Automa vs Inngest
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Automa | Inngest |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 70 · Good | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,640 | ★ 5,879 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zapier, UiPath | Zapier, AWS Step Functions |
What are Automa and Inngest?
Automa
Automa is an open-source browser extension that automates repetitive web tasks using a visual block-based workflow builder. Workflows run locally in the browser and can be scheduled or triggered.
- Visual workflow builder
- Browser task automation
- Scheduling and triggers
- Runs locally
Inngest
Inngest is an open-source platform for building event-driven workflows and reliable background jobs. It provides durable step functions, automatic retries and a local development server, and the execution engine can be self-hosted.
- Event-driven background jobs
- Durable step functions
- Local development server
- Self-hostable execution engine
Automa vs Inngest: key differences
Automa is written in Vue, while Inngest is built with Go. Licensing differs — MIT for Automa versus Apache-2.0 for Inngest. Automa is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Inngest. Automa has the considerably larger community, at 21,640 GitHub stars versus 5,879. Inngest lists first-class Docker deployment; Automa does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Automa if…
- Visual block builder
- Runs entirely locally
- Scheduling and triggers
Watch out for
- Browser extension only
- Complex flows get fiddly
Choose Inngest if…
- Good developer experience
- Reliable step execution
Watch out for
- Some features tied to Inngest Cloud
Frequently asked questions
Is Automa or Inngest better?
Automa is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Inngest if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Automa and Inngest free and open-source?
Yes. Automa is licensed under MIT and Inngest under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automa and Inngest with Docker?
Automa: check the project docs for container support. Inngest: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Automa or Inngest?
Automa has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Inngest. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.