Apache Kafka VS Azure Service Bus_
As of 4 November 2026, Azure Service Bus is named by 1,064 companies and Apache Kafka by 6,262; Apache Kafka skews to companies under 200 people (45% vs 32%), Azure Service Bus to companies over 1,000 (40% vs 28%).
As of 4 November 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Apache Kafka's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Azure Service Bus rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Apache Kafka: 2–200 employees
- 45%
- Azure Service Bus: 2–200 employees
- 32%
- Apache Kafka: 1,000+ employees
- 28%
- Azure Service Bus: 1,000+ employees
- 40%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 4.0 · 2.9
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | Azure Service Bus | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 189 | 3% | 20 | 2% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 537 | 9% | 38 | 4% | Apache Kafka |
| 11-50 employees | 911 | 15% | 131 | 12% | Apache Kafka |
| 51-200 employees | 1,389 | 22% | 175 | 16% | Apache Kafka |
| 201-500 employees | 878 | 14% | 153 | 14% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 613 | 10% | 117 | 11% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 884 | 14% | 209 | 20% | Azure Service Bus |
| 5001-10000 employees | 244 | 4% | 63 | 6% | Azure Service Bus |
| 10,001+ employees | 617 | 10% | 158 | 15% | Azure Service Bus |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | Azure Service Bus | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 3,368 | 54% | 479 | 45% | Apache Kafka |
| Business & finance services | 1,355 | 22% | 257 | 24% | Azure Service Bus |
| Manufacturing & industry | 408 | 7% | 74 | 7% | even |
| Media & content | 241 | 4% | 24 | 2% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 189 | 3% | 45 | 4% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 133 | 2% | 31 | 3% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 113 | 2% | 32 | 3% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 103 | 2% | 28 | 3% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 95 | 2% | 23 | 2% | even |
| Automotive | 68 | 1% | 14 | 1% | even |
| Health care | 66 | 1% | 25 | 2% | even |
| Property & construction | 61 | 1% | 19 | 2% | even |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | Azure Service Bus | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,574 | 57% | 542 | 51% | Apache Kafka |
| United Kingdom | 427 | 7% | 106 | 10% | Azure Service Bus |
| Germany | 257 | 4% | 36 | 3% | even |
| India | 206 | 3% | 36 | 3% | even |
| France | 185 | 3% | 21 | 2% | even |
| Brazil | 138 | 2% | 22 | 2% | even |
| Canada | 105 | 2% | 36 | 3% | even |
| Netherlands | 85 | 1% | 23 | 2% | even |
| Poland | 85 | 1% | 20 | 2% | even |
| Sweden | 74 | 1% | 23 | 2% | even |
| Australia | 70 | 1% | 25 | 2% | even |
| Spain | 67 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Belgium | – | – | 23 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | Azure Service Bus | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | 19,131 | 58% | 2,483 | 66% | Azure Service Bus |
| Data & AI | 7,750 | 23% | 255 | 7% | Apache Kafka |
| IT operations & business systems | 1,893 | 6% | 444 | 12% | Azure Service Bus |
| Product, program & project management | 359 | 1% | 43 | 1% | even |
| Engineering (non-software) | 343 | 1% | 83 | 2% | even |
| Sales | 191 | 1% | 14 | 0% | even |
| Unclassified | 90 | 0% | 3 | 0% | even |
| Customer service & success | 77 | 0% | 8 | 0% | even |
| Quality, safety & environment | 62 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| General management & consulting | 40 | 0% | 5 | 0% | even |
| construction and civil | 38 | 0% | 4 | 0% | even |
| Finance & accounting | 25 | 0% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Legal, compliance & risk | 25 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Marketing & communications | 11 | 0% | 3 | 0% | even |
| logistics warehouse and transport | 10 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Design & UX | 8 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Administration & office | 7 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Human resources | 6 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Business development & strategy | 5 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 5 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| skilled trades and field service | 5 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| facilities cleaning and security | 3 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Retail & store operations | 3 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| arts media and entertainment | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| hospitality and food service | 2 | 0% | 2 | 0% | even |
| manufacturing and production | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Travel, leisure & events | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| healthcare clinical | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| research and science | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Apache Kafka →
Companies using Azure Service Bus →
message brokers streaming ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Azure Service Bus is named by 1,064 companies in job postings and Apache Kafka by 6,262; 0 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/apache-kafka-vs-azure-service-bus)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Apache Kafka vs Azure Service Bus: questions
Which is more used, Apache Kafka or Azure Service Bus?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Apache Kafka (6,262) over Azure Service Bus (1,064). By website-and-DNS footprint, Azure Service Bus (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Apache Kafka?
45% of Apache Kafka companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 32% for Azure Service Bus. 28% of Apache Kafka companies have over 1,000 employees, against 40% for Azure Service Bus.
Do companies run both?
0 companies name both in their postings, usually Apache Kafka in marketing and Azure Service Bus in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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