Apache Airflow vs Trigger.dev
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
Trigger.dev
Open-source background jobs and workflows for code
| Feature | Apache Airflow | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 46,409 | ★ 15,937 |
| First released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Replaces | AWS Step Functions, Azure Data Factory | Zapier |
Why pick each one
Choose Trigger.dev if…
- Code-first and developer friendly
- Reliable long-running tasks
- Good observability
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache Airflow or Trigger.dev better?
Neither is universally better. Apache Airflow has the larger community, while Trigger.dev is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Apache Airflow and Trigger.dev free and open-source?
Yes. Apache Airflow is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Trigger.dev under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache Airflow and Trigger.dev with Docker?
Apache Airflow: yes. Trigger.dev: yes.