Kestra vs Apache Airflow
A side-by-side comparison of Kestra and Apache Airflow — pricing, license, deployment, and where each tool wins.
Kestra
kestra.io
Event-driven, language-agnostic platform to create, schedule, and monitor workflows. In code. Coordinate data pipelines and tasks such as ETL and ELT.
Apache Airflow
airflow.apache.org
Platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor workflows.
| Feature | Kestra | Apache Airflow |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Model | Open-source | Open-source |
| License | CC-BY-SA-3.0 | CC-BY-SA-3.0 |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Category | Automation | Automation |
| Self-hosted | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free tier | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
Pick Kestra if…
- ✓You prefer Kestra's feature set or ecosystem fit.
Pick Apache Airflow if…
- ✓You prefer Apache Airflow's feature set or ecosystem fit.