Best Esper Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 platforms from stream processing software ranked against Esper on the same published basis.
- 1Esper vs Timeplus
- 2Esper vs Confluent Cloud
- 3Esper vs Materialize
- 4Esper vs Feldera
- 5Esper vs AFL++
- 6Esper vs Apache Storm
- 7Esper vs Arroyo
- 8Esper vs Kafka Streams
- 9Esper vs Apache Beam
- 10Esper vs Apache NiFi
- 12Esper vs RisingWave
- 13Esper vs Apache Samza
- 14Esper vs Hazelcast Platform
- 15Esper vs Pathway Live Data Framework
- 16Esper vs Apache Spark
- 17Esper vs Apache Flink
- 18Esper vs Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink
- 19Esper vs Siddhi
- 20Esper vs Apache Kafka
- 21Esper vs Quix Streams
Esper alternatives compared
| # | Platform | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timeplus | 7.9 | Free plan | $199/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 2 | Confluent Cloud | 7.8 | Free plan | $385/mo | API, Linux, Web |
| 3 | Materialize | 7.8 | Free plan | $0.13/mo | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 4 | Feldera | 7.4 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 5 | AFL++ | 7.3 | Free plan | €1666.67/mo | Android, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | Apache Storm | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Arroyo | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web |
| 8 | Kafka Streams | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | Apache Beam | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 10 | Apache NiFi | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 12 | RisingWave | 7.2 | No | $0.23/mo | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web |
| 13 | Apache Samza | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 14 | Hazelcast Platform | 7.1 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 15 | Pathway Live Data Framework | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, self-hosted |
| 16 | Apache Spark | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 17 | Apache Flink | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 18 | Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink | 6.1 | No | — | API, Web |
| 19 | Siddhi | 6.0 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 20 | Apache Kafka | 5.8 | No | — | — |
| 21 | Quix Streams | 5.7 | No | — | — |
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Questions about Esper alternatives
What is the best alternative to Esper?
Timeplus, number 1 in stream processing software with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: Confluent Cloud, Materialize, Feldera and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Esper?
Timeplus is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 14 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.