Kestra vs Windmill
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
Windmill
Developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Feature | Kestra | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 27,575 | ★ 17,474 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zapier, Make | Zapier, Retool |
Why pick each one
Choose Kestra if…
- Strong for data orchestration
- Scalable architecture
- Open-source license
Choose Windmill if…
- Great for developer automation
- Fast and scalable
- Code-first approach
Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or Windmill better?
Neither is universally better. Kestra has the larger community, while Windmill is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kestra and Windmill free and open-source?
Yes. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Windmill under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kestra and Windmill with Docker?
Kestra: yes. Windmill: yes.