Stripe
Trigger.dev
| Feature | Stripe | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $2.9/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | saas-companies, developers, startups, e-commerce, marketplaces | typescript-developers, saas-apps, background-processing, serverless-teams |
| Founded | 2010 | 2022 |
| Payments | ✓ | ✗ |
| Subscriptions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Invoicing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Connect Marketplace | ✓ | ✗ |
| Radar Fraud | ✓ | ✗ |
| Checkout | ✓ | ✗ |
| Billing Portal | ✓ | ✗ |
| Background Jobs | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduled Tasks | ✗ | ✓ |
| Event Triggers | ✗ | ✓ |
| Retries | ✗ | ✓ |
| Observability | ✗ | ✓ |
| Concurrency Control | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Stripe Pros
- Best-in-class developer documentation
- Supports 135+ currencies and payment methods
- Powerful subscription and billing management
- Radar fraud prevention included
✗ Stripe Cons
- 2.9% + 30c per transaction adds up
- Account freezes can happen without warning
- Complex pricing for international payments
✓ Trigger.dev Pros
- Write background jobs in TypeScript (not YAML/config)
- Built-in retries, queues, and concurrency controls
- Excellent developer experience with type safety
- Open-source with self-hosting option
✗ Trigger.dev Cons
- TypeScript only (no Python/Go support)
- Cloud pricing based on compute time
- Newer platform with evolving API
The Verdict
Stripe is built for saas companies and developers, with a focus on payments and subscriptions. Trigger.dev targets typescript developers and saas apps and leads with background-jobs and scheduled-tasks.
Pricing is close: Trigger.dev starts at $0/mo versus $2.9/mo for Stripe — not a deciding factor on its own.
Trigger.dev has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Stripe requires a paid subscription from day one.
Bottom line: Stripe has a slight overall edge — but if write background jobs in typescript (not yaml/config) matters most to you, Trigger.dev may still be the right call.