Activepieces vs Windmill
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Activepieces
Open-source no-code business automation
VS
Windmill
Developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Feature | Activepieces | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 24,701 | ★ 18,022 |
| First released | 2022 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | Zapier, Retool |
What are Activepieces and Windmill?
Activepieces
Activepieces is an open-source, no-code automation tool for building workflows that connect business apps. It targets teams wanting an open Zapier alternative with an accessible UI. It is deployed via Docker.
- No-code flow builder
- Growing library of pieces
- AI-assisted automation
- MIT-licensed core
Windmill
Windmill is a developer platform that turns scripts into workflows, APIs, and internal apps with scheduling and approvals. It targets engineers automating internal tooling. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL.
- Scripts in Python, TypeScript and more
- Auto-generated UIs for scripts
- Flows with branching and retries
- Fast Rust execution engine
Activepieces vs Windmill: key differences
Activepieces is written in TypeScript, while Windmill is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Activepieces versus AGPL-3.0 for Windmill. Activepieces is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Windmill.
Why pick each one
Choose Activepieces if…
- Truly open-source license
- Friendly no-code UI
- Active development
Watch out for
- Fewer integrations than n8n
- Younger project
Choose Windmill if…
- Great for developer automation
- Fast and scalable
- Code-first approach
Watch out for
- More technical than no-code tools
- Requires Postgres
Frequently asked questions
Is Activepieces or Windmill better?
Neither is universally better. Activepieces has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Activepieces and Windmill free and open-source?
Yes. Activepieces is licensed under MIT and Windmill under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Activepieces and Windmill with Docker?
Activepieces: yes. Windmill: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Activepieces or Windmill?
Activepieces has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Windmill. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.