Skyvern 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.
| Feature | Skyvern | Trigger.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 96 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | Automation & Workflows | Automation & Workflows |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,058 | ★ 16,387 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | UiPath, Zapier | Zapier |
What are Skyvern and Trigger.dev?
Skyvern
Skyvern automates browser-based workflows by combining large language models with computer vision, allowing it to operate on websites it has never seen before. It runs as a self-hosted service with an API.
- LLM-driven browser automation
- Works on unseen sites
- Vision-based interaction
- Workflow API
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
Skyvern vs Trigger.dev: key differences
Skyvern is written in Python, while Trigger.dev is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for Skyvern versus Apache-2.0 for Trigger.dev. Trigger.dev is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Skyvern. Trigger.dev is the more established project (first released 2022), while Skyvern arrived in 2024.
Why pick each one
Choose Skyvern if…
- Handles unseen websites
- Vision-based automation
- API-first design
Watch out for
- LLM costs add up
- Postgres required
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
Frequently asked questions
Is Skyvern or Trigger.dev better?
Neither is universally better. Skyvern has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Skyvern and Trigger.dev free and open-source?
Yes. Skyvern is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Trigger.dev under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Skyvern and Trigger.dev with Docker?
Skyvern: yes. Trigger.dev: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Skyvern or Trigger.dev?
Trigger.dev has the smaller minimum footprint at 1,024 MB of RAM, compared to about 4,096 MB for Skyvern. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.