Apache Airflow
Data pipelines & ETLIndustry-standard Python workflow scheduler for data teams
- Stars
- ★ 47.2k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed, Make
Free alternatives to Airflow managed
Last updated · 10 options
Quick answer: Apache Airflow has the most stars on its repository of the 10 options here (★ 47.2k), followed by Apache Kafka (★ 34.1k). Stars show popularity, not fit, so check formats, platforms and licence for your own work.
Managed Apache Airflow offerings from cloud vendors. Here are 10 free options, most-starred first.
Apache Kafka
Data pipelines & ETLDistributed event streaming for high-volume pipelines
- Stars
- ★ 34.1k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host
- Commercial OK
Kestra
Data pipelines & ETLDeclarative orchestration language for data and process workflows
- Stars
- ★ 29.9k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host or cloud
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed, Make
Prefect
Data pipelines & ETLPython workflow orchestration with a modern control plane
- Stars
- ★ 24k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host or cloud
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed, Zapier
Temporal
Job orchestrators & durable workflowsDurable execution platform for mission-critical workflows
- Stars
- ★ 23.8k
- Licence
- MIT
- Updated
- Self-host or cloud
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Temporal Cloud, Airflow managed
Argo Workflows
Data pipelines & ETLKubernetes-native workflow engine for container jobs
- Stars
- ★ 17k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed, Temporal Cloud
Dagster
Data pipelines & ETLData asset-oriented orchestrator for analytics and ML
- Stars
- ★ 16.3k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host or cloud
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed
Cadence
Job orchestrators & durable workflowsUber's open-source durable workflow engine
- Stars
- ★ 9.5k
- Licence
- MIT
- Updated
- Self-host
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Temporal Cloud, Airflow managed
Mage
Data pipelines & ETLOpen-source notebook-style data pipeline tool
- Stars
- ★ 8.8k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host or cloud
- Commercial OK
Alternative to Airflow managed, Make
Apache Hop
Data pipelines & ETLVisual metadata-driven data engineering platform
- Stars
- ★ 1.5k
- Licence
- Apache-2.0
- Updated
- Self-host
- Commercial OK
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Format and fit filters only use details we found in each project's own documentation. A tool that isn't shown may still support it.
FAQ
Is there a free alternative to Airflow managed?
Yes. AutomationAlts lists 10 options: Apache Airflow, Apache Kafka, Kestra, Prefect, Temporal, Argo Workflows, Dagster, Cadence, Mage and Apache Hop.
Which Airflow managed alternatives are open source?
Apache Airflow (Apache-2.0), Apache Kafka (Apache-2.0), Kestra (Apache-2.0), Prefect (Apache-2.0), Temporal (MIT), Argo Workflows (Apache-2.0), Dagster (Apache-2.0), Cadence (MIT), Mage (Apache-2.0) and Apache Hop (Apache-2.0).
Which Airflow managed alternatives can I self-host?
Apache Airflow, Apache Kafka, Kestra, Prefect, Temporal, Argo Workflows, Dagster, Cadence, Mage and Apache Hop (all of them).
Related categories: Data pipelines & ETL · Job orchestrators & durable workflows
Licences differ a lot in this niche. n8n's Sustainable Use License is source-available, not OSI open source. Check each licence before you build a product on top of the code.