Free Apache Airflow alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

6 of the 8 Apache Airflow alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Prefect, Dagster and Argo Workflows rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Prefect	Open source	$100/month	Yes	Web, Linux, macOS +2	5 of 5	68.8
2	Dagster	Open source	$10/month plus credits	Yes	Web, Linux, macOS +2	5 of 5	64.8
3	Argo Workflows	Open source	—	Yes	Self-hosted	4 of 4	57.5
4	Windmill	Open source	—	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	4 of 4	51.2
5	Flyte	Open source	—	Yes	Self-hosted	4 of 4	42.3
6	Temporal	Open source	$50 per million actions	No	Web, Self-hosted	5 of 5	42.3

1. PrefectTop pick
Best for: Python teams who want orchestration without rewriting code into a separate DAG framework
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Turns ordinary Python functions into workflows with one decorator, with a free hosted tier to skip running servers.
Pros
Plain Python with a decorator, little new to learn
Free hosted Hobby tier and a self-hostable open source server
Runs on your own compute, Kubernetes or serverless
Cons
Free cloud tier is limited to 2 users and 5 deployments
Smaller integration ecosystem than Airflow
Paid plans jump quickly from a flat fee to per-user pricing
Visit Prefect Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Prefect a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 2, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan
Hobby, free forever
Checked Nov 8, 2026prefect.io(opens source in a new tab)
Free plan limits
2 users, 5 deployments
Checked Nov 8, 2026prefect.io(opens source in a new tab)
Starter plan
$100/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026prefect.io(opens source in a new tab)
Team plan
$100 per user/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026prefect.io(opens source in a new tab)
2. Dagster
Best for: Data platform teams who want lineage, data quality and orchestration in one tool
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows, Self-hosted
64.8
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Asset-centric orchestration with built-in lineage and better local testing for data platform teams.
Pros
Asset-based model makes lineage and freshness visible
Strong local development and testing workflow
Close dbt integration
Hybrid deployment keeps data in your own cloud
Cons
Asset-centric model takes time to learn if you think in tasks
Managed plans add usage-based credits on top of the monthly fee
No free hosted tier beyond the trial
Visit Dagster Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.387
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Dagster a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Solo plan
$10/month plus credits
Checked Nov 8, 2026dagster.io(opens source in a new tab)
Starter plan
$100/month plus credits
Checked Nov 8, 2026dagster.io(opens source in a new tab)
Free trial
30 days
Checked Nov 8, 2026dagster.io(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026dagster.io(opens source in a new tab)
3. Argo Workflows
Best for: Platform teams already on Kubernetes who want container-native batch and ML pipelines.
Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted
57.5
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Kubernetes-native workflow engine where each step runs as a container, a fit for teams already running everything on K8s.
Pros
Free, Apache 2.0 licensed CNCF project
Any language works, since each step is a container
Handles large parallel jobs on Kubernetes
Python users can define workflows with Hera
Cons
Requires a Kubernetes cluster
YAML definitions get verbose for data engineers used to Python
No hosted version from the project itself
Visit Argo Workflows Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.363
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Argo Workflows a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 3, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Runs on
Kubernetes
Checked Nov 8, 2026argoproj.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
Workflow model
DAG or step-based
Checked Nov 8, 2026argoproj.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
Implementation
Kubernetes CRD
Checked Nov 8, 2026argoproj.github.io(opens source in a new tab)
4. Windmill
Best for: Engineering teams that want scripts, workflows and internal UIs in one self-hosted platform
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
51.2
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Open source scripts, flows and internal UIs in one self-hosted tool, with a lighter setup than Airflow.
Pros
Scripts, workflows and apps in one place
Supports many languages including Python and TypeScript
Free self-hosted edition with unlimited executions
Cons
Built for developers, not business users
App builder is less polished than Retool's
Enterprise features need a paid licence
Visit Windmill Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.341
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Windmill a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Community edition
Free, unlimited executions
Checked Nov 8, 2026windmill.dev(opens source in a new tab)
Script languages
Python, TypeScript, Go, PHP, Bash, SQL
Checked Nov 8, 2026windmill.dev(opens source in a new tab)
Free guests
100 per 30 days
Checked Nov 8, 2026windmill.dev(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026windmill.dev(opens source in a new tab)
5. Flyte
Best for: ML and data teams on Kubernetes who want typed, reproducible Python pipelines.
Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Typed Python tasks with caching and resumable runs, built for ML pipelines on Kubernetes.
Pros
Free and Apache 2.0 licensed
Typed task inputs and outputs catch errors early
Caching and retries resume from the failed step
Managed option through Union.ai
Cons
Needs a Kubernetes cluster for production use
Flyte 2 changes the SDK, so Flyte 1 code needs migrating
Smaller community than Airflow
Visit Flyte Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Flyte a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 5, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Governance
Linux Foundation AI & Data
Checked Nov 8, 2026flyte.org(opens source in a new tab)
SDK languages
Python, TypeScript, Rust, Go
Checked Nov 8, 2026flyte.org(opens source in a new tab)
Managed version
Union.ai
Checked Nov 8, 2026flyte.org(opens source in a new tab)
6. Temporal
Best for: Engineering teams building business-critical, long-running processes in several languages
Open sourceWeb, Self-hosted
42.3
score / 100
Why switch from Apache Airflow
Durable execution for application workflows that need retries and long waits, not just scheduled DAGs.
Pros
MIT-licensed server you can run anywhere
Official SDKs for eight languages
Handles retries, timers and long waits without custom state machines
Detailed per-workflow event history for debugging
Cons
Steep learning curve, including rules about deterministic workflow code
You still run and scale your own worker processes
Self-hosting the cluster and its database is a significant ops job
Visit Temporal Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.312
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Temporal a good Apache Airflow alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
License
MIT
Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free credits
$150 for 90 days
Checked Nov 8, 2026temporal.io(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$50 per million actions
Checked Nov 8, 2026temporal.io(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026temporal.io(opens source in a new tab)
SDK languages
Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, .NET, PHP, Ruby, Rust
Checked Nov 8, 2026temporal.io(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. PrefectTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Dagster

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Argo Workflows

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. Windmill

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. Flyte

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

6. Temporal

Pros

Cons

Verified facts