Happy Valley

Pipedream vs Trigger.dev

Pipedream and Trigger.dev are both workflow automation tools. Pipedream is aimed at developers, while Trigger.dev is aimed at developers and small businesses. Trigger.dev costs less, from $10/mo versus $150/mo for Pipedream. Both have a free plan.

Pipedream

Integration platform for developers

Trigger.dev

Open-source platform for durable background jobs and AI agents

PricingFreemium · $150Open source · $10
Starting price$150/mo$10/mo
Free planYesYes
Free trial——
Built forDevelopersDevelopers, Small businesses, Enterprise
Platformswebweb
CountryUS · 2019GB · 2022
Rating——

Choose Pipedream if

Developers who want fast integrations with code flexibility.

  • Code when you need it, prebuilt when you don't
  • Managed auth saves time
  • Free tier for development

Look elsewhere if: Non-technical users (Zapier, Make).

Choose Trigger.dev if

TypeScript teams that need reliable long-running jobs and AI agents with retries, queues and observability built in.

  • Apache-2.0 open source with a self-hosting option
  • Waiting time on waitpoints is not billed
  • Generous observability for each run

Look elsewhere if: Non-developers or teams working mainly in Python or other languages (Windmill, Pipedream).

Pipedream vs Trigger.dev pricing

Pipedream

  • Free$0Development only, 3,000+ connectors, unlimited team members
  • Startup$150/mo$99/mo billed annually; production, 100 users, 10,000 credits
  • BusinessCustomVolume pricing, SSO, SCIM, HIPAA, SLAs

Trigger.dev

  • Free$0$5 usage included, 20 concurrent runs, 1-day log retention
  • Hobby$10/mo$10 usage included, 50 concurrent runs, 7-day logs
  • Pro$50/mo$50 usage included, 200+ concurrent runs, 25+ seats
  • EnterpriseCustomRBAC, SSO, SOC 2 report, priority support

Pipedream · Key features

  • 2,500+ app integrations with managed OAuth
  • Code steps in Node, Python, Go, Bash
  • Event sources, HTTP triggers and schedules
  • Logs, retries and concurrency controls
  • Pipedream Connect for embedded integrations
  • MCP servers for AI agents

Cons

  • Developer-oriented UX
  • Credits model to understand
  • No self-hosting

Trigger.dev · Key features

  • Durable TypeScript tasks with no timeouts, retries and checkpointing
  • Queues and concurrency controls with per-key overrides
  • Cron schedules and waitpoints for human approval up to 90 days
  • Realtime run updates and LLM streaming to the frontend
  • Verified, deduplicated webhooks that trigger up to 25 agents
  • Slack and Linear integrations for chat-driven agents

Cons

  • TypeScript and JavaScript SDK only
  • Webhooks are still in public beta
  • Usage-based compute makes bills harder to predict

Pipedream vs Trigger.dev: FAQ

Which is cheaper, Pipedream or Trigger.dev?

Trigger.dev starts at $10/mo and Pipedream at $150/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.

Do Pipedream and Trigger.dev have a free plan?

Yes, both Pipedream and Trigger.dev have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.

Which is better for small businesses, Pipedream or Trigger.dev?

Trigger.dev lists small businesses as a core audience, while Pipedream is aimed more at developers.

Not sure yet?