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Web Development · head to head

Qwik vs Restate

Qwik logo

Qwik

Web Development

Framework for edge computing with instant interactivity and minimal JavaScript

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Restate logo

Restate

Developer Tools

Durable execution engine in Rust with a free tier and low-latency workflows

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Qwik different mental model than React requires learning new patterns; Restate the runtime is under a Business Source Licence rather than an open source licence, so building a competing managed offering on it is prohibited and some procurement functions will reject it on licence grounds alone.
  • They diverge on capability: Qwik covers Resumability, Restate covers Durable execution.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Qwik and Restate actually diverge.

Attributes where Qwik and Restate differ
AttributeQwikRestate
Pricing modelopen-sourcePer month by durable action count
PlatformsWeb, EdgeLinux, macOS, Web
CategoryWeb DevelopmentDeveloper Tools

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 Qwik

  • Resumability
  • Minimal JavaScript
  • Lazy JavaScript execution
  • Edge deployment support
  • Qwik Optimizer
  • Vite integration
  • JSX support

Only in Restate

  • Durable execution
  • Virtual objects
  • Single binary runtime
  • Multi-language SDKs
  • Workflows and sagas
  • Restate Cloud

What people use each for

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

Qwik

  • Building ultra-fast web applications with instant page loadsnot Restate
  • Edge-computing-first applications requiring minimal JavaScriptnot Restate
  • Performance-critical applications targeting mobile usersnot Restate
  • Projects requiring sub-second Time to Interactive on slow networksnot Restate

Restate

  • Payment or order flows where a crash between two external API calls must not double-charge or lose the ordernot Qwik
  • AI agent loops that call tools over minutes or hours and must survive a deployment mid-runnot Qwik
  • Replacing hand-rolled retry, idempotency key and outbox code across a set of microservicesnot Qwik
  • A small team that wants durable workflows without operating a Temporal cluster and its databasenot Qwik

Where each one falls short

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

Qwik

  • Different mental model than React requires learning new patterns
  • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to established frameworks
  • Limited third-party component library support
  • Fewer examples and tutorials in documentation

Restate

  • The runtime is under a Business Source Licence rather than an open source licence, so building a competing managed offering on it is prohibited and some procurement functions will reject it on licence grounds alone.
  • Restate Cloud jumps from a free fifty thousand actions straight to 300 US dollars a month for twenty million, so a workload sitting at a few hundred thousand actions pays enterprise-shaped money for hobby-shaped volume.
  • It is a young project against Temporal’s established base, so hiring engineers who already know it is unrealistic and the answer to most questions is in the docs rather than on Stack Overflow.
  • The programming model requires structuring code around durable handlers and virtual objects, which is a genuine rewrite for existing services rather than a library you add.
  • The single-binary simplicity that makes small deployments cheap also means fewer operational knobs at very large scale than a system designed as separable components.

Pricing, plan by plan

Qwik

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Qwik review.

Restate

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Fifty thousand durable actions per month
    • No credit card required
    • Community support
  • Starter$300/month
    • Twenty million actions per month
    • Two hundred actions per second, bursting to one thousand
    • Twenty GB storage
  • Pro$1000/month
    • Fifty million actions per month
    • Five hundred actions per second, bursting to two thousand
    • Fifty GB storage
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Negotiated volume
    • Twenty-four seven P0 support
    • 99.99 per cent SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose Qwik if

  • You need resumability.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Edge.
  • You also want minimal javascript.
Qwik review

Choose Restate if

  • You need durable execution.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Web.
  • You also want virtual objects.
Restate review

Questions people ask

Is Qwik or Restate better?
Neither clearly leads. Qwik starts at Free and Restate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Qwik or Restate?
Qwik starts at Free and Restate at Free.
Does Qwik or Restate run on more platforms?
Qwik runs on Web, Edge. Restate runs on Linux, macOS, Web.
Can I use Qwik for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Qwik best used for?
Qwik is most often used for building ultra-fast web applications with instant page loads, edge-computing-first applications requiring minimal javascript, performance-critical applications targeting mobile users, projects requiring sub-second time to interactive on slow networks. Of those, building ultra-fast web applications with instant page loads and edge-computing-first applications requiring minimal javascript are not what Restate is typically brought in for.
What can Qwik do that Restate cannot?
Qwik covers Resumability, Minimal JavaScript, Lazy JavaScript execution, Edge deployment support. Restate covers Durable execution, Virtual objects, Single binary runtime, Multi-language SDKs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Qwik: How does Qwik achieve instant interactivity without hydration?

Qwik uses resumability, serializing application state and component tree, then deserializing directly into memory without re-executing component code.

Source
Restate: Is Restate open source?

The SDKs are MIT. The runtime is under a Business Source Licence, which permits self-hosting but not offering it as a competing service.

Qwik: What is the typical JavaScript bundle size for a Qwik application?

Qwik applications boot with approximately 1kb of JavaScript regardless of complexity, with additional code loaded on-demand.

Source
Restate: How does it compare with Temporal?

Same problem, different shape: one Rust binary with embedded storage instead of a server plus database plus workers, and lower per-step latency.

Qwik: Can Qwik be deployed to edge computing platforms?

Yes, Qwik supports deployment to Cloudflare Workers, Netlify Edge, Vercel Edge, AWS Lambda, and many other edge platforms.

Source
Restate: Is there a free tier?

Yes, fifty thousand durable actions a month on Restate Cloud with no card required.

Restate: Which languages are supported?

TypeScript, Java, Kotlin, Go, Python and Rust.

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