Automa vs Kestra
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?
Automa
Browser automation via drag-and-drop visual workflows
VS
Kestra
Declarative orchestration and scheduling platform
| Feature | Automa | Kestra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Vue | Java |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,543 | ★ 27,575 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Zapier, UiPath | Zapier, Make |
Why pick each one
Choose Automa if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 21.5k GitHub stars
- Written in Vue
Choose Kestra if…
- Strong for data orchestration
- Scalable architecture
- Open-source license
Frequently asked questions
Is Automa or Kestra better?
Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community, while Automa is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Automa and Kestra free and open-source?
Yes. Automa is licensed under MIT and Kestra under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Automa and Kestra with Docker?
Automa: check the project docs for container support. Kestra: yes.