Apache Kafka VS NATS
As of 30 October 2026, NATS is named by 193 companies and Apache Kafka by 4,727; Apache Kafka skews to companies under 200 people (46% vs 55%), NATS to companies over 1,000 (19% vs 28%).
As of 30 October 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, NATS rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Apache Kafka: 2–200 employees
- 46%
- NATS: 2–200 employees
- 55%
- Apache Kafka: 1,000+ employees
- 28%
- NATS: 1,000+ employees
- 19%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 4.3 · 2.2
- 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 | NATS | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 60 | 1% | 6 | 3% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 335 | 7% | 17 | 9% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 749 | 16% | 39 | 20% | NATS |
| 51-200 employees | 1,099 | 23% | 51 | 26% | NATS |
| 201-500 employees | 686 | 15% | 28 | 15% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 484 | 10% | 16 | 8% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 693 | 15% | 26 | 13% | even |
| 5001-10000 employees | 184 | 4% | 4 | 2% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 437 | 9% | 6 | 3% | Apache Kafka |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | NATS | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 2,667 | 56% | 105 | 54% | Apache Kafka |
| Business & finance services | 990 | 21% | 30 | 16% | Apache Kafka |
| Manufacturing & industry | 301 | 6% | 31 | 16% | NATS |
| Media & content | 161 | 3% | 6 | 3% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 111 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 98 | 2% | 7 | 4% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 75 | 2% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 72 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Public, community & associations | 68 | 1% | 8 | 4% | NATS |
| Health care | 54 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Automotive | 46 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Hospitality & travel | 40 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Property & construction | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | NATS | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2,811 | 59% | 128 | 66% | NATS |
| United Kingdom | 349 | 7% | 8 | 4% | Apache Kafka |
| Germany | 213 | 5% | 7 | 4% | even |
| India | 159 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| France | 147 | 3% | 8 | 4% | even |
| Canada | 81 | 2% | 6 | 3% | even |
| Brazil | 73 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Netherlands | 73 | 2% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Poland | 64 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Italy | 58 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Switzerland | 56 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Australia | 53 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | – | – | 4 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Spain | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Portugal | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Singapore | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Apache Kafka | share | NATS | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | 15,638 | 57% | 434 | 72% | NATS |
| Data & AI | 6,524 | 24% | 42 | 7% | Apache Kafka |
| IT operations & business systems | 1,604 | 6% | 21 | 3% | Apache Kafka |
| Product, program & project management | 316 | 1% | 17 | 3% | even |
| Engineering (non-software) | 263 | 1% | 8 | 1% | even |
| Sales | 162 | 1% | 3 | 0% | even |
| Customer service & success | 69 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Unclassified | 48 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | 39 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Construction and civil | 34 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | 31 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Finance & accounting | 18 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Healthcare clinical | – | – | 34 | 6% | outside top 12 |
| Social care and community | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Arts media and entertainment | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Marketing & communications | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Retail & store operations | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Apache Kafka →
Companies using NATS →
message brokers streaming ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
NATS is named by 193 companies in job postings and Apache Kafka by 4,727; 0 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/apache-kafka-vs-nats)
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 NATS: questions
Which is more used, Apache Kafka or NATS?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Apache Kafka (4,727) over NATS (193). By website-and-DNS footprint, NATS (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Apache Kafka?
46% of Apache Kafka companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 55% for NATS. 28% of Apache Kafka companies have over 1,000 employees, against 19% for NATS.
Do companies run both?
0 companies name both in their postings, usually Apache Kafka in marketing and NATS 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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