Activepieces vs Kestra
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Activepieces
Open-source no-code business automation
VS
Kestra
Declarative orchestration and scheduling platform
| Feature | Activepieces | Kestra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,620 | ★ 27,575 |
| First released | 2022 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | Zapier, Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Activepieces if…
- Truly open-source license
- Friendly no-code UI
- Active development
Choose Kestra if…
- Strong for data orchestration
- Scalable architecture
- Open-source license
Frequently asked questions
Is Activepieces or Kestra better?
Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community, while Activepieces is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Activepieces and Kestra free and open-source?
Yes. Activepieces is licensed under MIT and Kestra under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Activepieces and Kestra with Docker?
Activepieces: yes. Kestra: yes.