HotKV vs Redis

A Redis alternative that uses every core

A Redis® alternative should keep what already works, your client libraries, tools and commands. HotKV speaks the Redis protocol, so they carry over. Underneath is a multi-threaded C++20 engine built from scratch. It was measured against Redis 8.10.2 on the same machine, with the method and raw data published.

Get early access See the measurements

Redis

one thread executes

HotKV

every core executes

An illustration of the two execution models, not a measurement. Redis executes commands on one thread; its I/O threads read, parse and write but do not execute. HotKV executes on every core. The measured throughput is further down the page.

This Redis alternative, run as a single instance on one 160-vCPU machine, led 12 of 12 commands against Redis 8.10.2, at 14.8x to 69.7x the throughput. HotKV was built from source for that CPU. Redis 8.10.2 ran as its stock build. The gap is smaller on small machines.

Drop-in

What stays the same with this Redis alternative

HotKV implements the Redis wire protocol. Moving from Redis is usually a change of host and credentials. Check the command reference for anything outside the core set.

Same protocol

Redis-compatible. RESP2 and RESP3 with HELLO negotiation, and HotKV reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clients, so libraries pick their features by it. Connection strings, pipelines, pub/sub and transactions work as they do today.

Same clients and tools

Redis and Valkey client libraries, redis-cli, redis-cli --cluster and GUI tools connect to HotKV without code changes for the core commands.

Same core commands

300 core commands, Lua scripting and function libraries, plus HotKV's own command families when you want them.

the client you already use
$ redis-cli -h <your-hotkv-host> -p 6379 --tls --user app --askpass
> HELLO 3
1# "server" => "hotkv"
2# "version" => "8.4.0"
3# "proto" => (integer) 3
   ... (four more fields)
> SET session:4821 "same protocol, every core"
OK
> GET session:4821
"same protocol, every core"
> TAG.SET session:4821 tenant:acme   # a HotKV command, when you want it
(integer) 1

The case for a Redis alternative

Why teams look for a Redis alternative

Documented properties of Redis that send teams looking for a Redis alternative, checked on October 21, 2026.

01

Commands run on one thread

Redis executes commands on a single main thread. Its I/O threads read, parse and write on the sockets. They do not execute commands. Using more cores means running more instances or a cluster, and sharding your keyspace with them. That ceiling is the usual reason to look for a Redis alternative.

02

A new licence since Redis 8

Redis 7.2 and earlier are BSD-3-Clause. Redis 7.4 is RSALv2 or SSPLv1. Redis 8 is offered under RSALv2, SSPLv1 or AGPLv3.

03

AI features are separate services

Redis offers an LLM semantic cache (LangCache, in preview) and Agent Memory as separate Redis Iris services, managed on Redis Cloud or self-managed. They are reached over REST APIs and SDKs, not as commands of the server. A Redis alternative with those features built in takes two services off the bill.

04

Snapshots fork the process

An RDB snapshot forks a child process. The kernel copies every page written while the snapshot runs, so memory use rises under write load.

Measured, not claimed

This Redis alternative, measured. HotKV vs Redis 8.10.2 on one machine

HotKV Ltd ran HotKV and Redis 8.10.2 one at a time, as single instances, on the same 160-vCPU machine. Each got the same load and every core. HotKV Ltd published every number with the method and raw data.

12 of 12
commands where HotKV measured the highest throughput against Redis
14.8x to 69.7x
HotKV's throughput as a multiple of Redis's, across the 12 commands it led (SET to RPUSH)
None
commands where Redis measured higher

HotKV Ltd built HotKV from source for this CPU. Redis ran as its stock release build. Both ran as single instances. Thread counts followed each product's documented all-core setting and were not tuned per product. The gap is smaller on machines with few cores.

SET14.8x
HotKV
50.5M*
Redis
3.4M
GET32.3x
HotKV
36.6M*
Redis
1.1M
MGET16.6x
HotKV
4.6M*
Redis
278K
SETNX39.6x
HotKV
55.3M*
Redis
1.4M
APPEND16.4x
HotKV
25.1M
Redis
1.5M
INCR43.1x
HotKV
90.8M
Redis
2.1M
LPUSH25.3x
HotKV
31.6M
Redis
1.2M
RPUSH69.7x
HotKV
43.8M
Redis
628K
SADD24.7x
HotKV
50.6M*
Redis
2.1M
HSET54.0x
HotKV
29.0M*
Redis
537K
MSET29.8x
HotKV
11.3M
Redis
379K
PING38.7x
HotKV
125.2M†
Redis
3.2M

Operations per second, median of 3 runs of 10 seconds. Each pair of bars scales to the faster server on that command.

* Network-limited: the instance's network set this result, so the server's own limit is higher.

† Load-generator-limited: the load-generator machines ran above 85% CPU, so this is their ceiling, not the server's.

Azure D160alds_v7 (AMD EPYC 9V45 (Turin), 160 vCPUs), measured October 9, 2026. 256-byte values, pipeline depth 30, 5,000,000 prefilled keys read uniformly at random. Three dedicated load-generator machines. Every server ran alone as a single instance with persistence off. Each got all cores (Redis 128 I/O threads, its maximum). HotKV Ltd built HotKV from source for this CPU and ran Redis as its stock release build. Full method and results · Harness and raw data

Side by side

This Redis alternative and Redis, feature by feature

FeatureHotKVRedis
Command executionMulti-threaded. Every core reads, parses and executes commands on one shared storeSingle main thread. Optional I/O threads read, parse and write on the sockets
ProtocolRedis-compatible: RESP2 and RESP3 with HELLO negotiation. Reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clientsRESP2 and RESP3
LanguageC++20, built from scratchC
LicenceCommercial (HotKV Cloud, or an on-premise licence)RSALv2, SSPLv1 or AGPLv3 (Redis 8)
PersistenceSnapshots and AOFRDB and AOF
Fork-less snapshotsYes. A background thread writes the snapshot, no forked child processNo. An RDB snapshot forks a child process
Vector similarity searchBuilt in (HNSW, VSIM.*), every planBuilt in (Redis 8)
LLM prompt and semantic cacheBuilt in (PCACHE.*, SCACHE.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudSeparate service (LangCache, in preview)
AI agent memoryBuilt in (AMEM.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudSeparate service (Agent Memory)
LLM token and cost trackingBuilt in (LLMBUDGET.*, LLMSTATS.*), Performance plan and above on HotKV CloudNot a server feature
Prometheus endpointBuilt in. The server serves /metrics itself once metrics-port is set (on-premise)Separate exporter
Hot key detectionServer side (HOTKEYS), opt-inServer-side HOTKEYS command (since 8.6.0)
Key taggingYes (TAG.*)No
Nanosecond TTLYes (NEXPIRE, NTTL)No. Millisecond TTLs
Server platformsLinux (x86_64 and ARM64)Linux, macOS, BSD
DeploymentHotKV Cloud (Google Cloud, 42 regions) or on-premise under a licenceSelf-managed or Redis Cloud

In fairness

Where Redis is ahead of this Redis alternative, or simply different

This Redis alternative page is only useful when it says this part too.

  • Redis has the largest ecosystem and the longest track record of any in-memory store. Most tutorials, client libraries and integrations were written for it, and they work with HotKV because the protocol is the same. Any Redis alternative has to clear that bar.
  • Redis 8 bundles JSON, time series and probabilistic data structures. HotKV has Bloom filters, Count-Min sketches and Top-K on every plan and time series (TS.*) from the Performance plan up, but no JSON document type.
  • Redis runs on Linux, macOS and BSD. HotKV server builds are Linux only (x86_64 and ARM64).
  • On PING, HotKV's figure was set by the load generators, which ran at 86% CPU, so it is a lower bound. HotKV's GET used 100% of the outbound network cap and is a lower bound too. Redis reached neither limit on any command.
  • HotKV Cloud is in early access. Redis Cloud is a mature service on several clouds.

Moving over

From Redis to this Redis alternative in four steps

What switching to a Redis alternative involves in practice.

  1. 1

    Create an instance

    Pick a region and a plan in the HotKV Cloud console. The instance is a machine of its own, provisioned, patched and monitored for you.

  2. 2

    Point your clients at it

    Keep the client library you already use. Change the host, port and credentials from Redis to the HotKV instance. TLS and password authentication are on from the start, with ACL users available. A Redis alternative that speaks the same protocol needs no client changes for the core commands.

  3. 3

    Move the data

    Use the tools you already know. DUMP and RESTORE, MIGRATE, or a replay of your writes all work, because HotKV implements these commands.

  4. 4

    Turn on what was missing

    Vector search and key tagging are core commands on every plan. Prompt and semantic caches, agent memory and LLM cost tracking are commands of the same server on the Performance plan and above. No module, sidecar or second service. That is what a Redis alternative should add.

Questions

Questions about this Redis alternative

Is HotKV a drop-in Redis alternative?

HotKV is an independent implementation, not a copy of Redis. It implements RESP2 and RESP3 with HELLO, reports Redis version 8.4.0 to clients, and answers 300 core commands. Redis client libraries, redis-cli and GUI tools connect. Check the command reference before you switch. HotKV has no JSON document commands.

Is HotKV a fork of Redis?

No. HotKV is a Redis alternative written from scratch in C++20, and it shares no code with Redis. It implements the same protocol so that the Redis ecosystem works with it.

How much faster is this Redis alternative than Redis?

On an Azure D160alds_v7 with 160 vCPUs, both run as single instances, HotKV recorded the highest median throughput on all 12 commands against Redis 8.10.2. The multiple ran from at least 15 times on SET to at least 70 times on RPUSH. The gap comes from using every core. On a small machine with two or four cores the difference is smaller, so measure on your own size.

Does HotKV support Redis Cluster clients?

Yes, in cluster mode, which runs on-premise. HotKV answers redis-cli --cluster, MOVED and ASK redirects, failover and TLS the way cluster-aware clients expect. HotKV Cloud instances are single nodes, and cluster-aware clients connect to them as to a standalone server.

Is HotKV open source or free?

No. HotKV is a commercial Redis alternative. You can run it as HotKV Cloud, where every instance is a dedicated machine, or on your own servers under an on-premise licence.

Put this Redis alternative to the test with the clients you already have

HotKV Cloud is opening in waves. Every instance of this Redis alternative is a dedicated machine with the multi-threaded engine. The AI command families come with the Performance and Scale plans.

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