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Upstash vs Zeplo

Upstash logo

Upstash

Cloud

Serverless data for modern developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zeplo logo

Zeplo

APIs

Message queue as a URL prefix, adding retries and delays to any HTTP request

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Upstash hTTP-based REST API only, no TCP connections means higher latency than self-hosted or connection-pooled Redis; Zeplo zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • They diverge on capability: Upstash covers Serverless Redis, Zeplo covers URL prefix interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Upstash and Zeplo actually diverge.

Attributes where Upstash and Zeplo differ
AttributeUpstashZeplo
Pricing modelUnknownPer month by request count
PlatformsREST API, Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers, AWS LambdaWeb, Cloud
CategoryCloudAPIs
Founded2020Unknown

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 Upstash

  • Serverless Redis
  • Serverless Kafka
  • QStash
  • Global Replication
  • REST API
  • Edge Functions Support
  • Rate Limiting
  • Caching

Only in Zeplo

  • URL prefix interface
  • Retries with backoff
  • Delayed delivery
  • Cron scheduling
  • Concurrency limits
  • Deduplication keys
  • Request logs
  • Team workspaces

What people use each for

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

Upstash

  • Cachingnot Zeplo
  • Session storagenot Zeplo
  • Real-time messagingnot Zeplo
  • Rate limitingnot Zeplo
  • Serverless backendsnot Zeplo

Zeplo

  • A Vercel or Cloudflare Workers application that needs retried background jobs without deploying a separate always-on workernot Upstash
  • A team that wants a webhook receiver protected by a concurrency limit so a burst does not overwhelm a downstream APInot Upstash
  • A small product needing cron jobs against HTTP endpoints without adding a scheduler to its infrastructurenot Upstash
  • A developer adding idempotent retries to an unreliable third-party API call with a one-line URL changenot Upstash

Where each one falls short

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

Upstash

  • HTTP-based REST API only, no TCP connections means higher latency than self-hosted or connection-pooled Redis
  • Rate limiting occurs when traffic exceeds configured budget cap or request limits
  • Kafka service discontinued in March 2025, requiring migration to Upstash Workflow or alternatives
  • Limited Redis feature support compared to self-hosted Redis or Redis Cloud
  • High-request-volume workloads can accumulate significant costs due to per-request pricing model

Zeplo

  • Zeplo sits directly in the execution path of your background work, so an outage at a very small vendor means your jobs do not run at all, and there is no published SLA below Enterprise.
  • The free Developer tier includes only 500 requests a month and one team member, so it is a demonstration allowance rather than a usable free plan for anything real.
  • Overage on the Developer tier is 20 US dollars per 100,000 requests, two hundred times the marginal rate on the Company tier, so exceeding the free allowance without upgrading is expensive.
  • Team members cost 15 US dollars each beyond the plan allowance, which is an odd charge on an infrastructure product billed by request volume.
  • Log retention is 30 days on both published tiers, so anything requiring longer audit trails on job execution has to be logged separately.

Pricing, plan by plan

Upstash

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 256 MB data
    • 500K commands per month
    • 10 GB bandwidth
  • Pay-as-you-go$0.2/per 100K commands
    • Per-request billing
    • Storage at $0.25/GB
    • Unlimited commands
  • Fixed Plan$10/month
    • 250 MB Redis
    • Predictable pricing
    • Global replication available at higher tiers

Zeplo

Free
  • DeveloperFree
    • 500 requests a month included
    • $20 per additional 100,000 requests
    • 1 team member
  • Company$39/month
    • 1,000,000 requests a month included
    • $10 per additional million requests
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Volume discounts
    • Custom team size
    • Support with SLA

Which should you pick?

Choose Upstash if

  • You need serverless redis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on REST API, Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers, AWS Lambda.
  • You also want serverless kafka.
Upstash review

Choose Zeplo if

  • You need url prefix interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want retries with backoff.
Zeplo review

Questions people ask

Is Upstash or Zeplo better?
Neither clearly leads. Upstash starts at Free and Zeplo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Upstash or Zeplo?
Upstash starts at Free and Zeplo at Free.
Does Upstash or Zeplo run on more platforms?
Upstash runs on REST API, Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers, AWS Lambda. Zeplo runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Upstash for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Upstash best used for?
Upstash is most often used for caching, session storage, real-time messaging, rate limiting. Of those, caching and session storage are not what Zeplo is typically brought in for.
What can Upstash do that Zeplo cannot?
Upstash covers Serverless Redis, Serverless Kafka, QStash, Global Replication. Zeplo covers URL prefix interface, Retries with backoff, Delayed delivery, Cron scheduling.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Upstash: Does Upstash have a free tier?

Yes. The free tier provides 256 MB of data and 500,000 commands per month with 10 GB of bandwidth in a single region, no credit card required.

Source
Zeplo: How does Zeplo work?

You prefix your endpoint URL with zeplo.to and add query parameters for retries, delay, cron or concurrency. No SDK or broker is needed.

Upstash: How does Upstash work with edge platforms like Vercel and Cloudflare Workers?

Upstash uses a REST API instead of TCP connections, enabling it to work from Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers, and AWS Lambda without persistent connections or connection pooling.

Source
Zeplo: What does it cost?

Free for 500 requests a month; 39 US dollars a month for a million requests, then 10 dollars per additional million.

Upstash: What programming languages are supported?

Upstash provides native SDKs for Python, Node.js, Go, and Rust. Java, C#, and PHP developers can use the REST API or community libraries.

Source
Zeplo: Is it suitable for critical jobs?

It is a small vendor in your execution path with no published SLA below Enterprise, so weigh that against the convenience.

Upstash: Is Upstash Kafka still available?

No. Upstash Kafka was deprecated on September 11, 2024 and fully discontinued on March 11, 2025. Upstash Workflow is now recommended for durable serverless messaging and task queuing.

Source
Zeplo: Does it work with serverless platforms?

Yes, that is its main use, covering Vercel, Cloudflare Workers, Netlify and similar environments that lack long-running workers.

Upstash: How is Upstash pricing structured?

Upstash uses per-request pricing at $0.20 per 100K commands for Redis, $0.25/GB for storage, and $0.40 per 100K requests for Vector database. Idle applications cost nothing.

Source
Upstash: Can Upstash be used with AWS Lambda?

Yes. Upstash works with AWS Lambda via its REST API, eliminating the need for connection pooling and making it ideal for stateless serverless functions.

Source
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