data redundancy, integrated analytics for deeper insights, AI and ML integration features, and improved developer experience through enhanced SDKs and tools.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the support for a high volume of data."
"As a software developer, I have found Apache Kafka's support to be the most valuable...The solution is easy to integrate with any of our systems."
"Ease of use."
"Deployment is speedy."
"The high availability is valuable. It is robust, and we can rely on it for a huge amount of data."
"The main advantage is increased reliability, particularly with regard to data and the speed with which messages are published to the other side."
"Apache Kafka is very fast and stable."
"Apache Kafka is very fast and stable."
"Redis is a simple, powerful, and fast solution."
"The solution's technical support team is good...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."
"Redis is better tested and is used by large companies. I haven't found a direct alternative to what Redis offers. Plus, there are a lot of support and learning resources available, which help you use Redis efficiently."
"Redis provides an easy setup and operation process, allowing users to quickly connect and use it without hassle."
"What I like best about Redis is its fast and easy use. It has interesting algorithms like HyperLogLog and provides useful features. It's also good for implementing scalable rate limiting."
"I use Redis mostly to cache repeated data that is required."
"The ability to fetch and save data quickly is valuable."
"Redis acts as an in-memory search tool that improves the speed of operations."
 

Cons

"The management tool could be improved."
"The solution can improve by having automation for developers. We have done many manual calculations and it has been difficult but if it was automated it would be much better."
"Kafka is a nightmare to administer."
"I would like to see an improvement in authentication management."
"Observability could be improved."
"The interface has room for improvement, and there is a steep learning curve for Hadoop integration. It was a struggle learning to send from Hadoop to Kafka. In future releases, I'd like to see improvements in ETL functionality and Hadoop integration."
"Prioritization of messages in Apache Kafka could improve."
"Kafka does not provide control over the message queue, so we do not know whether we are experiencing lost or duplicate messages."
"In future releases, I would like Redis to provide its users with an option like schema validation. Currently, the solution lacks to offer such functionality."
"If we use a lot of data, it will eventually cost us a lot."
"I would prefer it if there was more information available about Redis. That would make it easier for new beginners. Currently, there is a lack of resources."
"The initial setup took some time as our technical team needed to familiarize themselves with Redis."
"The solution's pricing for a local installation is very expensive."
"For the PubSub feature, we had to create our own tools to monitor the events."
"Redis could be improved by introducing a GUI to display key-value pair database information, as it is currently a CLI tool with no visual representation."
"The tool should improve by increasing its size limits and handling dynamic data better. We use the client ID or associate it with a key for static content. The solution will not be easy for a beginner. Unless you understand SQL data, it will be difficult to understand and use Redis. It also needs to be user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate Apache Kafka's pricing a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing fees for Apache Kafka."
"We are using the free version of Apache Kafka."
"Kafka is more reasonably priced than IBM MQ."
"Running a Kafka cluster can be expensive, especially if you need to scale it up to handle large amounts of data."
"Apache Kafka has an open-source pricing."
"Kafka is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."
"The price of Apache Kafka is good."
"Apache Kafka is an open-source solution."
"Redis is an open-source solution. There are not any hidden fees."
"The tool is open-source. There are no additional costs."
"Redis is an open-source product."
"We saw an ROI. It made the processing of our transactions faster."
"Redis is not an overpriced solution."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Streaming Analytics solutions are best for your needs.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
31%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Retailer
5%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
16%
Educational Organization
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

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 do you like most about Redis?
Redis is better tested and is used by large companies. I haven't found a direct alternative to what Redis offers. Plus, there are a lot of support and learning resources available, which help you u...
What needs improvement with Redis?
Redis could be improved by introducing a GUI to display key-value pair database information, as it is currently a CLI tool with no visual representation. Additionally, better documentation is neede...
What is your primary use case for Redis?
I use Redis as a tool in building projects, specifically for in-memory caching. My backend API uses Redis to cache information retrieved from the database.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Redis Enterprise
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Uber, Netflix, Activision, Spotify, Slack, Pinterest
1. Twitter 2. GitHub 3. StackOverflow 4. Pinterest 5. Snapchat 6. Craigslist 7. Digg 8. Weibo 9. Airbnb 10. Uber 11. Slack 12. Trello 13. Shopify 14. Coursera 15. Medium 16. Twitch 17. Foursquare 18. Meetup 19. Kickstarter 20. Docker 21. Heroku 22. Bitbucket 23. Groupon 24. Flipboard 25. SoundCloud 26. BuzzFeed 27. Disqus 28. The New York Times 29. Walmart 30. Nike 31. Sony 32. Philips
Find out what your peers are saying about Apache Kafka vs. Redis and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.