Yes. BullMQ is MIT-licensed with no limits on workers or concurrency. Paid options are BullMQ Pro at $139 a month or $1,395 a year per deployment, and the Taskforce.sh dashboard from $19.95 a month (checked 4 October 2026).

Can I use BullMQ without Redis?

Yes. BullMQ's docs describe an optional PostgreSQL backend with the same Queue, Worker, QueueEvents and FlowProducer API. It needs PostgreSQL 13 or newer, and the docs say Redis remains the default and that PostgreSQL throughput is typically 1.5 to 2 times lower. Redis-compatible stores such as Valkey and DragonflyDB also work.

Running work outside the request cycle: sending emails, processing files, calling AI models, retrying failed payments or running cron-style tasks. Producers add jobs to a queue and workers process them, with delays, retries, priorities and rate limits.

What does BullMQ Pro add?

Groups with their own rate limits and concurrency, batches, observables with cancellation and professional support. Standard costs $139 a month or $1,395 a year per deployment; Enterprise and Embedded licences are quote-based. A trial token can be requested from Taskforce.sh (checked 4 October 2026).

What is the difference between Bull and BullMQ?

BullMQ is the TypeScript rewrite and successor of Bull. Bull's GitHub README says it is in maintenance mode with bug fixes only and points to BullMQ for new features.

What are some alternatives to BullMQ?

Inngest and Trigger.dev run background jobs as hosted services that can also be self-hosted, Temporal handles long-running durable workflows, and AWS Step Functions is a managed workflow service. BullMQ stays the lighter option if you already run Redis or PostgreSQL.

Reviewed · Updated 2026-10-04

BullMQ

BullMQ is a free, MIT-licensed job queue for Node.js and other languages on Redis or PostgreSQL, with a paid Pro edition for advanced features.

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team · 2026-10-04

Try BullMQ

Pricing

Freemium

Best for

Node.js background jobs

BullMQ, BullMQ Pro and Taskforce.sh pricing

Product	Price	Covers
BullMQ	Free (MIT)	Full queue library; no limits on workers or concurrency
BullMQ Pro Standard	$139/mo or $1,395/yr	Per deployment; groups, batches, observables, professional support
BullMQ Pro Enterprise	Quote-based	Multiple deployments, volume discounts, priority support
BullMQ Pro Embedded	Quote-based	Redistribution rights for products you sell
Taskforce.sh Starter	$19.95/mo or $195/yr	Dashboard, 1 connection, unlimited queues and users
Taskforce.sh Growing	$49.95/mo or $495/yr	5 connections
Taskforce.sh Enterprise	$99.95/mo or $995/yr	15 connections

From bullmq.io and BullMQ's Bull Board vs Taskforce.sh guide, checked 4 October 2026. Taskforce.sh has a 15-day free trial with no card; BullMQ Pro trial tokens are available on request.

BullMQ vs BullMQ Pro

Capability	BullMQ (free)	BullMQ Pro
Delayed jobs, cron schedulers, retries, priorities	Yes	Yes
Parent-child flows, rate limiting, deduplication	Yes	Yes
Groups with per-group rate limit and concurrency	No	Yes
Batches and observables	No	Yes
Professional support from the maintainers	No (GitHub community)	Yes

From bullmq.io and the BullMQ Pro documentation, checked 4 October 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

BullMQ alternatives

Other background job and workflow tools to compare:

Inngest: Hosted durable functions with steps, retries and flow control, also available to self-host.

Trigger.dev: Platform for running background jobs and long tasks from your codebase.

Temporal: Durable workflow orchestration for long-running, stateful processes.

AWS Step Functions: Managed AWS workflow service with a visual designer, billed by usage.

Sources checked October 4, 2026: BullMQ homepage, BullMQ documentation, BullMQ PostgreSQL backend, BullMQ Pro introduction, Bull Board vs Taskforce.sh (BullMQ guide), BullMQ on GitHub, Bull on GitHub (maintenance notice).

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