USD base compute rates, not all-inclusive subscriptions. Storage, transfer, connectors, Flink, other services and support can add charges. Trial: $400 credits for up to 30 days, or until exhausted.
Confluent pricing in 2026
Basic: first eCKU free; Standard compute from $0.75/eCKU-hour, plus other usage charges
Basic
First eCKU free; then from $0.14/eCKU-hour
- Development and pilot workloads
- Storage, transfer and other services can cost extra
Standard
From $0.75/eCKU-hour
- Production with public networking
- Two-eCKU minimum for 99.99% SLA option
Enterprise
From $1.75 to $2.25/eCKU-hour
- Private networking
- Capacity and regional costs vary
Freight
From $2.25/eCKU-hour; two-eCKU minimum
- High-throughput workloads
- Check region, latency and feature compatibility
Dedicated
Configuration-based provisioned CKU pricing
- Dedicated capacity
- Provisioned capacity is billed while idle
Every figure on this page was read from Confluent’s own pricing page on 30 Sep 2026. Prices change without notice, so confirm on the vendor’s pricing page.
Questions people ask
Is Confluent free?
Basic includes the first eCKU free, but that does not make the entire service free. Storage, transfer, and additional features can incur charges. The separate trial offers $400 in credits for up to 30 days.
Is Confluent the same as Apache Kafka?
No. Apache Kafka is an open-source event-streaming platform. Confluent adds commercial products and services, including managed cloud infrastructure, connectors, processing, and governance. Choosing Confluent involves evaluating those additions and their costs.
Do I need developers to use Confluent?
I would plan for technical ownership. Managed services reduce infrastructure tasks, but someone still needs to configure integrations, design events, manage access, and maintain the applications consuming the data.
Can Confluent run on my own infrastructure?
Yes. Confluent Platform and Confluent Private Cloud provide options for infrastructure you control. They differ from the managed Confluent Cloud service in deployment, licensing, and the responsibilities your team retains.
Is Confluent a replacement for a data warehouse?
No. A streaming platform moves and processes event data; a warehouse serves a different analytical role. Confluent can feed a warehouse and other applications, but I would not buy it expecting it to replace the warehouse itself.