Trigger.dev: Background Job Runner June 2026

Last updated: 2026-06-04

Trigger.dev runs durable TypeScript background jobs without serverless timeout limits. Auto-retries, real-time traces, 100+ integrations. Open-source. Plans from $10/month.

Trigger.dev, founded in 2022 in London and backed by $20.3M in funding (Series A led by Standard Capital), is an open-source TypeScript platform for durable background jobs without serverless timeout limits. Tasks run up to 14 days with automatic retries, 100+ integrations, and real-time traces. Plans start free with 20 concurrent runs, then $10/month (Hobby) and $50/month (Pro). 14.6k GitHub stars on Apache 2.0 license.

About Trigger.dev

Trigger.dev is an open-source durable execution platform founded in 2022 in London, providing TypeScript developers a way to run long-running background jobs and AI workflows without serverless function timeout limits. Traditional serverless platforms like AWS Lambda, Vercel, and Google Cloud Functions enforce strict timeouts (typically 15 minutes), making them unsuitable for AI agent tasks that can run for hours. Trigger.dev solves this with a checkpoint-resume architecture: the platform snapshots the entire process state at wait points and restores it on recovery, allowing tasks to run for up to 14 days on the cloud tier without timing out. The core feature is durable execution via plain TypeScript async code. Developers write tasks as normal async functions without special DSLs or determinism constraints (unlike Temporal). Trigger.dev handles durability automatically, including automatic retries with exponential backoff, idempotency deduplication, and real-time OpenTelemetry traces visible in a live dashboard. The platform manages all infrastructure: no Redis to operate, no worker processes to manage, no Kubernetes cluster required. It is fully managed SaaS on the Trigger.dev Cloud tier, or self-hosted via Docker and Kubernetes Helm charts. Monetary pricing uses a subscription base plus per-execution compute costs. The Free tier ($0/month) includes 20 concurrent runs and 10 schedules. Hobby ($10/month) includes 50 concurrent runs and 100 schedules. Pro ($50/month) includes 200+ concurrent runs and 1000+ schedules. Beyond the subscription base, execution costs are $0.0000169 to $0.0006800 per second depending on machine size, with run invocations at $0.000025 each (0.25 per 10,000 runs). Enterprise pricing is custom. Integrations include 100+ native connectors to Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, SendGrid, Notion, OpenAI, Deepgram, Twilio, and others, plus support for webhook-triggered tasks and queue-based concurrency control. The platform has 14.6k GitHub stars on the Apache 2.0 licensed repository at github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev, with 616 releases and active development. Compared to Temporal, Trigger.dev offers easier developer experience and faster setup; compared to Inngest, Trigger.dev runs code directly rather than requiring separate job workers.

Pricing

Free tier: $0/month, 20 concurrent runs, 10 schedules, 1 day log retention. Hobby: $10/month, 50 concurrent runs, 100 schedules, 7 day logs. Pro: $50/month, 200+ concurrent runs, 1000+ schedules, 30 day logs, 25+ team members. Enterprise: custom pricing. All tiers: compute costs $0.0000169-$0.0006800 per second plus $0.000025 per run invocation. Additional concurrent runs or seats available as add-ons.

Key Features

• Durable Execution Up to 14 Days: Checkpoint-resume architecture allows background tasks to run up to 14 days without serverless timeout limits, enabling long-running AI agent workflows and multi-step processes that would fail on traditional serverless platforms.
• Write Plain TypeScript Async Code: No special DSLs or determinism constraints: write tasks as normal async functions and Trigger.dev automatically handles durability, state snapshots, resumption on failure, and idempotency without code changes.
• 100+ Native Integrations: Built-in connectors for Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, SendGrid, Notion, OpenAI, Deepgram, Twilio, and 100+ other services eliminate the need to write custom API calls or handle auth/retry logic.
• Real-Time OpenTelemetry Traces and Live Debugging: Every run shows a detailed execution trace with logs, execution timeline, and error details in real-time. Live run page lets developers watch tasks execute and debug immediately without polling logs.
• Zero Infrastructure to Operate: Fully managed SaaS on Trigger.dev Cloud tier with no Redis, no worker processes, no Kubernetes cluster to manage. Self-hosting via Docker and Helm charts available for teams needing private deployment.
• 14.6k GitHub Stars, Active Open Source: Apache 2.0 licensed at github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev with 616 releases, 7,100+ commits, and active development. Community contributions and transparency provide confidence for production adoption.

Pros

• Removes serverless timeout limits (up to 14 days), solving the fundamental constraint that makes AWS Lambda, Vercel, and Google Cloud Functions unsuitable for AI agent tasks that run for minutes to hours.
• Zero infrastructure burden compared to Temporal or BullMQ: no Redis to operate, no worker processes to manage, no Kubernetes. Fully managed SaaS with no DevOps overhead for 90% of web applications.
• Easier developer experience than Temporal: plain async TypeScript code with no determinism constraints, no special DSLs, and faster setup (5 minutes vs. Temporal's hours). 14.6k GitHub stars confirms strong developer satisfaction.
• 100+ built-in integrations to Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, OpenAI, and others eliminate custom API code and handle auth/retries automatically, accelerating development of AI workflows and automation tools.

Cons

• TypeScript/JavaScript primary support only, with Python support available through a limited extension but not native. Teams heavily invested in Python pay context-switching cost.
• 14-day maximum TTL on Cloud tier, with no public path to longer durations without custom enterprise arrangements, limiting workflows that inherently require weeks or months of execution.
• Offline development unsupported: developers must be online and connected to Trigger.dev Cloud to test locally. Disconnect isolation not available, making development harder in restricted environments.
• Smaller ecosystem than Temporal for enterprise integrations and advanced observability. Some enterprise use cases still require custom integration work.
• Learning curve on v3/v4 migrations: documentation has historically been outdated on some advanced features, though this is improving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Trigger.dev and what does it do?

Trigger.dev is an open-source durable execution platform founded in 2022 and based in London that solves the serverless timeout problem for TypeScript developers. AWS Lambda, Vercel Functions, and Google Cloud Functions all enforce 15-minute (or less) timeout limits, making them unsuitable for AI agent tasks, long-running data pipelines, and multi-step workflows. Trigger.dev allows tasks to run for up to 14 days without timing out using a checkpoint-resume architecture that snapshots state and resumes on recovery. The platform includes automatic retries, 100+ native integrations (Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, OpenAI, etc.), real-time OpenTelemetry traces, and fully managed infrastructure with no Redis or Kubernetes required.

How much does Trigger.dev cost?

Trigger.dev offers a Free tier ($0/month) with 20 concurrent runs, 10 schedules, and 1-day log retention. Hobby costs $10/month with 50 concurrent runs, 100 schedules, and 7-day logs. Pro costs $50/month with 200+ concurrent runs, 1000+ schedules, 30-day logs, and 25+ team members. Beyond the subscription, execution costs $0.0000169 to $0.0006800 per second depending on machine size, plus $0.000025 per run invocation. Enterprise pricing is custom. Additional concurrent runs and team seats available as add-ons for higher tiers.

What are the main features of Trigger.dev?

Trigger.dev's core features are durable execution up to 14 days without serverless timeouts, plain async TypeScript code with no special DSLs, automatic retries with exponential backoff, idempotency deduplication, real-time OpenTelemetry traces and live debugging dashboard, 100+ native integrations (Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, OpenAI, Deepgram, Twilio), queue-based concurrency control, webhook-triggered tasks, human-in-the-loop approval gates, and zero infrastructure to operate (fully managed SaaS or self-hosted via Docker/Kubernetes).

Is Trigger.dev free to use?

Yes, Trigger.dev has a free tier supporting 20 concurrent runs, 10 schedules, and 1-day log retention at no cost. This tier is suitable for hobby projects, prototypes, and low-traffic personal workflows. For production workloads, the Hobby tier at $10/month increases limits to 50 concurrent runs and 100 schedules with 7-day logs. Per-execution costs apply on all tiers: $0.0000169-$0.0006800 per second depending on machine size. The free tier never times out tasks within the 14-day limit, but has lower concurrency than paid plans.

What are the best alternatives to Trigger.dev?

The main alternatives are Temporal (enterprise-grade durable execution with event replay, steep learning curve, requires infrastructure management), Inngest (event-driven workflow platform that schedules jobs but requires separate job workers), and BullMQ (open-source queue but requires Redis and worker management). Choose Temporal when your organization needs enterprise reliability and has the DevOps resources for setup. Choose Inngest when event-driven architecture is your primary pattern. Choose BullMQ when you already operate Redis and need minimal cost. Choose Trigger.dev when developer experience, speed to market, and zero infrastructure are priorities.

Who is Trigger.dev best for?

Trigger.dev is best for full-stack TypeScript developers, Next.js SaaS founders, and AI product teams building long-running workflows that exceed serverless timeout limits. It excels for AI agent platforms, LLM-powered automation, customer onboarding workflows, data pipelines, webhook processing, and scheduled tasks. It is not suited for Python-first teams without TypeScript expertise, teams requiring execution durations longer than 14 days without custom negotiation, or developers needing fully offline local development without internet connectivity.

Does Trigger.dev have an API and integrations?

Yes. Trigger.dev is built on a REST API and TypeScript SDK (npm package trigger.dev). It includes 100+ native integrations with Slack, Stripe, Linear, GitHub, SendGrid, Notion, OpenAI, Deepgram, Twilio, Airtable, and more, eliminating the need to write custom API calls or handle authentication. The platform supports webhook-triggered tasks for external systems to kick off workflows. It also provides React hooks for frontend integration with real-time status updates. Documentation is at trigger.dev/docs/introduction with examples for every integration. The codebase is open source at github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev (Apache 2.0 license, 14.6k stars).

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