Compare / RunLater vs Upstash QStash
RunLater vs Upstash QStash
QStash is a developer platform: you publish messages and schedules from code with its SDKs, and pay per message. It suits serverless apps that need queues, delays and fan-out. RunLater is a flat-priced dashboard for scheduled HTTP requests that someone can set up without code.
Upstash QStash details are from upstash.com/pricing/qstash, checked October 7, 2026. Prices change; check their page before you decide.
| RunLater | Upstash QStash | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No free plan. 14-day trial on every plan (card required, nothing charged if you cancel first). | Yes: 1,000 messages/day, 10 active schedules |
| Paid pricing | $15/mo: 250 scheduled requests, 25,000 runs/mo; $39/mo: 1,000 scheduled requests, 100,000 runs/mo; $149/mo: 5,000 scheduled requests, 500,000 runs/mo | Pay as you go: $1 per 100,000 messages, 1,000 schedules included then $0.01 each; fixed plans from $180/mo |
| How you set up jobs | Dashboard | API and SDKs |
| Queues, fan-out, callbacks | No: one request per run | Yes |
| Retries | Up to 10 retries with exponential backoff, set per request | Yes |
| Run logs | Every run logged with status, timing and response body; kept 7, 30 or 90 days by plan | Not covered on the pricing page |
Pick Upstash QStash if
- You are building a serverless app and want to schedule and queue work from code.
- You need queues, fan-out, callbacks or very high volume at per-message prices.
- Your volume is small enough for the free tier.
Pick RunLater if
- You want flat monthly pricing and a dashboard, not an SDK.
- The people setting up the jobs are not writing code: ops, marketing, no-code builders.
- You want each run's full response body in a log you can read.
Try it on your own endpoint
The fastest way to compare is to point both at a real URL. RunLater's trial lasts 14 days and you can cancel from the billing page before it ends.
Start a 14-day trialStarter is $15/month for 250 scheduled requests and 25,000 runs. Cancel before day 14 and you pay nothing.