Side by side
RQ (Redis Queue) vs Sidekiq
Both stand on task queue software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted
Choose RQ if you need a free, self-hosted Python queue with scheduling, retries and worker-based execution. Look elsewhere if you need a portable job protocol or workers on Windows without WSL and bash.
Visit RQ (Redis Queue) Free plan APISelf-hosted
Sidekiq provides Redis-backed background processing with a free OSS edition and expanded Pro and Enterprise capabilities. The self-hosted model and Ruby focus should fit teams prepared to operate Redis and application workers.
Visit SidekiqThe facts
| RQ (Redis Queue) | Sidekiq | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Self-hosted | API, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Sidekiq Pro: $995 a year |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | python-rq.org | sidekiq.org |
| On task queue software | #23 of 37 | #27 of 37 |
RQ (Redis Queue): what it does well
- Runs Python function calls asynchronously in worker processes.
- Supports scheduled and repeating jobs, retries and custom exception handlers.
- Provides job groups, dependencies, callbacks and bulk enqueueing.
- Includes concurrency rate limits and unique jobs.
- BSD-licensed and available free.
What to know first
- Requires Redis 5+ or Valkey 7.2+ as its backend.
- Workers need `fork()`; Windows requires WSL and bash.
- Pickle serialization makes it Python-only and unsuitable for untrusted Redis instances.
- Unique jobs cannot be combined with job dependencies.
Sidekiq: what it does well
- Free LGPL open-source plan
- Redis-backed background job queues
- Scheduled and long-running jobs
- Pro batches and callbacks
- Enterprise adds rate limiting and metrics
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment required
- Enterprise encryption leaves errors plaintext
- Pro costs $995 a year
- Priority support excludes application infrastructure
Alternatives to RQ (Redis Queue) Alternatives to Sidekiq The whole list