Apache Airflow vs Inngest
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
Inngest
Event-driven workflow and background job platform
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Inngest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,409 | ★ 5,701 |
| First released | 2015 | 2021 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | Zapier, AWS Step Functions |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Airflow or Inngest better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Airflow has the larger community, while Inngest is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Airflow and Inngest free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Airflow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Inngest under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Airflow and Inngest with Docker?
Apache Airflow: yes. Inngest: yes.