Redpanda outperforms Kafka in terms of performance, even with the introduction of KRaft. Redpanda can handle GBps workloads on smaller hardware footprints, while Kafka requires additional hardware to compete. Redpanda is 4-20x faster than Kafka at the tail, and even with additional hardware, Kafka still lags behind. Redpanda's thread-per-core architecture and hardware-efficient design contribute to its superior performance.
Table of contents
The setup: our testing methodologyIntroducing KRaftThe test: Redpanda 23.1 vs. Kafka 3.4.0 with KRaftThe results: Redpanda is faster than Kafka, no matter how you slice it14 Impressions