SHSelfHostIndex

Kestra vs Trigger.dev

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 TR Trigger.dev Open-source background jobs and workflows for code
FeatureKestraTrigger.dev
Deploy effortUnder-an-hour setupUnder-an-hour setup
Health score97 · Excellent95 · Excellent
CategoryAutomation & WorkflowsAutomation & Workflows
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageJavaTypeScript
Setup difficultyHardMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB1,024 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetesdocker
GitHub stars★ 28,316★ 16,387
First released20212022
ReplacesZapier, MakeZapier

What are Kestra and Trigger.dev?

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

Read the full Kestra guide →

Trigger.dev

Trigger.dev is an open-source platform for writing long-running background jobs and workflows directly in code with no timeouts. It targets developers building reliable async tasks. It is deployed via Docker.

  • Background jobs written in code
  • No execution timeouts
  • Built-in retries and observability
  • Scheduling and webhooks

Read the full Trigger.dev guide →

Kestra vs Trigger.dev: key differences

Kestra is written in Java, while Trigger.dev is built with TypeScript.

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
Kestra details

Choose Trigger.dev if…

  • Code-first and developer friendly
  • Reliable long-running tasks
  • Good observability

Watch out for

  • Aimed at developers only
  • Requires Postgres and Redis
Trigger.dev details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kestra or Trigger.dev better?

Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community, while Trigger.dev is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Kestra and Trigger.dev free and open-source?

Yes. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Trigger.dev under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kestra and Trigger.dev with Docker?

Kestra: yes. Trigger.dev: yes.

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