Graphile Worker vs JobRunr
Graphile Worker
worker.graphile.orgJobRunr
jobrunr.ioSide by side
| Figure | Graphile Worker | JobRunr |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $25/mo | €100/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 4 |
| Spec score · Task Queue Software | 9.1 (#1) | 8.1 (#13) |
| Reliability | Jobs execute at least once, and failures trigger automatic retries with exponential backoff. | JobRunr describes its jobs as not being lost during cluster restarts or failures. |
| Security | The connection documentation describes SSL-encrypted PostgreSQL connections and CA certificate configuration. | JobRunr Pro Enterprise supports dashboard single sign-on through OpenID Connect, with role-based authorization rules. |
| Support | Community help is provided through Graphile Discord and GitHub, with paid professional support available. | OSS includes community support through Stack Overflow and GitHub; Business includes priority email or HelpDesk support. |
Plans
Graphile Worker
- Graphile WorkerFree
- Graphile Worker OSSFree
- Worker Pro launch offer$25 a month
- Worker Pro Launch Offer$25 a month
- Worker Pro regular price$100 a month
- Worker Pro regular pricing$100 a month
- Private Advisor sponsorship$899 a month
JobRunr
- OSSFree
- Business€850 a month
- Startup€1,200 a year
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Graphile Worker
Graphile Worker stores jobs in PostgreSQL and runs them on Node.js, so background work does not hold up application responses. It is free and open source under the MIT license, and is self-hosted in standalone or embedded mode, including within an application server's Node.js process. Jobs execute at least once, and failed jobs are retried automatically with exponential backoff. Recurring tasks can use crontab-like schedules with optional backfill; other controls include de-duplication by unique job_key and batch jobs that append data to queued jobs. The feature list says execution typically begins in under 3ms using PostgreSQL LISTEN/NOTIFY. The current version requires PostgreSQL 12+ and Node 22.18+. Installation is supported through npm, Yarn or pnpm, and global installation is not recommended. Database connections can use SSL encryption and CA certificate configuration. Community help is available through Graphile Discord, with professional support contracts also offered. Worker Pro adds crashed-worker recovery and live migration to new Worker versions.
JobRunr
JobRunr is a distributed Java library for processing background jobs and scheduling asynchronous work on the JVM. It supports fire-and-forget, delayed, and recurring tasks, and describes jobs as persistent through cluster restarts or failures. The free OSS plan includes enqueueing and scheduling, automatic retries, carbon-aware scheduling, and a simple dashboard; it allows up to 100 recurring jobs depending on the database. Official integrations are available for Spring Boot, Micronaut, and Quarkus, and the library works with Java 8 and later as a jar distributed through Maven Central. Before production use, the guide recommends replacing in-memory storage with a persistent SQL or NoSQL provider. Business adds priority queues, workflows, realtime scheduling, and a transaction plugin; its license covers one production cluster, while development, test, and staging are free and unlimited. Business costs €850 per PRD cluster / month. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes unlimited recurring jobs and clusters, a multicluster dashboard, and Kubernetes autoscaling metrics.