Emitter
Emitter is a Netherlands-based provider of an open-source, MQTT-based publish-subscribe messaging broker that delivers low-latency real-time communication across online, mobile, IoT, and gaming applications via multi-language SDKs and a hosted cloud.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Emitter does
Emitter, operated by Emitter Studios B.V. (Netherlands), provides a real-time publish-subscribe messaging service for connecting online devices. The core product is an MQTT-based messaging broker built in Go with a peer-to-peer distributed architecture designed to scale horizontally and handle millions of messages per second. It supports standard MQTT, WebSocket (ws/wss), TCP, TLS, and binary messages, with proprietary extensions including per-channel authorization, distributed message filtering, message playback for offline subscribers, and device presence tracking. SDKs are available across JavaScript, TypeScript, Node.js, Java, Python, .NET/C#, Go, and C/C++, plus a .NET Micro Framework variant maintained by partner Misakai Ltd.
The product targets four primary use-case segments: online gaming (low-latency binary messaging), Internet of Things (MQTT sensor data and device command/control), real-time web applications (dashboards and live data streams), and mobile applications (responsive real-time interactions). Distribution follows a hybrid open-source plus commercial model: source code is released under AGPL on GitHub for self-hosting via a single Docker container, while a hosted cloud service (access via emitter.io/login) and proprietary commercial licenses with support contracts serve users who prefer managed infrastructure or non-AGPL terms. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, with commercial and enterprise quotes routed through [email protected] and [email protected].
The company is privately held with a 1-10 employee headcount and three identified core contributors - Tom Marechal, Roman Atachiants Ph.D., and Florimond Husquinet - who, per company-provided background, build on nights and weekends around day jobs. No funding rounds, acquisitions, enterprise customer logos, or revenue figures are disclosed in available sources. Marketing is developer-first and relies on technical documentation, demo applications (Collaborative Paint, Serverless Chat, Analytics Dashboard), GitHub presence, a Gitter community channel, and organic social on Twitter and LinkedIn. A separate 'head of business development' role (Jona Derks) is identified, indicating nascent commercial focus.
Emitter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emitter
- Legal name
- Emitter Studios B.V.
- Website
- https://emitter.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Emitter is a Netherlands-based provider of an open-source, MQTT-based publish-subscribe messaging broker that delivers low-latency real-time communication across online, mobile, IoT, and gaming applications via multi-language SDKs and a hosted cloud.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Emitter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Emitter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cloud Service Subscription: Hosted cloud version of Emitter service accessible via emitter.io/login. Quota limits based on plan tiers with invoicing for usage exceeding quotas. VAT exclusive pricing.
- Commercial Licensing: Commercial license option available for enterprises that want to use Emitter commercially but under proprietary licensing terms rather than AGPL.
- Support Contracts: Emitter offers support contracts for enterprise customers requiring dedicated support and SLA guarantees.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Emitter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emitter provides a real-time Publish-Subscribe messaging broker built on the MQTT protocol for connecting online devices across web, mobile, gaming, and IoT applications. The service is delivered as both an AGPL-licensed open-source product deployable via Docker and a hosted cloud service, with commercial licenses and support contracts available for enterprise customers. Multi-language SDKs (JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Python, .NET/C#, Go, C/C++) enable developers to integrate low-latency, binary messaging with channel-level authorization and message playback for offline subscribers.
Product overview
Emitter is a real-time messaging platform based on the Publish-Subscribe (pub/sub) pattern. The core Emitter service provides scalable, low-latency, MQTT-based real-time communication capable of handling millions of messages per second. The platform is offered both as a hosted cloud service and as open-source software deployable via Docker. Language-specific SDKs (JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, .NET/C#, Python, Go, C/C++) enable integration across web, mobile, IoT, and gaming applications. The product portfolio also includes demo applications showcasing collaborative painting, chat, TODO lists, device presence tracking, and analytics dashboards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Emitter Pub/Sub Messaging Platform
Companies that use Emitter
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Emitter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
Emitter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Emitter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Azure IoT Hub: Azure IoT Hub is Microsoft's managed MQTT/AMQP/HTTPS messaging service for IoT. A broad-incumbent alternative in the same IoT-device connectivity category that competes for the same IoT developer persona.
- RabbitMQ: RabbitMQ is a widely deployed open-source message broker that overlaps with Emitter in the broader pub/sub messaging infrastructure category, though it supports AMQP rather than MQTT specifically. A broad incumbent alternative for application messaging.
- AWS IoT Core: AWS IoT Core is the dominant managed MQTT cloud service and competes head-on with Emitter Cloud for IoT workloads. A broad incumbent within the same messaging-for-IoT category.
Direct peers
- Eclipse Mosquitto: Eclipse Mosquitto is the canonical open-source MQTT broker that Emitter directly competes with in self-hosted IoT deployments. Both serve the same MQTT protocol layer with comparable lightweight deployments.
- PubNub: PubNub provides a real-time publish-subscribe API with presence, history/playback, and device management — features Emitter also offers. Targets the same developer-led, multi-vertical customer base (IoT, gaming, real-time web, mobile).
- Ably: Ably is a managed real-time messaging platform supporting pub/sub, presence, and push notifications across web, mobile, and IoT. Strong overlap with Emitter's product surface and IoT/real-time web use cases.
- HiveMQ: HiveMQ provides an enterprise-grade MQTT broker platform for IoT and real-time messaging, directly competing with Emitter's MQTT-based pub/sub offering. Both target IoT developers and offer self-hosted and cloud deployment models.
- Pusher: Pusher offers hosted real-time pub/sub messaging APIs targeting web and mobile developers — the same developer audience Emitter serves. Comparable business model (self-serve SDKs, cloud subscription) and overlapping use cases in real-time web and chat.
- VerneMQ: VerneMQ is an open-source, horizontally scalable MQTT broker written in Erlang. Comparable to Emitter's MQTT-first architecture and emphasis on horizontal scaling for IoT messaging workloads.
- EMQ Technologies (EMQX): EMQX is a widely adopted open-source MQTT broker targeting IoT and real-time messaging, with both self-hosted and managed cloud (EMQX Cloud) offerings. Directly comparable to Emitter's MQTT pub/sub positioning and developer-first GTM.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emitter social profiles
Digital presenceEmitter compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Emitter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emitter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Emitter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emitter M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Emitter
What does Emitter do?
Emitter provides a real-time Publish-Subscribe messaging broker built on the MQTT protocol for connecting online devices across web, mobile, gaming, and IoT applications. The service is delivered as both an AGPL-licensed open-source product deployable via Docker and a hosted cloud service, with commercial licenses and support contracts available for enterprise customers. Multi-language SDKs (JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, Python, .NET/C#, Go, C/C++) enable developers to integrate low-latency, binary messaging with channel-level authorization and message playback for offline subscribers.
Is Emitter a public or private company?
Emitter is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Emitter founded?
Emitter was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Emitter based?
Emitter is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Emitter make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Cloud Service Subscription is the primary driver. The others are commercial Licensing and support Contracts.
Who are Emitter's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Azure IoT Hub, RabbitMQ and AWS IoT Core. Direct peers are Eclipse Mosquitto, PubNub, Ably, HiveMQ, Pusher, VerneMQ and EMQ Technologies (EMQX).
Does Emitter have an API?
Yes. Emitter provides an MQTT-based Publish-Subscribe messaging API. The API supports publish, subscribe, unsubscribe, key generation, and presence operations. Developers can connect using various protocols including MQTT, MQTTS, TCP, TLS, WebSocket (ws), and Secure WebSocket (wss). The API uses channel-based messaging with security keys for authorization. SDKs are available for JavaScript (browser and NodeJS), TypeScript, Java, .NET/C#, Python, Go, and C/C++. Developer documentation is at emitter.io/develop.