Technical FAQs

Question 1

What counts as a single connection (session)?

Accepted Answer

Each concurrent MQTT client session is counted as a single connection. Therefore, if a client device opens more than one session at a time, each one will be counted as a unique connection. These numbers are reset at the end of the monthly billing period. Example: If 37 client devices connect every hour on the hour and disconnect after 10 minutes, the total connection count for the day will remain 37. If 10 client devices connect with a persistent session (cleanSession flag is set to false) and disconnect again, and another 27 devices connect on the hour for 10 minutes before disconnecting the total for the day will also be 37.

Question 2

What counts as a single message?

Accepted Answer

For billing purposes, only PUBLISHED messages are counted. To best balance billing between customers we ‘normalize’ messages to a value of 5KB. For example, if you send an 8KB message, it will be counted as two normalized messages. The message’s topic, headers, and payload (and if using MQTT5, user properties) are all combined in this sizing calculation.

Question 3

How do I unlock unlimited connections?

Accepted Answer

We offer unlimited connections. However, usage is subject to a fair usage policy and service agreements. To ensure we’re providing the best service and uptime, we temporarily cap connections at 25,000. If you require more connections, simply reach out via cloud@hivemq.com or the Help page on Cloud Console. The number of active connections is visible in the HiveMQ Control Center.

Question 4

Which versions of the MQTT protocol does HiveMQ Cloud Support?

Accepted Answer

HiveMQ Cloud is fully compliant with the MQTT Standard, including interoperable support for MQTT 3.1, MQTT 3.1.1, and MQTT 5 . For more details on MQTT protocol, please visit our MQTT FAQs

Question 5

What are the SLAs for HiveMQ Cloud?

Accepted Answer

The HiveMQ Cloud terms and conditions can be found here. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are applicable only on production tiers so there is no uptime SLA for Serverless (Free & PAYG). Starter: 99.95% Professional and Enterprise: 99.99%

Question 6

Can I choose between multiple hyperscalers/cloud platforms for HiveMQ Cloud?

Accepted Answer

Serverless and Starter: Only AWS is currently available Professional and Enterprise: Yes

Question 7

How can I calculate my estimated costs?

Accepted Answer

We are developing a usage-based cost - see cloud page . The average cost for running a HiveMQ Cloud Starter cluster for 30 days is $250, with each million incoming normalized messages costing an additional $0.80.

Question 8

Where can I find my invoices?

Accepted Answer

You can find your invoices under the menu "Billing & Payment" in the Cloud console.

Question 9

What are your accepted payment methods?

Accepted Answer

HiveMQ Cloud Starter Plan is currently Credit Card only, but we plan to add additional options. We support multiple HiveMQ Cloud Enterprise plan payment options, including annual invoicing. Please reach out to our sales team to learn more about these options.

Question 10

Do you offer student discounts?

Accepted Answer

Students can use the Free tier on the HiveMQ Cloud Serverless Plan without any additional costs. We do not offer any student discounts on other plans. Please contact us if you have any special requirements.

Question 11

Will I retain my configurations when I change plans?

Accepted Answer

Migrating between Starter or above plans is easy and will keep your configurations. There might be some configuration we can’t migrate if you are changing a plan, but you will be informed about this exception during the upgrade process. Currently, HiveMQ does not support migration from Serverless plans.

Question 12

How do I cancel my paid plan?

Accepted Answer

You can cancel your paid plan easily by selecting the "delete cluster" option in the cluster details overview.

Question 13

What happens if my payment fails? For example, if my credit card expires?

Accepted Answer

We will inform you about the failed payment and try to charge you again within a few days. We will also provide you the option to change your credit card. If we are not able to collect payment, the cluster will be stopped.

Question 14

Can I change my email address associated with the accounts afterward?

Accepted Answer

This depends on the method you used during sign-up. If you have chosen the username-password sign-up method, we can change the associated email address with your account. If you have used any social sign-up method we cannot change the associated email address, as this is bound to your social login.

Question 15

Are yearly payments possible?

Accepted Answer

Starter: We bill by the hour that each customer cluster is running, which requires monthly invoicing in arrears to cover the cost for that period. Enterprise: Pricing is based on your needs and defaults to annual terms.

Question 16

Is it as easy as signing up and sending the first messages in 5 mins? And I just need a credit card right?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it is that easy. If you have used Serverless in the past, you will find a very similar onboarding experience.

Question 17

How can I raise a support ticket?

Accepted Answer

You can raise a support request via the support widget in the Cloud Portal. It is accessible via the “Help” menu on the Cloud console.

Question 18

Which business hours are supported for support requests?

Accepted Answer

You can raise a support ticket 24 hours a day, while our support business hours are 9am to 5pm CET and EST. Response times depend on the HiveMQ Cloud plan and are found under HiveMQ Cloud terms and conditions .

Question 19

What if I have special requirements?

Accepted Answer

Our technical team is eager to understand your requirements and talk to you about our tailored HiveMQ Cloud Enterprise offering or help you identify which of our HiveMQ Cloud plans best fit your needs.

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Everything in Serverless, plus

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