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Last checked November 2, 2026

Free alternatives to Redis

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Redis is the in-memory store most clients already speak. Redis Ltd. says version 7.2 and earlier stay BSD-3-Clause, 7.4 through 7.8 are RSALv2 or SSPLv1, and Redis 8 adds AGPLv3 as a third option beside those two. AGPL is an open-source license. It is not the permissive license Valkey kept. RSALv2 and SSPLv1 are still options, and Redis says neither is open source. Stay on Redis 8 if AGPL fits. Move if you need a permissive license or you cannot accept the source-available terms.

DevelopersSmall teamsPrice not checked

What you pay for Redis

Redis 8 is tri-licensed: RSALv2, SSPLv1, or AGPLv3. We have not checked a dollar price for Redis Cloud or Redis Software.

The license page, checked November 2, 2026, says Redis Open Source 8 and later lets you choose RSALv2, SSPLv1, or AGPLv3. Redis 7.2 and earlier remain BSD-3-Clause. Community Edition 7.4 through 7.8 remain RSALv2 or SSPLv1. The same page says Redis Software and Redis Cloud are proprietary and points at their own terms. This page did not copy a cloud plan price.

Redis website·Price page

For developers and small teams. Its price on file: Redis 8 is tri-licensed: RSALv2, SSPLv1, or AGPLv3. We have not checked a dollar price for Redis Cloud or Redis Software. It is in the Key-value stores group.

How to switch

The closest free app on the checklist is Valkey. Cost and details. Move data from Redis to Valkey.

Need a server? DigitalOcean is one simple option. Railway is another.

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Same protocol, different license

These scores are from the checklist on this page. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. We check each app against public docs and price pages.

Valkey is #1 (95). Apache Kvrocks is #2 (75). Garnet is #3 (70).

Valkey

#1 · Closest

9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

You only get part of: the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8.

Apache Kvrocks

#2

9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: memory as the primary store. You only get part of: strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets and the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8.

Garnet

#3

9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

What you give up: the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8. You only get part of: the Redis protocol for existing clients, strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets, and a snapshot or an append-only file.

Where they differ

  • The Redis protocol for existing clients

    Worth 10 points. Valkey does all of it. The migration guide says existing Redis client libraries connect without code changes. Apache Kvrocks does all of it. The project says any Redis client can talk to it. Garnet does part of it. RESP is the wire protocol, and the docs say many Redis clients connect. They also say it is not a complete command match.

  • Strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets

    Worth 10 points. Valkey does all of it. It is a fork of Redis OSS 7.2, so the core types from that line are the baseline. This is not a promise about Redis 8 commands. Apache Kvrocks does part of it. The project documents strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, and more. It does not claim every Redis command. Garnet does part of it. Data-structure objects exist. The compatibility doc says MSET is not atomic, and objects can be turned off.

  • Memory as the primary store

    Worth 8 points. Valkey does all of it. Apache Kvrocks does none of it. RocksDB on disk is the store. That is the point, and it is not an in-memory primary. Garnet does all of it. Main memory is the primary mode. A disk tier is optional.

  • A snapshot or an append-only file

    Worth 6 points. Valkey does all of it. The migration guide says Valkey reads and writes RDB and AOF files compatible with Redis OSS 7.2. Apache Kvrocks does all of it. Data is on disk. This is not Redis RDB plus AOF. Garnet does part of it. Checkpointing and an append-only file are documented. They are not Redis RDB.

  • The JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8

    Worth 6 points. Valkey does part of it. Redis OSS modules that use the RedisModule API are documented as working. Redis 8's bundled JSON, time series, and query engine are not what that sentence covers. Apache Kvrocks does part of it. The project blog documents JSON and Bloom filters of its own. It says that code is not Redis's search module. Garnet does none of it. The compatibility doc says Garnet does not support Redis modules. It has its own extension points.

Valkey, Apache Kvrocks, and Garnet do all of these: replication, a cluster, lua scripts, and a permissive license for a closed product.

KeyDB

No score

A Redis-protocol server. Not scored on this checklist.

Dragonfly

No score

A source-available Redis-protocol server. Not scored on this checklist.

How close is it?

How this works

A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement. #1 is the closest free app that did not pay us. An ad, when one is sold, is marked and sits after #1. Paying does not change the score. Open source means you can use, change, and share the code. Run it yourself means the app can live on a computer you control.

  1. #1 · ClosestOpen source

    Valkey

    The BSD-licensed fork of Redis 7.2, run by the Linux Foundation.

    9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    You only get part of: the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8.

    Last checked November 2, 2026 · License: BSD-3-Clause

    LinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsHow to switchWebsite
  2. #2Open source

    Apache Kvrocks

    A Redis-protocol store that keeps data on disk with RocksDB.

    9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: memory as the primary store. You only get part of: strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets and the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8.

    Last checked November 2, 2026 · License: Apache-2.0

    LinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite
  3. #3Open source

    Garnet

    Microsoft's cache. RESP clients connect. It is not a full Redis match.

    9 of 9 checked features. A full score means it matches our checklist. It is not a drop-in replacement.

    What you give up: the JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8. You only get part of: the Redis protocol for existing clients, strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted sets, and a snapshot or an append-only file.

    Last checked November 2, 2026 · License: MIT

    LinuxRun it yourself
    Cost and detailsWebsite

Feature by feature

Full means it does the whole job. Partial means it does some of it. Missing means it does not. Not checked counts as zero. The number under each feature is how much it counts. A bigger number moves the score more.

Scroll sideways to see every app.

Feature comparison. Full, partial, missing, or not checked.
FeatureValkey#1 · 959 of 9 checked featuresApache Kvrocks#2 · 759 of 9 checked featuresGarnet#3 · 709 of 9 checked features
The Redis protocol for existing clientsCounts for 10FullThe migration guide says existing Redis client libraries connect without code changes.FullThe project says any Redis client can talk to it.PartialRESP is the wire protocol, and the docs say many Redis clients connect. They also say it is not a complete command match.
Strings, hashes, lists, sets, and sorted setsCounts for 10FullIt is a fork of Redis OSS 7.2, so the core types from that line are the baseline. This is not a promise about Redis 8 commands.PartialThe project documents strings, hashes, lists, sets, sorted sets, and more. It does not claim every Redis command.PartialData-structure objects exist. The compatibility doc says MSET is not atomic, and objects can be turned off.
Memory as the primary storeCounts for 8FullMissingRocksDB on disk is the store. That is the point, and it is not an in-memory primary.FullMain memory is the primary mode. A disk tier is optional.
A snapshot or an append-only fileCounts for 6FullThe migration guide says Valkey reads and writes RDB and AOF files compatible with Redis OSS 7.2.FullData is on disk. This is not Redis RDB plus AOF.PartialCheckpointing and an append-only file are documented. They are not Redis RDB.
ReplicationCounts for 6FullThe same guide documents replication from a Redis primary with REPLICAOF.FullThe readme documents async replication.FullThe welcome page lists replication.
A clusterCounts for 6FullThe guide has a cluster migration. It is an operations project, not a single command.FullThe readme documents a cluster that Redis cluster clients can use.FullThe welcome page lists a sharded cluster.
Lua scriptsCounts for 4FullThe guide says existing scripts that use the redis namespace still run.FullThe project blog lists Lua scripts among the supported commands.FullThe compatibility doc says Lua is supported and is enabled with --lua.
A permissive license for a closed productCounts for 8FullBSD-3-Clause, including the Redis Ltd. license on the forked code.FullApache-2.0.FullMIT.
The JSON, time series, and search bundle from Redis 8Counts for 6PartialRedis OSS modules that use the RedisModule API are documented as working. Redis 8's bundled JSON, time series, and query engine are not what that sentence covers.PartialThe project blog documents JSON and Bloom filters of its own. It says that code is not Redis's search module.MissingThe compatibility doc says Garnet does not support Redis modules. It has its own extension points.

What it costs

Valkey

Free plan
You run the server. The license does not add a fee per person.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. A single node is a small service. A cluster is a separate project. The migration guide covers Docker as one install path.

Apache Kvrocks

Free plan
You run the server. The Apache license does not add a fee per person.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. A single node is a service you operate. Disk size matters more than RAM size. We have not checked a server price.

Garnet

Free plan
You run the server. The MIT license does not add a fee per person.
They host it
No hosted price on file.
Run it yourself
Setup: medium. A server process you operate. The docs describe memory, an optional disk tier, replication, and a cluster. We have not checked a server price.

Did you switch?

If you left Redis, tell us if it worked and how long it took. Notes stay private until we approve them. Nothing is shown until at least five are approved.

How did it go?

Closest pair

Move data from Redis to Valkey

Valkey loads Redis OSS 7.2 and earlier. Its own guide says data files from Redis 7.4 and later, including Redis 8, are not compatible.

Read how to switch

Related alternatives

Key-value stores alternatives

Switch guides

Free apps in this group

Questions

What is the closest free app?
Valkey, if you want the Redis protocol, in-memory data, and a BSD-3-Clause license. It is the Linux Foundation fork of Redis 7.2. Apache Kvrocks speaks the protocol and stores on disk. Garnet speaks RESP and is not a full command match. Its own docs say so.
Is Redis open source again?
Redis 8 adds AGPLv3, which the license page calls OSI-approved, and it keeps RSALv2 and SSPLv1. AGPL requires source for changes you serve over a network. That is a different deal from the BSD license on Redis 7.2 and on Valkey.
Can I copy a Redis 8 dump into Valkey?
Valkey's migration guide says RDB and AOF files from Redis OSS 7.2 and earlier are compatible, and that data files from Redis Community Edition 7.4 and later are not. Redis 8 is in that later line. The guide does not document a file copy for those versions.