Node-RED vs Windmill
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Node-RED
Flow-based programming for event-driven apps
VS
Windmill
Developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Feature | Node-RED | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| 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 | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,682 | ★ 18,022 |
| First released | 2013 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Zapier | Zapier, Retool |
What are Node-RED and Windmill?
Node-RED
Node-RED is a flow-based development tool for wiring together hardware, APIs, and online services with a browser editor. It targets makers and integrators, especially in IoT. It is deployed via Docker or npm.
- Browser-based flow editor
- Thousands of community nodes
- Strong IoT and MQTT support
- Lightweight runtime
Windmill
Windmill is a developer platform that turns scripts into workflows, APIs, and internal apps with scheduling and approvals. It targets engineers automating internal tooling. It is deployed via Docker with PostgreSQL.
- Scripts in Python, TypeScript and more
- Auto-generated UIs for scripts
- Flows with branching and retries
- Fast Rust execution engine
Node-RED vs Windmill: key differences
Node-RED is written in JavaScript, while Windmill is built with Rust. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Node-RED versus AGPL-3.0 for Windmill. Node-RED is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Windmill. Node-RED is the more established project (first released 2013), while Windmill arrived in 2022.
Why pick each one
Choose Node-RED if…
- Great for IoT automation
- Large node library
- Easy to learn
Watch out for
- Complex flows get tangled
- Not aimed at business SaaS
Choose Windmill if…
- Great for developer automation
- Fast and scalable
- Code-first approach
Watch out for
- More technical than no-code tools
- Requires Postgres
Frequently asked questions
Is Node-RED or Windmill better?
Node-RED is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Windmill if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Node-RED and Windmill free and open-source?
Yes. Node-RED is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Windmill under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Node-RED and Windmill with Docker?
Node-RED: yes. Windmill: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Node-RED or Windmill?
Node-RED has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Windmill. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.