Confluent Cloud vs Amazon MSK vs Inteca: Kafka Provider Comparison

Written by Aleksandra Malesa Updated on

Choosing the right Kafka provider in the age of AI

As enterprises modernize their data infrastructure, the mission-critical nature of data streaming has elevated Apache Kafka® to the backbone of real-time analytics, event streaming, and AI-driven use cases. The question for CIOs and architects in 2025 is not whether to use Kafka, but which Kafka provider to trust.

In this comparison, we analyze three prominent providers:

  • Confluent Cloud
  • Amazon MSK (Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka)
  • Inteca, a European developer-first managed service focused on cloud-native deployments

We assess their pricing, performance, deployment models, real-time capabilities, ecosystem support, and strategic fit for enterprise data streaming initiatives.

Confluent enterprise-grade Kafka SaaS with premium pricing

Confluent Inc, founded by Kafka co-creator Jay Kreps, positions itself as a complete data streaming platform. Headquartered in Mountain View, it offers a managed cloud-native software-as-a-service (Confluent Cloud) and self-managed (Confluent Platform) option.

Highlights from confluent (CFLT) Q1 2025 earnings call

  • Q1 results showed subscription revenue beat expectations year over year
  • Confluent Cloud revenue now outpaces on-prem Confluent Platform growth
  • Added 340 new customers, with a focus on AI-powered and analytics-driven use cases

Pricing

  • Confluent Cloud is priced 8–24x higher than open-source Kafka when factoring in data transfer and connector costs
  • Self-managed Kafka is 1–6x cheaper depending on workload size and storage needs

Strengths

  • Proprietary Kora engine for serverless scaling
  • Stream Governance, client-side field level encryption, and Oracle XStream CDC connector
  • Native support for Apache Flink, Databricks, Delta Lake, and open table formats
  • AI-driven features targeted at modern real-time data streaming pipelines

Considerations

  • Requires buy-in to Confluent ecosystem (Kafka API compatibility, not Kafka-native)
  • Growth deceleration in stock price despite positive Q1 earnings
  • High TCO unless workloads are optimized for Confluent’s infrastructure

Amazon MSK: Kafka on AWS cloud infrastructure

Amazon MSK is AWS’s managed Kafka service, integrated with the broader AWS ecosystem. It supports native Apache Kafka with minimal vendor lock-in.

Strengths

  • Deep integration with AWS services (IAM, CloudWatch, Lambda, S3)
  • Flexible provisioning models (MSK Standard, MSK Serverless)
  • Ideal for companies already invested in AWS cloud providers

Performance & cost

  • Lower operational overhead vs. self-managed Kafka
  • Still requires tuning, VPC setup, and separate stream governance tools
  • Kafka workloads are priced 1–2x more than self-managed equivalents on AWS

Limitations

  • No built-in support for advanced stream governance, encryption, or AI use cases
  • Lacks open-source innovation seen in vendors like WarpStream or Redpanda

Visual comparison of Kafka providers: Confluent Cloud, AWS MSK, and Inteca

Inteca: developer-first managed Kafka on Kubernetes

Inteca is a European Kafka provider offering enterprise-grade self-managed software and fully managed Kafka deployments using Strimzi and Kubernetes-native tooling. Ideal for regulated industries and cost-conscious enterprises.

Key differentiators

  • Built on open-source Kafka + Apache Flink
  • Transparent pricing model (no egress surprises)
  • GitOps-ready, with support for Kafka topics, schema registry, RBAC
  • Supports Oracle XStream CDC source connector and client-side encryption

Business fit

  • Tailored for finance, manufacturing, public sector, and AI-driven analytics
  • Predictable cost structure, unlike usage-based SaaS pricing
  • Enables self-managing Kafka with S3 backups, offset safety, and custom connectors

When to choose Inteca

  • You want trustworthy data pipelines with full Kafka API compatibility
  • You operate in a cloud-native or hybrid environment, needing data governance
  • You seek an alternative to Confluent or Amazon MSK without giving up enterprise-grade reliability

Kafka provider comparison table

Feature Confluent Cloud Amazon MSK Inteca
Kafka Compatibility Kafka APIs (partial) Kafka-native Kafka-native (open-source)
Pricing Model Usage-based (8–24x) Usage-based (1–2x) Predictable, flat-rate
AI/Analytics Integration High (Kora, AI models) Low Moderate (Apache Flink)
Connectors (e.g., Oracle CDC) ✅ Oracle CDC, 100+ Manual setup ✅ Oracle XStream CDC
Stream Governance Tools ✅ Built-in ❌ External needed ✅ GitOps + RBAC
Ideal Use Cases SaaS analytics, AI AWS-native apps Enterprise data pipelines
Infrastructure Confluent Infra AWS Cloud Kubernetes/ Open Shift / BYOC / Hybrid
Open-Source Transparency ❌ Partial ✅ Yes ✅ Full stack
AI-powered features ✅ Yes ❌ No ✅ Supported

Conclusion: What to choose for your 2025 streaming data needs?

In 2025, the nature of data streaming demands a balance of performance, flexibility, governance, and cost control. Here’s how to decide:

  • Choose Confluent Cloud if you need a SaaS-first platform with deep AI integrations and don’t mind the cost premium
  • Choose Amazon MSK if you’re deeply embedded in the AWS ecosystem and want Kafka without much ops
  • Choose Inteca if you want cloud-native Kafka with strong governance, pricing clarity, and open-source control

In the age of AI, real-time data streaming is no longer optional. Ensure your Kafka provider accelerates your goals, not your costs.

See why companies choose Inteca
Managed Kafka Service
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Aleksandra Malesa
I’m a Content Marketing Specialist who loves creating engaging content that connects with people and helps businesses. I specialize in writing technical blogs for the IT industry, focusing on clear strategies and storytelling to deliver real results. When I’m not writing, I’m keeping up with the latest trends to stay ahead in the game.
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