Kestra vs Temporal
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?
Kestra
Declarative orchestration and scheduling platform
VS
Temporal
Durable execution platform for reliable distributed workflows
| Feature | Kestra | Temporal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 27,575 | ★ 22,173 |
| First released | 2021 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | AWS Step Functions, Azure Logic Apps |
Why pick each one
Choose Kestra if…
- Strong for data orchestration
- Scalable architecture
- Open-source license
Choose Temporal if…
- Extremely reliable for long workflows
- Strong multi-language support
Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or Temporal better?
Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kestra and Temporal free and open-source?
Yes. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Temporal under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kestra and Temporal with Docker?
Kestra: yes. Temporal: yes.