The Inngest Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Inngest in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Inngest
The Insider’s Guide
Durable execution for background jobs, event-driven apps and agents
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among automation tools, read from Inngest’s own pages.
Made by Inngest Inc. · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Inngest’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Inngest’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 40 of the 71 other automation tools we grade
Inngest is an open-source SDK and cloud service for running event-driven functions that survive failures. Developers write step functions in code, and Inngest handles queues, flow control, retries and tracing. Cloud plans are priced on executions, events and concurrent steps, with seats and workers set by plan.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Inngest, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Workflows are written in code with an SDK, so it needs a developer.
- 1
Best for background jobs written in code
Inngest runs background jobs and workflows that you write in code, with a free plan for 5 seats and 50k executions.
- 2
Paid plans start at $99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $99 per month (Pro), billing basis not stated.
- 3
There is a free plan
5 seats, 50k executions, 5 concurrent steps and 500k events a month, with 24 hours of trace history. No credit card required.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Durable step functions
Functions are split into steps that are retried and resumed on failure. A single run can last up to 30 days on Free, 90 on Pro and 366 on Business, including sleeps and waits.
- 6
Queues and flow control
Concurrency and queue depth are managed for you. Concurrent steps start at 5 on Free and 100 on Pro, with more sold in packs of 25 for $25.
- 7
Events and webhooks
Functions start from events sent from your app or other sources. Free allows 500k events a month and 256 KiB per event; paid plans allow 3 MiB.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 40 of 71
That is against the other automation tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Inngest you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Inngest at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $99 per month (Pro), billing basis not stated
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Inngest Inc.
- Category
- Automation
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for background jobs written in code
Inngest runs background jobs and workflows that you write in code, with a free plan for 5 seats and 50k executions. There is no drag-and-drop builder, and Pro at $99 a month adds usage charges on top.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Pro is $99 a month for 15 seats, which is about $20 a head for five people, near the middle of automation ($19). Extra executions cost $50 per 1M. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Free plan with no card: 5 seats, 50k executions, 500k events a month and 24 hours of traces. One small project can live on it. |
| Features | B | Durable step functions, queues, events, observability and AI agent tooling. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work. |
| Ease of use | D | Workflows are written in code with an SDK, so it needs a developer. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web service with open-source SDKs and a Datadog integration. No desktop or phone app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Inngest is for
- Fits if you are a developer who needs reliable background jobs
- Works for a small team that can stay inside 50k executions
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you do not write code, as there is no drag-and-drop builder
- Tight if you stay free: 5 concurrent steps and 24 hours of traces
- Watch out: Pro and Business bill extra executions, steps, workers and span data
- Watch out: HIPAA is an add-on on Pro and Business, and sandboxes in open beta are billed per second
Good to know
Good for
- Developers who need reliable background jobs and workflows written in code
- Teams building AI agents that must retry, wait and resume
- Startups that want a free tier to prove a workload before paying
Worth knowing
- Workflows are written in code using an SDK; there is no drag-and-drop builder.
- Pro and Business prices are shown as a base with usage on top: extra executions, concurrent steps, workers and span data are billed beyond the included amounts.
- HIPAA support is an add-on on Pro and Business, and included only on Enterprise.
- Sandboxes are in open beta and are billed per second: $0.000011 for a vCPU and $0.000003 for 1 GB of memory.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$99
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Inngest has a free plan. Paid plans start at $99 per month (Pro), billing basis not stated.
Free
$0
5 seats, 50k executions, 5 concurrent steps, 3 workers and 500k events a month, with 24 hours of trace history.
Pro
$99
per month and up, includes 1M executions
15 seats ($10 per extra), 100 concurrent steps, 20 workers, 5M+ events and 7 days of traces. Extra executions $50 per 1M.
Business
$499
per month and up, includes 10M executions
30 seats ($10 per extra), 500 concurrent steps, 100 workers, 50M+ events and 14 days of traces. Extra executions $25 per 1M.
Enterprise
Custom
Custom limits, 90 days of trace history, SAML, RBAC, audit trails, HIPAA included and a dedicated Slack channel.
The free plan
5 seats, 50k executions, 5 concurrent steps and 500k events a month, with 24 hours of trace history. No credit card required.
Read from inngest.com on Nov 12, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Durable execution for background jobs, event-driven apps and agents. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, public API, workflow automation, AI agents.
Durable step functions, queues, events, observability and AI agent tooling.
- Durable step functions
- Functions are split into steps that are retried and resumed on failure. A single run can last up to 30 days on Free, 90 on Pro and 366 on Business, including sleeps and waits.
- Queues and flow control
- Concurrency and queue depth are managed for you. Concurrent steps start at 5 on Free and 100 on Pro, with more sold in packs of 25 for $25.
- Events and webhooks
- Functions start from events sent from your app or other sources. Free allows 500k events a month and 256 KiB per event; paid plans allow 3 MiB.
- Observability
- Every function run is traced, with metrics and span data. Trace history is 24 hours on Free, 7 days on Pro, 14 days on Business and 90 days on Enterprise.
- AI agents and sandboxes
- Inngest has an AgentKit project and a sandbox product, in open beta, billed per second for vCPU and memory. Agent evaluation scores are metered by plan.
- Open source SDKs
- The server and SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and Kotlin are published on GitHub, and you can develop locally before moving to Cloud.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Datadog
Inngest is made by Inngest Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
40/71
Other automation tools it is graded above
Inngest's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 40 of the 71 other automation tools we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 56 of 71) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 34 of the 38 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 17 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 72 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Inngest’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 71
- BFree plan and trialAbove 56 of 71
- BFeaturesAbove 35 of 71
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 71
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 19 of 71
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 43 automation tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Inngest is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Inngest you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $1,188 a year. Inngest is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Inngest’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Trigger.dev, Windmill, Kestra and Camunda
The 4 tools Inngest is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.2GPA
Trigger.dev
Free plan · from $10/mo
Open-source platform for long-running background tasks and AI agents.
- Trigger.dev is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
Windmill
Free plan · from $10/mo
Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps.
- Windmill is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Windmill also covers app builder.
- 2.4GPA
Kestra
Free plan
Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML.
- Kestra is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Inngest also covers AI agents.
- 2.2GPA
Camunda
Free plan
BPMN process orchestration, self-hosted or as a cloud service.
- Inngest is open source, according to its own site.
- Camunda is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Camunda also covers dashboards.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Inngest free?
Inngest has a free plan. 5 seats, 50k executions, 5 concurrent steps and 500k events a month, with 24 hours of trace history.
How much does Inngest cost?
Inngest lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Inngest work on?
Inngest is available on Web.
Does Inngest have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Inngest is listed for Web.
Does Inngest have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Inngest is listed for Web.
Is Inngest open source?
Yes. Inngest is open source, according to its own site.
Does Inngest have an API?
Yes. Inngest offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Inngest integrate with?
Inngest's listing names Datadog. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Inngest?
Inngest is made by Inngest Inc.
What are the alternatives to Inngest?
The closest alternatives to Inngest in our directory are Trigger.dev, Windmill, Kestra and Camunda.
How does Inngest compare with other automation tools?
Inngest's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 40 of the 71 other automation tools we grade, and level with 14.
Is Inngest good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Inngest C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $19 for the category: 34 of the 38 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Inngest?
To replace Inngest you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Inngest’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 12, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Inngest's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Inngest Inc. Prices change, so check inngest.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
5,038
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
5,038
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Inngest, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/inngest
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Inngest: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/inngest
Know someone choosing between automation tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/inngest/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded automation tools after Inngest, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Automation Insider's GuideEvery one of the 72 automation tools we grade, compared
- IFTTT Insider's GuideSimple trigger-and-action automations for apps and smart devices3.0 GPA
- Node-RED Insider's GuideOpen-source, flow-based programming tool for event-driven apps3.0 GPA
- Ui.Vision Insider's GuideOpen-source browser and desktop automation with computer vision3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Inngest’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Inngest is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Inngest Inc. Prices and plans change: check inngest.com before you buy.