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.
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Prefect |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 100 · Excellent | 97 · Excellent |
| 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 | ★ 46,957 | ★ 23,913 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory |
What are Apache Airflow and Prefect?
Apache Airflow
Apache Airflow is a platform to author, schedule and monitor workflows as directed acyclic graphs of tasks. It is widely used for data engineering pipelines and complex job orchestration.
- Workflows defined as Python code
- Rich scheduling and dependency management
- Extensive operator and provider ecosystem
- Web UI for monitoring DAGs
Prefect
Prefect is a workflow orchestration tool that turns Python functions into observable, schedulable pipelines. The open-source server can be self-hosted to coordinate and monitor flow runs.
- Pythonic flow and task definitions
- Dynamic, event-driven workflows
- Self-hostable orchestration server
- Rich observability dashboard
Apache Airflow vs Prefect: key differences
Both projects are written in Python. Prefect is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Apache Airflow. Apache Airflow is the more established project (first released 2015), while Prefect arrived in 2018.
Why pick each one
Choose Apache Airflow if…
- Industry standard for data pipelines
- Huge ecosystem
Watch out for
- Heavy to operate
- Steep learning curve
Choose Prefect if…
- Pleasant developer experience
- Flexible dynamic workflows
Watch out for
- Some features tied to Prefect Cloud
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.
Which is lighter on resources, Apache Airflow or Prefect?
Prefect has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Apache Airflow. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.