Temporal
Open-source durable execution platform for writing failure-proof workflows in code, with a managed cloud option.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · Web, Self-hosted
Is Temporal free?
Yes, free and open source
- Starting price:
- $50 per million actions
Checked on Temporal's site Nov 8, 2026
Switch from Temporal to
All 5
InngestStarting price: $99/month (Pro)
Trigger.devStarting price: $10/month (Hobby)
Apache AirflowOpen source
- Verified facts
- 5 of 5
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About Temporal
Temporal records the state of a workflow at every step, so if a process crashes, a deploy happens or an API times out, the workflow resumes where it left off instead of starting over. Developers write workflows and retryable activities in Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, .NET, PHP, Ruby or Rust, and get timers that can sleep for months, signals and queries to interact with running workflows, and a UI to inspect each execution's history. It grew out of Uber's Cadence project and is used for payments, order processing, infrastructure provisioning and long-running AI agents. The server is MIT licensed and free to self-host; Temporal Cloud runs it for you with usage pricing based on actions and storage, no base fee, and starting credits. The trade-off is a real learning curve: you need to understand determinism rules and run your own worker processes even on the cloud plan.
Best for: Engineering teams building business-critical, long-running processes in several languages.
Temporal pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)
Each line is quoted from Temporal's own site, with the page it came from.
| Plan or term | What it says | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free credits | $150 for 90 days | Nov 8, 2026 | temporal.io |
| Starting price | $50 per million actions | Nov 8, 2026 | temporal.io |
Pros and cons
What works
- MIT-licensed server you can run anywhere
- Official SDKs for eight languages
- Handles retries, timers and long waits without custom state machines
- Detailed per-workflow event history for debugging
Why people leave
- Steep learning curve, including rules about deterministic workflow code
- You still run and scale your own worker processes
- Self-hosting the cluster and its database is a significant ops job
Temporal vs Inngest, Trigger.dev and Apache Airflow
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | Temporal | Inngest | Trigger.dev | Apache Airflow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source | Open source | Open source |
| Verified price | $50 per million actions | $99/month (Pro) | $10/month (Hobby) | — |
| Free plan | Free app | 50,000 executions/month | $5/month of credits | Free app |
| Open source | No | No | No | Yes |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Self-hosted | Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
Top Temporal alternatives
See all 5- 1Inngest68.8
Lighter to adopt: event-driven step functions run on your existing serverless or server endpoints.
- 2Trigger.dev64.8
Managed workers and simpler setup for TypeScript teams who don't want to run worker fleets.
- 3Apache Airflow61.8
Better fit if your workflows are scheduled data pipelines rather than application logic.
- 4
Dagster59.4Asset-centric orchestration for data teams who care more about lineage than durable app workflows.
- 5
Prefect57.5Python-native flows with a hosted UI, easier for data engineers than Temporal's programming model.
Why people left Temporal
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Temporal, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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Temporal: common questions
What is Temporal?
Temporal: Open-source durable execution platform for writing failure-proof workflows in code, with a managed cloud option. Best for engineering teams building business-critical, long-running processes in several languages. Available for Web, and you can host it yourself.
Is Temporal free?
Yes. Temporal is free, open-source software.
How much does Temporal cost?
Temporal is free and open source. Free credits: $150 for 90 days; Starting price: $50 per million actions. Checked on Temporal's own site, November 2026.
Is Temporal open source?
No, Temporal is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Apache Airflow, Dagster and Prefect.
What platforms does Temporal run on?
Temporal is available for Web and Self-hosted.
What are the best alternatives to Temporal?
The highest-ranked Temporal alternatives right now are Inngest, Trigger.dev and Apache Airflow. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
Temporal vs Inngest: what's the difference?
Both Temporal and Inngest are free and open source. Verified prices: Temporal $50 per million actions, Inngest $99/month (Pro). Both run on Web.