--- title: "River Pricing, Features & Alternatives (2026)" description: "River (Background Jobs & Workflows): Free tier. Plans, pros & cons, and River alternatives compared for startups in 2026." source: https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/river retrieved: 2026-11-13 --- ![River logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=riverqueue.com&sz=128) [Background Jobs & Workflows](https://appstackbuilder.com/categories/background%5Fjobs)Free tier # River: Pricing, Features & Alternatives River is an open-source (MPL-2.0) background job queue that stores jobs in Postgres or SQLite, enabling transactional enqueue alongside your application data. It started in Go and its site lists Go, Java, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript. The core is free; River Pro ($125/month) adds workflows, sequences, batching and concurrency limits. Who it’s for: Go teams on PostgreSQL who want jobs enqueued in the same transaction as their data. Category Background Jobs & Workflows Pricing Free tier available Free tier Yes Best for Background Jobs & Workflows: Go, Postgres, transactional jobs ## River at a Glance What it is Open-source job queue library Languages Go, Java, Ruby, Rust, TypeScript What it runs on Your Postgres or SQLite How you pay Free (MPL-2.0); optional Pro subscription Free access Full open-source library Checked November 2026 against [River](https://riverqueue.com/), [River Pro](https://riverqueue.com/pro). [Visit River official site](https://riverqueue.com/) ## River Pricing Plans (2026) | Plan | Price | Highlights | | ------------------ | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Open SourcePopular | $0 (self-hosted) | MPL-2.0 licensed · Runs on Postgres or SQLite · Transactional enqueue | | River Pro | $125 / month | Workflows & sequences · Batching · Global concurrency limits | Pricing summary: Free · paid from $125/mo. Always confirm current pricing on the official site. ## Key River Features * ✓Open source under the MPL-2.0 license * ✓Enqueues jobs transactionally in your existing database * ✓Runs on Postgres and SQLite * ✓Background jobs for Go, Java, Ruby, Rust and TypeScript, per the project site * ✓River Pro: $125 a month; annual billing saves $300 * ✓Pro adds workflows, sequences, batching, global concurrency limits, a dead letter queue and encrypted jobs ### ✓ Pros * +Idiomatic Go with strong typing * +Transactional enqueue on Postgres * +No separate broker needed * +Active development ### ✗ Cons * −Go-first; other languages are newer * −Newer than incumbents * −Needs Postgres or SQLite ## Best River Alternatives [Compare all ](https://appstackbuilder.com/tool-alternatives/river) [![Temporal logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=temporal.io&sz=128)TemporalFree · then usage-based](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/temporal)[![Inngest logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=inngest.com&sz=128)InngestFree · paid from $99/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/inngest)[![Sidekiq logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=sidekiq.org&sz=128)SidekiqFree · paid from $99/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/sidekiq)[![Trigger.dev logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=trigger.dev&sz=128)Trigger.devFree · paid from $10/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/trigger-dev)[![BullMQ logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=bullmq.io&sz=128)BullMQFree · paid from $139/mo](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/bullmq)[![Graphile Worker logo](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=graphile.org&sz=128)Graphile WorkerFree](https://appstackbuilder.com/tools/graphile-worker) ## River Compared [River vs Inngest](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/inngest-vs-river)[River vs Sidekiq](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/river-vs-sidekiq)[River vs Trigger.dev](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/river-vs-trigger-dev)[River vs BullMQ](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/bullmq-vs-river)[River vs Temporal](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/river-vs-temporal)[River vs Graphile Worker](https://appstackbuilder.com/compare/graphile-worker-vs-river) ## River FAQ What is River used for?⌄ River is a background jobs & workflows tool. Fast, solid background job queue built on Postgres or SQLite with transactional enqueueing, Go-first with clients in other languages. Is River free?⌄ Yes. River has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features. How much does River cost?⌄ River offers a free tier, with paid plans starting at $125/month. What are the best River alternatives?⌄ Popular River alternatives include Temporal, Inngest, Sidekiq, Trigger.dev, BullMQ. Compare pricing and features on our River alternatives page. ## Not sure if River fits your stack? Get a free, AI-powered tech stack tailored to your budget, app type, and team size, including the best background jobs & workflows pick for you. [Build my stack free ](https://appstackbuilder.com/)