What is EMQX used for?

EMQX is a unified MQTT platform that connects, processes, and streams real-time data from millions of devices to cloud, AI, and analytics systems. It is a good fit for powering real-time intelligence across industries such as autonomous vehicles and smart grids.

Yes. EMQX is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at emqx/emqx and is written mainly in Erlang.

Yes. EMQX is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host EMQX?

Yes. EMQX can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is EMQX an alternative to?

EMQX is an open-source alternative to Particle, AWS IoT Core, PubNub and Azure IoT Hub. Other open-source alternatives to Particle include DGIoT, Kaa and VerneMQ.

Is EMQX actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to EMQX was on 14 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.3.1, published on 18 September 2026. The project has 17k stars on GitHub.

EMQX: open-source alternative to Particle, AWS IoT Core

About EMQX

EMQX is a unified MQTT platform designed for connecting, processing, and streaming real-time data from millions of devices to cloud, AI, and analytics systems. It combines an MQTT broker, SQL-based rules engine, and data integration into one platform, enabling users to turn IoT data into actionable intelligence. The platform is trusted by global leaders in automotive, manufacturing, and AI infrastructure.

Key features

Scales to 100M+ devices and millions of messages per second with sub-ms latency within a single cluster
Combines MQTT broker, SQL-based rules engine, and data integration into one platform
Empowers AI agents with real-time access to physical devices using built-in MCP support
Offers a portfolio including EMQX Cloud (fully managed), EMQX Enterprise (self-managed), EMQX Edge (lightweight edge), and EMQX Neuron

Good fit for

Powering real-time intelligence across industries such as autonomous vehicles and smart grids

Built with: Erlang tools
Tags: mqtt; iot; data streaming; real-time; edge computing; industrial iot

EMQX: questions and answers

What is EMQX used for?: EMQX is a unified MQTT platform that connects, processes, and streams real-time data from millions of devices to cloud, AI, and analytics systems. It is a good fit for powering real-time intelligence across industries such as autonomous vehicles and smart grids.
Is EMQX open source?: Yes. EMQX is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at emqx/emqx and is written mainly in Erlang.
Is EMQX free?: Yes. EMQX is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host EMQX?: Yes. EMQX can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is EMQX an alternative to?: EMQX is an open-source alternative to Particle, AWS IoT Core, PubNub and Azure IoT Hub. Other open-source alternatives to Particle include DGIoT, Kaa and VerneMQ.
Is EMQX actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to EMQX was on 14 October 2026, and the latest release is 6.3.1, published on 18 September 2026. The project has 17k stars on GitHub.