Temporal vs Trigger.dev
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Temporal
Durable execution platform for reliable distributed workflows
VS
Trigger.dev
Open-source background jobs and workflows for code
| Feature | Temporal | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 22,173 | ★ 15,937 |
| First released | 2019 | 2022 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Logic Apps | Zapier |
Why pick each one
Choose Temporal if…
- Extremely reliable for long workflows
- Strong multi-language support
Choose Trigger.dev if…
- Code-first and developer friendly
- Reliable long-running tasks
- Good observability
Frequently asked questions
Is Temporal or Trigger.dev better?
Neither is universally better. Temporal has the larger community, while Trigger.dev is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Temporal and Trigger.dev free and open-source?
Yes. Temporal is licensed under MIT and Trigger.dev under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Temporal and Trigger.dev with Docker?
Temporal: yes. Trigger.dev: yes.