Apache Airflow vs Trigger.dev

Comparing two open source alternatives to Zapier and Make . Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Apache Airflow

Apache-2.0

Apache Airflow is a platform to programmatically author, schedule, and monitor complex workflows. Build pipelines as code and orchestrate your data jobs with rich observability.

Visit Full details

Trigger.dev

Apache-2.0

Open-source platform for building and deploying reliable background jobs, scheduled tasks, and AI workflows in TypeScript.

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	Apache Airflow	Trigger.dev
License	Apache-2.0	Apache-2.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	46,578	16,093
Forks	17,650	1,415
Open Issues	1,913	423
Last Commit	Aug 22, 2026	Aug 21, 2026
First Released	Apr 13, 2015	Nov 30, 2022
Categories	Automation Tools	Automation Tools Developer Tools
Tags	#workflow #automation #scheduler	#automation #workflow #scheduler

GitHub stars over time

Apache Airflow46,578

Trigger.dev

Similar open source alternatives

Kestra

Event-driven workflow orchestration platform with a YAML-based pipeline DSL, 500+ plugins, and a built-in UI editor.

Alternative to:

Zapier

Sim

Sim is an open-source workspace to build, deploy, and orchestrate AI agents and agentic workflows. Visually connect LLMs, tools, and data sources without giving up control.

Alternative to:

Lindy AI

Flowise

Flowise is an open-source, visual, low-code/no-code tool designed to help users build AI agents and sophisticated LLM-powered workflows through a drag-and-drop interface. It features a Node.js backend and a React frontend, along with modular components for integrations and API documentation—making it accessible to both developers and non-technical users.

Alternative to: