Upstash Kafka pricing
Apache Kafka · Upstash · snapshot captured June 2026
Upstash Kafka is a managed Apache Kafka offering from Upstash. It uses discontinued (end-of-life). Its representative entry tier is Discontinued at Usage-based. No current pricing; Upstash steers users to QStash / Workflow instead. Not available (service discontinued). Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
Source: Upstash pricing. Data as of June 2026.
Upstash Kafka pricing tiers
| Tier | Specs | Hourly | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discontinued | End-of-life ~March 2025 | — | — | Announced Sept 2024; sunset ~6 months later. No new clusters. |
Source: Upstash pricing. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
At a glance
| Cost factor | Upstash Kafka |
|---|---|
| Engine | Apache Kafka |
| Vendor | Upstash |
| Pricing model | Discontinued (end-of-life) |
| Representative tier | Discontinued (Usage-based) |
| Storage / extras | No current pricing; Upstash steers users to QStash / Workflow instead. |
| Free tier | Not available (service discontinued). |
| Region note | Service sunset; new clusters cannot be created. |
Source: Upstash pricing page. Data as of June 2026.
Cost pros & cons
Where Upstash Kafka saves money
- Was a true serverless, per-request Kafka with a free tier
Watch-outs
- Discontinued: deprecation announced September 2024, end-of-life around March 2025
- New clusters cannot be created
- No current pricing; not a viable choice for new projects
Accuracy note: Upstash Kafka is end-of-life. Listed only so readers searching for it understand it is discontinued; use MSK Serverless, Confluent or Aiven instead.
Upstash Kafka vs similar offerings
How Upstash Kafka compares with other managed Apache Kafka and adjacent offerings:
| Offering | Engine | Representative tier | Est. monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstash Kafka (this offering) | Apache Kafka | Discontinued | Usage-based |
| Amazon MSK | Apache Kafka | 3 x kafka.m7g.large brokers | ~$447/mo |
| Confluent Cloud | Apache Kafka | Standard (~$385/month entry) | ~$385/mo |
| Aiven for Apache Kafka | Apache Kafka | Startup-2 (smallest Startup plan) | ~$200/mo |
| Amazon RDS for MySQL | MySQL | db.t3.medium (2 vCPU / 4 GiB) | ~$52/mo |
| Google Cloud SQL for MySQL | MySQL | 2 vCPU / 8 GB (Enterprise edition, compute only) | ~$101/mo |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Upstash Kafka cost?
Upstash Kafka uses discontinued (end-of-life). Its representative entry is Discontinued at Usage-based. No current pricing; Upstash steers users to QStash / Workflow instead. snapshot captured June 2026 — verify on the vendor's pricing page.
Does Upstash Kafka have a free tier?
Not really. Not available (service discontinued).
What is the cheapest Upstash Kafka tier?
The smallest tier is Discontinued (End-of-life ~March 2025): —. Announced Sept 2024; sunset ~6 months later. No new clusters. Prices are a June-2026 snapshot; verify on the linked vendor pricing page before relying on them.
What should I watch for in Upstash Kafka pricing?
Watch-outs: Discontinued: deprecation announced September 2024, end-of-life around March 2025; New clusters cannot be created; No current pricing; not a viable choice for new projects. Upstash Kafka is end-of-life. Listed only so readers searching for it understand it is discontinued; use MSK Serverless, Confluent or Aiven instead.
Keep exploring
Source & accuracy
Figures are a dated snapshot from Upstash's pricing page (snapshot captured June 2026). Managed-database pricing is volatile and varies by region, tier, storage and discounts — verify current prices on the vendor's page before purchasing. This is an informational comparison, not a quote. See our methodology and disclaimer.
Last updated: 2026-06-20