FlowForge Lite 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?
FlowForge Lite
Visual flow-based automation for connecting devices and APIs
VS
Windmill
Developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Feature | FlowForge Lite | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 395 | ★ 17,474 |
| First released | 2021 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zapier, IFTTT | Zapier, Retool |
Why pick each one
Choose Windmill if…
- Great for developer automation
- Fast and scalable
- Code-first approach
Frequently asked questions
Is FlowForge Lite or Windmill better?
Neither is universally better. Windmill has the larger community, while FlowForge Lite is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are FlowForge Lite and Windmill free and open-source?
Yes. FlowForge Lite is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Windmill under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FlowForge Lite and Windmill with Docker?
FlowForge Lite: yes. Windmill: yes.