Activepieces vs Sim
Short answer
Activepieces: Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. Sim: Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. They sit in different categories (Workflow automation with AI and AI app & agent builders) but overlap: All of them let you build multi-step workflows or agents that call LLMs and expose or connect to other systems.
Choose Activepieces if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
Choose Sim if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core).
Activepieces publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Last updated · computed from each project's official docs and live GitHub data · sources
Activepieces vs Sim side by side
| Activepieces | Sim | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workflow automation with AI | AI app & agent builders |
| What it is | Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. | Visual builder for AI agent workflows, with knowledge bases, integrations and an API. |
| License | MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) | Apache-2.0 |
| License type | Open core | Permissive |
| License conditions | Everything outside packages/ee and packages/server/api/src/app/ee is MIT. Code in those directories needs a commercial license. | Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 25.2k | 29.9k |
| Last commit | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 |
| Latest release | 0.92.3 | v0.9.31 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk |
| RAM measured by us | Not tested yet | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | Not estimated | from €69.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker (single container, embedded DB) | Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) |
| Known gotchas | 2 listed | 4 listed |
| Telemetry | On by default | On by default |
| Calls home by default | Not documented | Not documented |
| SSO (OIDC / SAML / LDAP) | Paid / enterprise only (SAML paid) | Free (OIDC free · SAML free) |
| Audit log | Paid / enterprise only | Yes, free |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | Yes, free |
| Details | Full Activepieces guide → | Full Sim guide → |
Key differences
- Category: Activepieces: Workflow automation with AI. Sim: AI app & agent builders.
- License: Activepieces: MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive).
- Official hardware: Activepieces: not published. Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
- Est. server cost: Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Sim: from €69.99/mo.
- Deploy: Activepieces: Docker (single container, embedded DB) · single container. Sim: Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: Activepieces: 25.2k. Sim: 29.9k.
- Latest release: Activepieces: 0.92.3 (Oct 12, 2026). Sim: v0.9.31 (Oct 22, 2026).
Same for both: GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active; Last commit: Oct 22, 2026.
Activepieces vs Sim: FAQ
Activepieces or Sim: which should a small business choose?
Choose Activepieces if you want: simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Choose Sim if you want: fewer license conditions (Permissive vs Open core). Activepieces publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Activepieces or Sim?
Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Sim: from €69.99/mo. Our estimate is the cheapest Hetzner Cloud plan that meets each project's official RAM and vCPU figure; it covers the server only.
How much hardware do Activepieces and Sim need?
Activepieces: not published. Sim: minimum 2 vCPU · 12 GB RAM · 20 GB disk (recommended 4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 50 GB disk).
What is the license difference between Activepieces and Sim?
Activepieces: MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) (Open core). Everything outside packages/ee and packages/server/api/src/app/ee is MIT. Code in those directories needs a commercial license. Sim: Apache-2.0 (Permissive). Permissive. Internal and commercial use allowed; keep license and notices. The built-in Chat feature is a Sim-managed service that needs a Chat API key from sim.ai. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Activepieces or Sim more actively maintained?
Activepieces: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. Sim: Active, last commit Oct 22, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 22, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Activepieces or Sim?
Activepieces installs via Docker (single container, embedded DB) (single container); Sim via Docker Compose (setup wizard or manual) (multi-container stack). Activepieces lists 2 known gotchas and Sim lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- Activepieces self-hosting guide · Sim self-hosting guide
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- All Sim alternatives, ranked
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- Activepieces vs Langflow
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- Coze Studio vs Sim
- Dify vs Sim
- Flowise vs Sim
- Langflow vs Sim
- n8n vs Sim
- Add a third app in the interactive comparison
Sources
- Activepieces GitHub repository: github.com/activepieces/activepieces
- Activepieces documentation, Activepieces hardware requirements, Activepieces deploy instructions: www.activepieces.com/docs/install/options/docker
- Activepieces license: github.com/activepieces/activepieces/blob/main/LICENSE
- Sim GitHub repository: github.com/simstudioai/sim
- Sim documentation: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting
- Sim license: github.com/simstudioai/sim/blob/main/LICENSE
- Sim hardware requirements: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting#requirements
- Sim deploy instructions: docs.sim.ai/platform/self-hosting/docker
- Hetzner Cloud pricing used for cost estimates (read 2026-10-22): www.hetzner.com/cloud/regular-performance
- GitHub REST API (stars, commits, releases): docs.github.com/en/rest
Every value is generated from the same verified data as the app pages. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.