Trigger.dev alternatives
Short answer
We track 4 self-hosted alternatives to Trigger.dev: n8n, Activepieces, Skyvern and Windmill.
n8n (same category): larger community (210k vs 16.7k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Activepieces (same category): larger community (25.4k vs 16.7k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Skyvern (same category): cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo).
Last updated · how we rank · sources
Trigger.dev alternatives compared
| # | App | Advantages over Trigger.dev | Est. server cost | Official hardware | License | Stars | Last commit | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Trigger.dev (this app) | Active | from €35.99/mo | minimum 3 vCPU · 6 GB RAM | Apache-2.0 | 16.7k | Oct 31, 2026 | — |
| 1 | n8n Same category | larger community (210k vs 16.7k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) Trade-off: Trigger.dev has fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Source-available) | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files | 210k | Nov 4, 2026 | Trigger.dev vs n8n |
| 2 | Activepieces Same category | larger community (25.4k vs 16.7k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) Trade-off: Trigger.dev has fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) | 25.4k | Nov 4, 2026 | Trigger.dev vs Activepieces |
| 3 | Skyvern Same category | cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo) Trade-off: Trigger.dev has fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Network copyleft (AGPL)) | from €19.99/mo | recommended 4 GB RAM (no separate minimum published) | AGPL-3.0 (anti-bot features only in the managed cloud) | 23.3k | Nov 4, 2026 | Trigger.dev vs Skyvern |
| 4 | Windmill Same category | None in our data (differs in features) Trade-off: Trigger.dev has fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core) | not estimated (no official RAM figure) | not published | AGPLv3 + Apache-2.0 clients; proprietary enterprise code; Community Edition images under Windmill terms | 18.4k | Nov 4, 2026 | Trigger.dev vs Windmill |
Ranked by the number of objective advantages each alternative has over the app (cheaper estimated server cost, lighter official RAM figure, no GPU needed, fewer license conditions, better maintenance status, at least 1.5× the GitHub stars, simpler deploy). Ties: same-category apps first, then more GitHub stars. License order used: Permissive (MIT/Apache) → Open core → Copyleft (GPL) or Custom conditions → Network copyleft (AGPL) → Source-available. Archived projects are not listed as alternatives.
What each alternative is
- n8n (Workflow automation with AI): Workflow automation with 1,500+ integrations and built-in AI agent nodes.
- Activepieces (Workflow automation with AI): Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps.
- Skyvern (Workflow automation with AI): Browser automation agent that uses LLMs and computer vision to fill forms and run workflows on websites.
- Windmill (Workflow automation with AI): Open-source developer platform for scripts, workflows, AI agents and internal apps, self-hostable.
Trigger.dev alternatives: FAQ
What is the best self-hosted alternative to Trigger.dev?
By our objective ranking: 1. n8n (larger community (210k vs 16.7k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack)) 2. Activepieces (larger community (25.4k vs 16.7k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack)) 3. Skyvern (cheaper to host (from €19.99/mo vs €35.99/mo)). "Best" depends on the features you need; the ranking only counts cost, hardware, license, maintenance, community size and deploy complexity.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Trigger.dev?
Yes, by estimated server cost: Skyvern (from €19.99/mo). Trigger.dev: from €35.99/mo.
Which Trigger.dev alternative has the most permissive license?
None has fewer conditions than Trigger.dev (Apache-2.0 (Permissive)). Alternatives: n8n: Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files (Source-available); Activepieces: MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core); Skyvern: AGPL-3.0 (anti-bot features only in the managed cloud) (Network copyleft (AGPL)); Windmill: AGPLv3 + Apache-2.0 clients; proprietary enterprise code; Community Edition images under Windmill terms (Open core). Not legal advice.
Related
Sources
- Trigger.dev GitHub repository: github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev
- Trigger.dev documentation: trigger.dev/docs/self-hosting/overview
- Trigger.dev license: github.com/triggerdotdev/trigger.dev/blob/main/LICENSE
- Trigger.dev hardware requirements, Trigger.dev deploy instructions: trigger.dev/docs/self-hosting/docker
- n8n GitHub repository: github.com/n8n-io/n8n
- Activepieces GitHub repository: github.com/activepieces/activepieces
- Skyvern GitHub repository: github.com/Skyvern-AI/skyvern
- Windmill GitHub repository: github.com/windmill-labs/windmill
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-11-01): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub stars and commits: GitHub REST API, refreshed daily