Apache Airflow vs Browserless
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?
Apache Airflow
Programmatically author, schedule and monitor workflows
VS
Browserless
Headless browser automation as a self-hosted service
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Browserless |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | SSPL-1.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,409 | ★ 13,562 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | Browserbase |
Why pick each one
Choose Browserless if…
- Released under the SSPL-1.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 13.6k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Airflow or Browserless better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Airflow has the larger community, while Browserless is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Airflow and Browserless free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Airflow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Browserless under SSPL-1.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Airflow and Browserless with Docker?
Apache Airflow: yes. Browserless: yes.