Kestra vs Skyvern
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kestra
Declarative orchestration and scheduling platform
VS
Skyvern
Automate browser workflows with LLMs and computer vision
| Feature | Kestra | Skyvern |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 96 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 4,096 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,316 | ★ 23,058 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | UiPath, Zapier |
What are Kestra and Skyvern?
Kestra
Kestra is an event-driven orchestration platform for building and scheduling data and automation workflows declared in YAML. It targets data engineers and platform teams. It is deployed via Docker.
- Declarative YAML workflows
- Event-driven and scheduled runs
- Rich plugin ecosystem
- Built-in UI and API
Skyvern
Skyvern automates browser-based workflows by combining large language models with computer vision, allowing it to operate on websites it has never seen before. It runs as a self-hosted service with an API.
- LLM-driven browser automation
- Works on unseen sites
- Vision-based interaction
- Workflow API
Kestra vs Skyvern: key differences
Kestra is written in Java, while Skyvern is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Kestra versus AGPL-3.0 for Skyvern. Kestra is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Skyvern. Kestra is the more established project (first released 2021), while Skyvern arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Kestra if…
- Strong for data orchestration
- Scalable architecture
- Open-source license
Watch out for
- Steeper learning curve
- Heavier resource needs
Choose Skyvern if…
- Handles unseen websites
- Vision-based automation
- API-first design
Watch out for
- LLM costs add up
- Postgres required
Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or Skyvern better?
Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community, while Skyvern is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kestra and Skyvern free and open-source?
Yes. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Skyvern under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kestra and Skyvern with Docker?
Kestra: yes. Skyvern: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kestra or Skyvern?
Kestra has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Skyvern. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.