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River
What River is
River is a background job queue for Go applications, backed primarily by PostgreSQL, with SQLite support described as experimental. Jobs added within a database transaction wait until that transaction completes before running. Core features include isolated queues, unique and prioritized jobs, recurring cron jobs, snoozing, automatic retries, transactional completion, and test helpers. Its web interface offers queue pause and resume controls, error reporting, and telemetry integrations. The optional River UI is self-hosted and adds no external service dependencies. River Pro adds reusable workflows whose tasks can be retried individually, as well as batching, concurrency limits, ordered job sequences, and features such as dead letter queues and encrypted jobs. The Open Source plan is free but excludes workflows, concurrency limits, and support. Pro costs $125 a month and includes email support for up to 20 developers. Enterprise pricing is custom and includes email and Slack support, unlimited developers, and access to River's SOC 2 report. River uses Go generics for structured worker arguments.
Who it suits
It suits developers building Go applications that need background jobs with database-backed transactional behavior. Teams needing workflows, concurrency limits, or support can consider the paid plans.
What it does well
- Jobs wait for their database transaction to complete
- Core plan includes retries and recurring cron jobs
- Optional web interface is self-hosted
- Pro adds workflows and concurrency limits
- Open Source plan is free
What to know first
- Open Source excludes workflows and concurrency limits
- Open Source includes no support
- SQLite support is experimental
- Pro costs $125 a month
Limits
The free Open Source plan has no workflows, concurrency limits, or support. SQLite support is experimental. Pro is $125 a month and includes up to 20 developers; Enterprise pricing is custom.
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Free · Reliable background jobs · Intuitive web UI · No workflows · No concurrency limits · No support | Free |
| Pro | per month; monthly or annual subscriptions are offered, and the page shows “Save $300” · All open source features · Workflows · Batching · Concurrency limits · Email support · Credit card billing · Up to 20 developers | $125 a month |
| Enterprise | Custom; contact [email protected] · All open source features · Workflows · Batching · Concurrency limits · Email and Slack support · Credit card or invoice/PO · Unlimited developers · Access to SOC 2 report | On request |
As riverqueue.com lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Getting started
- Visit the River website.
- Choose the Open Source plan or review the paid plans.
- Set up a Go application with PostgreSQL, or use SQLite with its experimental support.
- Use the River UI as an optional self-hosted interface.
- Connect telemetry through a compatible provider if needed.
Verdict
River focuses on transactional job processing for Go, with a free core and additional workflow and operational features in Pro. Check database support and plan limits against your application needs.
Questions
How much does River cost?
The Open Source plan is free. Pro costs $125 a month; Enterprise pricing is custom.
What does the free plan include?
Open Source includes reliable background jobs and the web UI. It excludes workflows, concurrency limits, and support.
Which databases does River support?
PostgreSQL is its primary database target. SQLite support is experimental.
Which programming language is River designed for?
River is designed for Go and uses generics for strongly typed worker arguments.
What does Pro add?
Pro includes workflows, batching, concurrency limits, email support, and up to 20 developers. Its listed features also include ordered job sequences, dead letter queues, durable periodic jobs, encrypted jobs, and ephemeral jobs.
Does River have integrations and support options?
Telemetry can use compatible providers such as DataDog and Sentry. Pro includes email support; Enterprise includes email and Slack support and access to River's SOC 2 report.
Facts from River's own pages
- Commercial support
- The Pro plan includes email support, while Enterprise includes email and Slack support. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Company
- The site identifies the company as River Software, LLC and names Blake Gentry and Brandur Leach on its About page. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Core features
- Core features include multiple isolated queues, unique jobs, prioritization, recurring cron jobs, snoozing, transactional job completion, and test helpers. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Database support
- River documents PostgreSQL as its primary database target and SQLite as experimental support. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Integrations
- River's OpenTelemetry plugin supports telemetry through compatible providers such as DataDog and Sentry rather than vendor-specific River packages. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Language and typing
- River is designed for Go and uses generics to provide strongly typed structured worker arguments. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Operations
- The product lists a web interface, queue pause and resume, automatic retries, error reporting, and telemetry integrations. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Product
- River provides atomic, transaction-safe background job queueing for Go applications, backed by PostgreSQL or SQLite. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Pro features
- The Pro feature comparison includes batching, dead letter queues, durable periodic jobs, encrypted jobs, and ephemeral jobs. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Pro limits
- River Pro includes globally partitioned concurrency limits and job sequences that execute in strict order. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Pro workflows
- River Pro workflows break complex tasks into discrete, reusable tasks that can be retried individually. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Security
- River Pro includes an encrypted jobs feature, and Enterprise subscribers can access River's SOC 2 report. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Self-hosting
- River UI is an optional self-hosted interface, and the product says it adds no external service dependencies. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
- Transactional enqueueing
- River documents that jobs inserted within a transaction do not run before that transaction completes. · riverqueue.com, 30 Sept 2026
Where River stands on Freedom251
- Task Queue Software#26 of 37