You might choose Apache Kafka over the Confluent Platform when you need a lightweight, cost-effective streaming solution without the additional features and complexity provided by Confluent. For example, if you are building a simple event streaming application for a startup that prioritizes budget over advanced features like schema management or connectors, using Apache Kafka would be a straightforward and cost-effective choice.
You would choose Confluent Platform over Apache Kafka when you need a more complete ecosystem with robust management, monitoring, and integration features. For example, if your organization requires a strong governance model for data schemas in a multi-team environment, using the Schema Registry with Confluent can prevent data compatibility issues and improve collaboration.