Redis Alternatives 2026: 5 Options, 4 Free
Redis alternatives: Valkey, Garnet, Memcached, Apache Kvrocks and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Databases & Database Tools
Verdict:Redis changed its license with version 8: new code can be taken under RSALv2, SSPLv1 or AGPLv3, while the 7.2 line stays BSD-3. If the license is the problem, not the features, your first step is Valkey. It is a BSD-3 fork that keeps the Redis protocol and data types, so most client code and configs carry over. Garnet suits teams on .NET or Windows who accept MIT and a smaller community. Memcached is the right pick only when you cache plain strings and never need persistence, pub/sub or sorted sets; it is simpler to run and leaves fewer moving parts. Kvrocks helps when the dataset is larger than RAM and memory cost matters more than the lowest latency. Dragonfly can outperform Redis on a single large machine, but its BSL 1.1 license means you should read the terms before shipping it into a product. Stay on Redis if you use Redis Cloud's free 30 MB plan for a small project and do not need to self-host. Leave it if your legal review will not accept the Redis 8 tri-license for code you distribute.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valkey | Free | Linux (binaries), Docker, Managed via AWS ElastiCache, Google Memorystore and others | Teams self-hosting Redis who want its license | Docs only |
| Garnet | Free | Linux, Windows | Windows and .NET backends | Docs only |
| Memcached | Free | Linux | Pure caching with no data structures | Docs only |
| Apache Kvrocks | Free | Linux | Datasets bigger than memory | Docs only |
| Dragonfly | Paid from $36 per month, billed monthly (Dragonfly Cloud Flex; Business from $2,000/month) | Linux, Docker, Managed cloud | High throughput on one machine | Docs only |
| MongoDB | Free (M0 cluster free forever with 512 MB storage); paid from $8 per month, Flex cluster base tier billed hourly (about $0.011 per hour, assuming 30 days of use) | Web browser | Database | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You self-host and want the BSD license back (Valkey is the pick)
- Your backend is .NET on Windows (Garnet is the pick)
- You only cache strings and want the simplest service (Memcached is the pick)
- Your data is larger than the memory you can pay for (Apache Kvrocks is the pick)
- You need maximum throughput on one big machine and accept BSL (Dragonfly is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Redis features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Redis today: Free (Redis Cloud: $0 plan with 30 MB single database, shared cloud deployment); paid from $5 per month (Essentials, from $0.007/hour) (Redis pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Why people look for Redis alternatives
Redis dropped its BSD license in March 2024: versions 7.4 to 7.8 are dual-licensed under RSALv2 or SSPLv1, while 7.2 and earlier stay BSD-3-Clause. Redis 8 adds AGPLv3 as a third option you can choose. On the managed side, Redis Cloud's free plan is a single 30 MB database, Essentials starts at $5 a month, and the Pro tier carries a $200 monthly minimum.
Valkey
Compared with Redis: Same protocol and data types as Redis 7.2 under BSD-3, kept by the Linux Foundation. Drop-in if you want to leave Redis's newer license terms, with no vendor cloud plan to pay for.
Price: Free (Valkey pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux (binaries), Docker, Managed via AWS ElastiCache, Google Memorystore and others. BSD-3-Clause (open source).
Project activity: 27.5k GitHub stars · latest release 9.1.3 (Oct 26, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Teams self-hosting Redis who want its license.
Worth knowing: Fork of Redis 7.2 under BSD, backed by the Linux Foundation. Self-hosting is free. Managed prices come from the cloud providers, not from this project.
Garnet
Compared with Redis: Redis-client compatible store from Microsoft Research under MIT. Fits .NET and Windows shops; you lose Redis's large community, modules and managed-cloud maturity.
Price: Free (Garnet pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux, Windows. MIT (open source).
Project activity: 12.1k GitHub stars · latest release v2.2.4 (Oct 22, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Windows and .NET backends.
Memcached
Compared with Redis: Plain key-value cache under a BSD-style license. Simpler and lighter than Redis, but no persistence, sorted sets or pub/sub, so only for simple caching.
Price: Free (Memcached pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux. BSD-style 3-clause (open source).
Project activity: 14.3k GitHub stars · last commit Sep 11, 2026
Best for: Pure caching with no data structures.
Worth knowing: Plain key-value cache with no persistence or data structures. Free to self-host; the license file is BSD-style with a 2003 Danga Interactive copyright line.
Apache Kvrocks
Compared with Redis: Redis-protocol store that keeps data on disk under Apache-2.0. Larger datasets than RAM fit, at the cost of slower reads than an in-memory Redis.
Price: Free (Apache Kvrocks pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Linux. Apache-2.0 (open source).
Project activity: 4.5k GitHub stars · latest release v2.17.0 (Sep 19, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Datasets bigger than memory.
Worth knowing: Redis-protocol key-value store that keeps data on disk rather than in memory. Free under Apache-2.0; hosted options are not listed in the repo.
Dragonfly
Compared with Redis: Multi-threaded Redis-compatible engine under BSL 1.1, source-available rather than open source. Can beat Redis on throughput per node; the license and hosted pricing need checking first.
Price: Paid from $36 per month, billed monthly (Dragonfly Cloud Flex; Business from $2,000/month) (Dragonfly pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, Docker, Managed cloud. Business Source License 1.1, converting to Apache-2.0 on 2030-11-01.
Best for: High throughput on one machine.
Other popular options (paid)
MongoDB
Compared with Redis: Document database rather than an in-memory cache. Atlas has an M0 cluster free forever with 512 MB, and the Flex tier starts around $8 per month. Choose it when you need persistent queries, not Redis-speed caching.
Price: Free (M0 cluster free forever with 512 MB storage); paid from $8 per month, Flex cluster base tier billed hourly (about $0.011 per hour, assuming 30 days of use) (MongoDB pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Which one to pick
- You self-host and want the BSD license back: Valkey
- Your backend is .NET on Windows: Garnet
- You only cache strings and want the simplest service: Memcached
- Your data is larger than the memory you can pay for: Apache Kvrocks
- You need maximum throughput on one big machine and accept BSL: Dragonfly
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Valkey, Garnet, Memcached, Apache Kvrocks, Dragonfly: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Redis. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Redis, Valkey, Garnet, Memcached, Apache Kvrocks, Dragonfly, MongoDB. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.