Apache Airflow vs Prefect
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
Prefect
Modern workflow orchestration for data and Python pipelines
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Prefect |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,409 | ★ 23,573 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory |
Why pick each one
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Airflow or Prefect better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Airflow has the larger community, while Prefect is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Airflow and Prefect free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Airflow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Prefect under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Airflow and Prefect with Docker?
Apache Airflow: yes. Prefect: yes.