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Automation Integration · head to head

Hatchet vs Nile

Hatchet logo

Hatchet

Automation Integration

Postgres-backed distributed task queue and workflow engine for Python, TypeScript and Go

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nile logo

Nile

Databases

PostgreSQL database platform built for multi-tenant SaaS applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hatchet postgres as the queue backend simplifies operations but sets a throughput ceiling, and very high task rates require database tuning or partitioning work that a purpose-built queue would not demand.; Nile limited to B2B SaaS use cases, not optimized for single-tenant applications
  • They diverge on capability: Hatchet covers Postgres-backed queue, Nile covers Multi-tenant virtualization.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hatchet and Nile actually diverge.

Attributes where Hatchet and Nile differ
AttributeHatchetNile
Pricing modelPer month by task run countPay-per-use with committed pricing
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudWeb, API
CategoryAutomation IntegrationDatabases

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Hatchet

  • Postgres-backed queue
  • Durable execution
  • DAG workflows
  • Concurrency and fairness
  • Rate limiting
  • Cron and scheduling
  • Multi-language SDKs
  • Self-hosting

Only in Nile

  • Multi-tenant virtualization
  • Serverless compute
  • Vector embeddings
  • Tenant branching
  • Schema migration
  • Tenant dashboards
  • Global deployment
  • PostgreSQL compatible

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Hatchet

  • An AI product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflownot Nile
  • A team that outgrew Celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building themnot Nile
  • An engineering group that wants durable execution self-hosted with no datastore beyond the Postgres they already runnot Nile
  • A multi-tenant SaaS that needs one noisy customer's jobs not to starve everyone else'snot Nile

Nile

  • Multi-tenant SaaS applications with per-customer isolationnot Hatchet
  • Serverless workloads needing cost-efficient auto-scalingnot Hatchet
  • RAG applications leveraging vector embeddingsnot Hatchet
  • Applications requiring per-tenant analytics dashboardsnot Hatchet
  • Cross-customer analytics using shared data tablesnot Hatchet

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Hatchet

  • Postgres as the queue backend simplifies operations but sets a throughput ceiling, and very high task rates require database tuning or partitioning work that a purpose-built queue would not demand.
  • Data retention on the managed tiers is three days on Team and seven on Scale, which is short for debugging intermittent failures and forces you to export run history elsewhere.
  • The step from the free tier to Team is 500 US dollars a month plus usage, which is a large increment for a small team that simply needs a production SLA.
  • Hatchet is a young company in a category with Temporal, Inngest and cloud-native alternatives already established, so ecosystem, hiring pool and third-party material are all thin.
  • Self-hosting the MIT engine is realistic but you then run the engine, its Postgres and its workers yourself, and the managed features such as audit logs and support are not part of that.

Nile

  • Limited to B2B SaaS use cases, not optimized for single-tenant applications
  • Query token abstraction makes pricing less transparent than traditional compute pricing
  • Free plan limited to 50M query tokens and 1GB storage for development
  • Serverless startup latency may impact performance-sensitive applications
  • Per-million token overages require careful monitoring to avoid surprise costs

Pricing, plan by plan

Hatchet

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • First 100,000 task runs included
    • $10 per million task runs after
    • No card required
  • Team$500/month
    • Usage billed on top of the base fee
    • 10 users and 5 tenants
    • 3 day data retention
  • Scale$1000/month
    • Unlimited users and tenants
    • 7 day data retention
    • Audit logs
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • 300 million plus runs a month
    • Latency guarantees and custom SLAs
    • SSO and audit logging

Nile

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 50M query tokens included
    • 1 GB storage
    • 500 connections
  • Pro$15/month
    • 150M query tokens included
    • 5 GB storage
    • 10,000 connections
  • Scale$350/month
    • 500M query tokens included
    • 50 GB storage
    • 100,000 connections
  • Enterprise$undefined/custom
    • Custom resource allocation
    • Large-scale workloads supporting millions of tenants
    • Designated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Hatchet if

  • You need postgres-backed queue.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want durable execution.
Hatchet review

Choose Nile if

  • You need multi-tenant virtualization.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want serverless compute.
Nile review

Questions people ask

Is Hatchet or Nile better?
Neither clearly leads. Hatchet starts at Free and Nile at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hatchet or Nile?
Hatchet starts at Free and Nile at Free.
Does Hatchet or Nile run on more platforms?
Hatchet runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Nile runs on Web, API.
Can I use Hatchet for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hatchet best used for?
Hatchet is most often used for an ai product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflow, a team that outgrew celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building them, an engineering group that wants durable execution self-hosted with no datastore beyond the postgres they already run, a multi-tenant saas that needs one noisy customer's jobs not to starve everyone else's. Of those, an ai product running long agent pipelines that must survive worker restarts and resume mid-workflow and a team that outgrew celery and wants concurrency keys, fairness and rate limiting without building them are not what Nile is typically brought in for.
What can Hatchet do that Nile cannot?
Hatchet covers Postgres-backed queue, Durable execution, DAG workflows, Concurrency and fairness. Nile covers Multi-tenant virtualization, Serverless compute, Vector embeddings, Tenant branching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hatchet: Is Hatchet open source?

Yes, the engine is MIT licensed and can be self-hosted, with a managed cloud offered alongside.

Nile: What are query tokens and how are they calculated?

Query tokens are abstract units of CPU and memory used when queries execute on Nile's serverless compute. The platform uses this abstraction to enable fair, predictable pay-per-use pricing.

Source
Hatchet: What does it cost?

Free for the first 100,000 task runs, then 10 US dollars per million. Team is 500 US dollars a month plus usage; Scale is 1,000.

Nile: Do all Nile plans include multi-tenant isolation?

Yes. All plans including the free tier include unlimited databases, tenants, and vector embeddings with built-in data isolation.

Source
Hatchet: Why Postgres as the queue?

So durable task state lives in a database your team already backs up, replicates and can inspect with SQL, instead of a second system.

Nile: What is included in the Pro plan?

The Pro plan ($15/month) includes 150M query tokens, 5GB storage, 10,000 connections, and a 99.95% SLA. SAML and MFA authentication features are available on Pro and above.

Source
Hatchet: How does it compare with Temporal?

Lighter to adopt and operate, with a much smaller ecosystem and a lower throughput ceiling from the Postgres backend.

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