Azure Service Bus vs Kafka:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Azure Service Bus had more branded searches than Kafka among message queue services worldwide. Azure Service Bus had about 9,900 branded searches, while Kafka had 880. Azure Service Bus made up 7.8% of all message queue service searches we track, and Kafka accounted for 0.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about message queue services, Kafka appeared in all five answers and Azure Service Bus in four. Kafka was mentioned before Azure Service Bus in four out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Azure Service Bus, about 11 searches for every 1 for Kafka
Who does AI mention more?
Kafka, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Kafka, named ahead of Azure Service Bus in 4 of 5 answers
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Top message queue services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kafka appeared in all five answers. Azure Service Bus was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Kafka was listed before Azure Service Bus in four out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
RabbitMQ5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Kafka5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Azure Service Bus4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Google Cloud Pub/Sub4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Amazon SQS4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
NATS3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
ActiveMQ0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
ZeroMQ0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Redis Streams0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Google Pub/Sub0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about message queue services
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which message queue service should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best message queue services?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best message queue service for service-to-service messaging?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“message queue services”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“message broker service”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Azure Service Bus or Kafka more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Azure Service Bus and Kafka by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten message queue services we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Azure Service Bus, Kafka. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | RabbitMQ | Azure Service Bus | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | ActiveMQ | Amazon SQS | ZeroMQ | Redis Streams | Google Pub/Sub | Kafka | NATS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 62.3% | 6.8% | 5% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 3.7% | 2% | 0.46% | 0.41% |
| Nov 2025 | 59.6% | 6.6% | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.4% | 8% | 4.4% | 2.4% | 0.54% | 0.48% |
| Dec 2025 | 63.3% | 5.7% | 7% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 7% | 3.8% | 2.1% | 0.51% | 0.41% |
| Jan 2026 | 61.2% | 6.7% | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5.5% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 2% | 0.56% | 0.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 62% | 6.8% | 6.4% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 6.8% | 3.7% | 2% | 0.56% | 0.41% |
| Mar 2026 | 57.8% | 6.4% | 8.8% | 6.4% | 5.2% | 7.8% | 4.3% | 2.3% | 0.68% | 0.46% |
| Apr 2026 | 53.1% | 7.1% | 9.3% | 10.6% | 5.8% | 7.1% | 3.9% | 2.1% | 0.59% | 0.42% |
| May 2026 | 57.9% | 6.3% | 8.3% | 6.3% | 6.3% | 7.7% | 4.2% | 1.9% | 0.56% | 0.46% |
| Jun 2026 | 60.2% | 8% | 6.8% | 6.6% | 5.4% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 0.48% | 0.48% |
| Jul 2026 | 61.4% | 6.7% | 6.2% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 6.7% | 3.7% | 2% | 0.6% | 0.49% |
| Aug 2026 | 58.7% | 7.9% | 6.7% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 0.57% |
| Sep 2026 | 58.6% | 7.8% | 6.9% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 0.7% | 0.57% |
How has the Azure Service Bus and Kafka comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Azure Service Bus was ahead of Kafka in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Azure Service Bus’ share of searches among message queue services worldwide moved from 6.8% to 7.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 14.8K to 9.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kafka’s share of searches among message queue services worldwide moved from 0.46% to 0.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 880.
How did search popularity change for message queue services worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for Azure Service Bus worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 9.9K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Kafka worldwide fell 12% over 12 measured months, from 1K to 880 in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Azure Service Bus’ and Kafka’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Azure Service Bus
1 branded search term
- azure service bus
Kafka
1 branded search term
- kafka message queue
Other head-to-heads among message queue services
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