Trigger.dev is an open-source background jobs and workflow platform for developers — enabling running long-running tasks, scheduled cron jobs, and multi-step workflows directly from TypeScript/JavaScript applications without managing queues, workers, or infrastructure. Unlike traditional job queues requiring Redis and worker processes, Trigger.dev provides a developer-friendly SDK with full observability into each job run, automatic retries, and a dashboard showing live execution. Used by startups and product teams that need reliable background processing without DevOps overhead.
Trigger.dev
Open-source background jobs for TypeScript developers.
Best for: TypeScript developers who need long-running background jobs that exceed serverless timeout limits for AI and data processing.
- Free plan
4.5/5 ratingEditorial score 87/100trigger.dev
Starts at
Free (250k runs/mo)
Get started free
Opens the official website in a new tab.
Editorial score87/100
The editorial note
What to know about Trigger.dev
Is it right for you?
Who Trigger.dev suits
Choose it if
- TypeScript developers who need long-running background jobs that exceed serverless timeout limits for AI and data processing.
Look elsewhere if
- Teams using non-JavaScript server languages — Sidekiq (Ruby), Celery (Python), and BullMQ provide equivalent background job capabilities for their respective language ecosystems
What you get
Key features
- TypeScript background jobs SDK
- Scheduled cron jobs
- Multi-step workflows
- Live execution dashboard
- Automatic retries
- Webhook trigger support
- Long-running task support
- Open-source self-hosting
Works with
Integrations8
What it costs
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free (250k runs/mo)Billed monthly | 250,000 task runs/month, open-source self-hosted option, background jobs, delays |
| Hobby | $20 / monthBilled monthly | 1M runs/month, 7-day log retention, priority support |
| Team | $100 / monthBilled monthly | 5M runs/month, 30-day log retention, team access, advanced monitoring |
| Enterprise | CustomBilled monthly | Custom run limits, SLA, dedicated support, custom retention, on-premise |
Prices are recorded from the vendor's public pricing page and can change. Check before you buy.
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- Write background jobs in TypeScript/JavaScript with the same code as the rest of the application
- Full observability dashboard shows every job run, logs, and errors without additional monitoring setup
- Automatic retries with configurable backoff — no manual retry logic needed in application code
- Open-source with self-hosting option — avoids vendor lock-in compared to Inngest or Trigger.dev
- Long-running task support beyond serverless function timeouts for video processing, AI, and data jobs
Cons
- Newer platform with smaller community compared to mature alternatives like BullMQ or Sidekiq
- Self-hosting requires infrastructure management — the hosted cloud version reduces this complexity
- TypeScript/JavaScript only — teams using Python, Ruby, or Go need alternative solutions
- Still maturing — some enterprise features like SLA guarantees and SAML SSO are in development
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- Development & Coding
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Entry plan
- Free (250k runs/mo)
- Free plan
- Available
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Website
- trigger.dev
The verdict
Our take on Trigger.dev
The best open-source background jobs for TypeScript — long-running tasks and self-hosting make it ideal for AI workflows.
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