Skyvern vs Windmill
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted automation & workflows options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Windmill
Developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Feature | Skyvern | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes |
| GitHub stars | ★ 23,058 | ★ 18,022 |
| First released | 2024 | 2022 |
| Replaces | UiPath, Zapier | Zapier, Retool |
What are Skyvern and Windmill?
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
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
Skyvern vs Windmill: key differences
Skyvern is written in Python, while Windmill is built with Rust. Windmill is the lighter option, starting around 1,024 MB of RAM against 4,096 MB for Skyvern. Windmill 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 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 Skyvern or Windmill 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 Windmill free and open-source?
Yes. Skyvern is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Windmill under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Skyvern and Windmill with Docker?
Skyvern: yes. Windmill: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Skyvern or Windmill?
Windmill 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.