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Developer Tools · head to head

Restate vs StackBlitz

Restate logo

Restate

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
StackBlitz logo

StackBlitz

Developer Tools

Browser-based IDE and AI app builder running full Node.js stacks via WebContainers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; StackBlitz specific Teams and Enterprise pricing figures are not published; visitors must request a quote or infer from the pricing calculator.
  • They diverge on capability: Restate covers Durable execution, StackBlitz covers WebContainers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Restate and StackBlitz actually diverge.

Attributes where Restate and StackBlitz differ
AttributeRestateStackBlitz
Pricing modelPer month by durable action countfreemium
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Webweb

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

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 Restate

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

Only in StackBlitz

  • WebContainers
  • Bolt.new AI app builder
  • Instant boot times
  • GitHub project import
  • Team collaboration
  • Offline functionality

What people use each for

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

Restate

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

StackBlitz

  • Editing a GitHub repository instantly in the browser without cloning itnot Restate
  • Generating a working web app from a text prompt with Bolt.newnot Restate
  • Sharing private projects across a team without individual GitHub seats for viewersnot Restate
  • Running lightweight Node.js projects with no local setupnot Restate

Where each one falls short

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

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.

StackBlitz

  • Specific Teams and Enterprise pricing figures are not published; visitors must request a quote or infer from the pricing calculator.
  • Browser-based execution via WebContainers has limits on which native/binary dependencies can run compared to a real server-backed environment.
  • Heavy or resource-intensive workloads may be constrained by the end user's own browser and machine resources.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

StackBlitz

Free
  • PersonalFree
    • Unlimited public projects, collections, and GitHub repositories
    • View and edit without a GitHub account
  • Teams$undefined/mo
    • Private collections and repositories for paid members
    • Free and paid member roles
    • Automatic permission mirroring for org-owned repositories

Which should you pick?

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

Choose StackBlitz if

  • You need webcontainers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web.
  • You also want bolt.new ai app builder.
StackBlitz review

Questions people ask

Is Restate or StackBlitz better?
Neither clearly leads. Restate starts at Free and StackBlitz at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Restate or StackBlitz?
Restate starts at Free and StackBlitz at Free.
Does Restate or StackBlitz run on more platforms?
Restate runs on Linux, macOS, Web. StackBlitz runs on web.
Can I use Restate for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Restate best used for?
Restate is most often used for payment or order flows where a crash between two external api calls must not double-charge or lose the order, ai agent loops that call tools over minutes or hours and must survive a deployment mid-run, replacing hand-rolled retry, idempotency key and outbox code across a set of microservices, a small team that wants durable workflows without operating a temporal cluster and its database. Of those, payment or order flows where a crash between two external api calls must not double-charge or lose the order and ai agent loops that call tools over minutes or hours and must survive a deployment mid-run are not what StackBlitz is typically brought in for.
What can Restate do that StackBlitz cannot?
Restate covers Durable execution, Virtual objects, Single binary runtime, Multi-language SDKs. StackBlitz covers WebContainers, Bolt.new AI app builder, Instant boot times, GitHub project import.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

StackBlitz: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free Personal plan includes unlimited public StackBlitz projects, collections, and GitHub repositories, and lets anyone view and edit projects without needing a GitHub account.

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.

StackBlitz: What does the Teams plan add?

Teams lets GitHub organizations add free or paid members; paid members get access to private collections and repositories, with permissions mirrored from GitHub-owned repos.

Source
Restate: Is there a free tier?

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

StackBlitz: Is there an Enterprise option?

Yes, custom Enterprise plans are available and require contacting StackBlitz directly.

Source
Restate: Which languages are supported?

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

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