Upstash

What it is for

Upstash is a serverless data + compute desk: Redis, QStash, Workflow, Vector, and Box each have their own meter, and you can start every product at $0. Use it when the job is a cache, a message, a durable step, a vector index, or a box you start without a card, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is the official Upstash Redis console (prod database, Pay as You Go, endpoint + REST token) from the Redis get started docs — not a pricing card. The console itself is ops.

Key features

• Redis — a serverless Redis you talk to over REST or TCP (pricing). One cache. Global replicas and the Data Browser are ops of this. The SDK is install. Free is $0 / 250 MB / 500k commands; Pay as You Go is $0.20/100k commands; Fixed starts at $10/month.
• QStash — an HTTP message queue: you publish, Upstash delivers to a URL with retries and schedules (pricing). A message, not a Redis key. Free is $0 / 1,000 messages/day; Pay as You Go is $1/100k messages; Fixed starts at $180/month.
• Workflow — durable steps (context.run, sleep, wait) built on QStash (pricing). A run, not a single HTTP push. A retry is another step. Free is $0 / 1,000 steps/day; Pay as You Go is $1/100k steps; Fixed starts at $180/month.
• Vector — an index you upsert into and query by neighbor (pricing). A vector, not a Redis string. Free is $0; Pay as You Go is $0.40/100k requests; Fixed starts at $60/month. Storage is $0.25/GB.
• Box — a serverless VM that auto-pauses when idle (pricing). A machine, not a cache. Free is $0 / 10 boxes / 5 CPU-hours / $1 LLM budget. Pay as You Go is $0.10–$0.40 per active CPU-hour; keep-alive Fixed is $8–$32/box.

Search currently redirects to the Redis pricing page, so it is not a fifth public meter. Prod Pack (+$200/database or /QStash region) is SKU. The CLI and REST tokens are install.

Who it's for

Best fit: app teams who will stay on Redis Free $0 (250 MB, 500k commands, no card) while they cache a first route, then put a card on file when they need Pay as You Go at $0.20/100k commands — or add QStash / Workflow / Vector / Box on the same $0 free envelope.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) from the official markdown cards: Redis, QStash, Workflow, Vector, Box. Each product bills on its own meter.

Redis (commands + storage)

• Free — $0/month. 250 MB. 500k commands/mo. 10 GB bandwidth. 1 database.
• Pay as You Go — $0.20/100k commands. First 1 GB storage free, then $0.25/GB. Bandwidth free to 200 GB then $0.03/GB. Max 100 GB data. First 10 databases free, then $0.50/database (cap 100).
• Fixed — $10 (250 MB) / $20 (1 GB) / $100 (5 GB) / $200 (10 GB) / $400 (50 GB) / $800 (100 GB) / $1,500 (500 GB) per month. Extra read regions +$5 to +$750. No per-command bill.
• Prod Pack — +$200/month per database (SLA, multi-zone, SOC 2, Insights). Enterprise custom.

QStash (messages)

• Free — $0. 1,000 messages/day. 50 GB. 1 MB message.
• Pay as You Go — $1/100k messages. Extra schedules $0.01 after 1,000. Bandwidth $0.05/GB after 50 GB.
• Fixed — $180/month (1M/day) / $420/month (10M/day).

Workflow (steps; retries bill again)

• Free — $0. 1,000 steps/day.
• Pay as You Go — $1/100k steps.
• Fixed — $180 / $420 per month (1M / 10M steps/day). Prod Pack is +$200/QStash region and covers Workflow in that region.

Vector (requests + storage)

• Free — $0.
• Pay as You Go — $0.40/100k requests. Storage $0.25/GB. Bandwidth $0.03/GB after 200 GB. First 10 indexes free, then $0.50.
• Fixed — from $60/month.

Box (CPU-hours or keep-alive)

• Free — $0. 10 concurrent boxes. 5 CPU-hours. $1 LLM budget.
• Pay as You Go — Small $0.10 / Medium $0.20 / Large $0.40 per active CPU-hour. Storage $0.10/GB-month.
• Keep-alive Fixed — $8 / $16 / $32 per box / month.

A free Redis can also be minted with POST https://upstash.com/start-redis (no signup; unclaimed DBs die in 3 days). Confirm checkout; taxes follow your location.

Limitations / costs

• Free Redis is 250 MB and 500k commands. A card upgrades you to Pay as You Go; the 250 MB / 500k envelope does not stay free.
• Workflow retries bill. context.call / context.invoke count as two steps.
• Five products, five bills. Redis does not include QStash or Box.
• A serverless desk, not a hosted Postgres. For SQL branches see Neon. For event-wrapped step.run() see Inngest.

Alternatives

• Neon — serverless Postgres when you want SQL and branches, not a Redis REST cache.
• Inngest — event-wrapped durable functions with a $0 / $99 / $499 Cloud ladder when you do not want QStash steps.
• Qdrant — a Rust vector engine you can self-host when Vector's $0.40/100k envelope is the wrong meter.

Official tutorial

Official Upstash channel. No first-party getting-started video was listed in a form we could verify by oEmbed on 2026-10-22 — do not embed a third-party walkthrough.

Written path: Redis get started plus the five pricing markdown cards.

Website

https://upstash.com

Repository

https://github.com/upstash/redis-js

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is the official Upstash Redis console still from the Redis get-started docs. Dollars checked on upstash.com/pricing/redis (and qstash, workflow, vector, box) markdown (Redis Free $0 / PAYG $0.20/100k / Fixed from $10; QStash PAYG $1/100k; Workflow PAYG $1/100k steps; Vector PAYG $0.40/100k / Fixed from $60; Box Free $0 / PAYG $0.10–$0.40/CPU-hour).

Last verified

2026-10-22 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.