SelfHostMap

Windmill alternatives

Short answer

We track 3 self-hosted alternatives to Windmill: n8n, Activepieces and Skyvern.

n8n (same category): larger community (208k vs 18.3k GitHub stars) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).

Activepieces (same category): simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).

Skyvern (same category): no objective advantage over Windmill in our data; it differs in features.

Last updated · how we rank · sources

Windmill alternatives compared

Self-hosted alternatives to Windmill, ranked
#AppAdvantages over WindmillEst. server costOfficial hardwareLicenseStarsLast commitCompare
—Windmill (this app)Activenot estimated (no official RAM figure)not publishedAGPLv3 + Apache-2.0 clients; proprietary enterprise code; Community Edition images under Windmill terms18.3kOct 24, 2026—
1 n8n
Same category		 larger community (208k vs 18.3k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack)
Trade-off: Windmill has fewer license conditions (Open core vs Source-available)		 not estimated (no official RAM figure) not published Sustainable Use License (fair-code) + n8n Enterprise License for .ee files 208k Oct 23, 2026 Windmill vs n8n
2 Activepieces
Same category		 simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack) not estimated (no official RAM figure) not published MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) 25.2k Oct 23, 2026 Windmill vs Activepieces
3 Skyvern
Same category		 None in our data (differs in features)
Trade-off: Windmill has fewer license conditions (Open core 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 Oct 24, 2026 Windmill vs Skyvern

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 alternatives: FAQ

What is the best self-hosted alternative to Windmill?

By our objective ranking: 1. n8n (larger community (208k vs 18.3k GitHub stars); simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack)) 2. Activepieces (simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack)) 3. Skyvern. "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 Windmill?

Not by our estimate. Windmill: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Alternatives: n8n (not estimated (no official RAM figure)), Activepieces (not estimated (no official RAM figure)), Skyvern (from €19.99/mo).

Which Windmill alternative has the most permissive license?

None has fewer conditions than Windmill (AGPLv3 + Apache-2.0 clients; proprietary enterprise code; Community Edition images under Windmill terms (Open core)). 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)). Not legal advice.

Related

Sources