Argo Workflows vs Tekton
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted ci/cd & build options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Argo Workflows
Container-native workflow engine for Kubernetes
VS
Tekton
Cloud-native CI/CD building blocks for Kubernetes
| Feature | Argo Workflows | Tekton |
|---|---|---|
| Category | CI/CD & Build | CI/CD & Build |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | kubernetes, helm | kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,885 | ★ 9,030 |
| First released | 2017 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Airflow | Jenkins, GitHub Actions |
Why pick each one
Choose Argo Workflows if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 16.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose Tekton if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Argo Workflows or Tekton better?
Neither is universally better. Argo Workflows has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Argo Workflows and Tekton free and open-source?
Yes. Argo Workflows is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Tekton under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Argo Workflows and Tekton with Docker?
Argo Workflows: check the project docs for container support. Tekton: check the project docs for container support.