Trigger.devOpen-source platform for background jobs, enabling reliable task automation and AI workflows.

4.2 (5)

Reviewed by Daniel Nikulshyn·Updated June 2026

Open Source Background Jobs Workflow Automation Developer Tools AI Workflows Task Scheduling Self-Hosted

Overview

Trigger.dev is an open-source platform for background jobs, enabling reliable task automation and AI workflows. It allows developers to build and deploy fully-managed AI agents and workflows. Tasks can be written in TypeScript and feature long-running tasks with retries, queues, observability, and elastic scaling. Trigger.dev supports tool calling, human-in-the-loop functionality, and stream responses directly to the frontend. Developers can use existing Node.js SDKs and code from their repo. The platform offers features like parallelization, routing, and orchestration of AI agents. It also provides real-time streaming of task status and metadata, and support for customizing every aspect of the build process. Trigger.dev is trusted by developers at companies worldwide and is HIPAA ready. It enables offloading long-running async AI tasks to the platform's infrastructure, creating AI agents with human-in-the-loop functionality, and stream responses directly to the frontend. The platform offers support for various tools like Python, Prisma, Puppeteer, esbuild, FFmpeg, and more.

Key features

Task automation and AI workflows
Long-running tasks with retries
Queues and elastic scaling
Real-time streaming of task status and metadata
Customizable build process
Tool calling and human-in-the-loop functionality

Pricing

Model: Freemium
Category: AI Agents
Rating: 4.2 / 5 (5)

Use cases

Automate AI Workflow Pipelines

Orchestrate multi-step AI workflows as reliable background jobs, handling long-running tasks without blocking your main application.

Schedule Recurring Background Tasks

Run scheduled and recurring jobs reliably in the background, freeing developers from managing complex queue infrastructure.

Self-Host Task Automation

Deploy an open-source job runner on your own infrastructure to maintain control over data and execution environments.

Reliable Async Job Processing

Offload time-consuming operations to a managed background job system with built-in reliability for production applications.

Pros & Cons

Pros

HIPAA ready
Open-source platform
Reliable task automation and AI workflows
Long-running tasks with retries and elastic scaling
Real-time streaming of task status and metadata

Cons

Limited information on pricing and scalability
Requires knowledge of TypeScript and Node.js SDKs

Reviews

4.2

Average from 5 ratings.

Ahmed Saleh

Jan 22, 2026

Skeptical, then convinced

I went in skeptical — most tools in this space overpromise. It actually delivers on the integrations, and it is genuinely easy to set up caught me off guard. The docs could be deeper is why this isn't a perfect score, still, I'd recommend giving it a real trial.

Carlos Mendoza

Jan 5, 2026

Compared a few options

Evaluated this against two competitors. Where it wins: the automation and it saves real time. Where it lags: the mobile experience lags. On balance the feature set — especially the automation — justifies the 5 stars for our use case.

Elena Rossi

Oct 3, 2025

Compared a few options

Evaluated this against two competitors. Where it wins: the API and the value for money is strong. Where it lags: pricing gets steep at scale. On balance the feature set — especially the core workflow — justifies the 4 stars for our use case.

Diego Fernández

Aug 10, 2025

Use it every day

Honestly didn't expect to like it this much. The integrations is exactly what I needed, and it saves real time. I do wish pricing gets steep at scale, but I reach for it almost every day now and it just clicks.

Tariq Aziz

Jun 12, 2025

Use it every day

Honestly didn't expect to like it this much. The core workflow is exactly what I needed, and it saves real time. I do wish a few rough edges remain, but I reach for it almost every day now and it just clicks.

Q&A

What is Trigger.dev used for?

Trigger.dev is an open-source platform for running background jobs, enabling developers to build reliable task automation and AI workflows without managing complex infrastructure.

Can Trigger.dev handle AI workflows?

Yes, Trigger.dev is designed to support AI workflows as part of its background job capabilities, allowing you to automate and orchestrate AI-related tasks reliably.

Is Trigger.dev open source?

Yes, Trigger.dev is an open-source platform, which means its source code is publicly available and you can self-host or contribute to the project.