Activepieces vs Skyvern
Short answer
Activepieces: Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. Skyvern: Browser automation agent that uses LLMs and computer vision to fill forms and run workflows on websites. Both are in our Workflow automation with AI category.
Choose Activepieces if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Network copyleft (AGPL)) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack).
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 Skyvern side by side
| Activepieces | Skyvern | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workflow automation with AI | Workflow automation with AI |
| What it is | Open-source Zapier alternative with AI agents, MCP and human-in-the-loop steps. | Browser automation agent that uses LLMs and computer vision to fill forms and run workflows on websites. |
| License | MIT (core) + Activepieces Enterprise License (ee directories) | AGPL-3.0 (anti-bot features only in the managed cloud) |
| License type | Open core | Network copyleft (AGPL) |
| License conditions | Everything outside packages/ee and packages/server/api/src/app/ee is MIT. Code in those directories needs a commercial license. | Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify Skyvern and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source under AGPL-3.0. Anti-bot measures are not in the open-source repository. |
| Status | Active | Active |
| GitHub stars | 25.2k | 23.3k |
| Last commit | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 24, 2026 |
| Latest release | 0.92.3-hotfix.1 | v1.0.56 |
| Minimum hardware | Not published | Not published |
| Recommended hardware | Not published | 4 GB RAM |
| RAM measured by us | 1.3 GiB idle, 2.4 GiB working (our test, v0.92.3, Oct 22, 2026) | Not tested yet |
| GPU | Not required / not stated | Not required / not stated |
| Est. server cost | from €35.99/mo (based on our test, not official) | from €19.99/mo |
| Deploy method | Docker (single container, embedded DB) | Docker Compose |
| Known gotchas | 3 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) | Not documented |
| Audit log | Paid / enterprise only | Not documented |
| RBAC | Paid / enterprise only | Not documented |
| Details | Full Activepieces guide → | Full Skyvern guide → |
Key differences
- License: 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)).
- Official hardware: Activepieces: not published. Skyvern: recommended 4 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
- Est. server cost: Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Skyvern: from €19.99/mo.
- Deploy: Activepieces: Docker (single container, embedded DB) · single container. Skyvern: Docker Compose · multi-container stack.
- GitHub stars: Activepieces: 25.2k. Skyvern: 23.3k.
- Last commit: Activepieces: Oct 23, 2026. Skyvern: Oct 24, 2026.
- Latest release: Activepieces: 0.92.3-hotfix.1 (Oct 23, 2026). Skyvern: v1.0.56 (Oct 14, 2026).
Same for both: Category: Workflow automation with AI; GPU: not required or not stated; Status: Active.
Activepieces vs Skyvern: FAQ
Activepieces or Skyvern: which should a small business choose?
Choose Activepieces if you want: fewer license conditions (Open core vs Network copyleft (AGPL)) and simpler deploy (one container vs a multi-container stack). Activepieces publishes no official RAM figure, so we cannot compare hosting cost directly.
Which is cheaper to self-host, Activepieces or Skyvern?
Activepieces: not estimated (no official RAM figure). Skyvern: from €19.99/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 Skyvern need?
Activepieces: not published. Skyvern: recommended 4 GB RAM (no separate minimum published).
What is the license difference between Activepieces and Skyvern?
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. Skyvern: AGPL-3.0 (anti-bot features only in the managed cloud) (Network copyleft (AGPL)). Free for internal and commercial use. If you modify Skyvern and let users interact with it over a network, you must offer them the modified source under AGPL-3.0. Anti-bot measures are not in the open-source repository. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Is Activepieces or Skyvern more actively maintained?
Activepieces: Active, last commit Oct 23, 2026. Skyvern: Active, last commit Oct 24, 2026. GitHub data refreshed Oct 24, 2026.
Which is easier to deploy, Activepieces or Skyvern?
Activepieces installs via Docker (single container, embedded DB) (single container); Skyvern via Docker Compose (multi-container stack). Activepieces lists 3 known gotchas and Skyvern lists 4; see each app page.
Related
- Activepieces self-hosting guide · Skyvern self-hosting guide
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- 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
- Skyvern GitHub repository: github.com/Skyvern-AI/skyvern
- Skyvern documentation: www.skyvern.com/docs/
- Skyvern license: github.com/Skyvern-AI/skyvern/blob/main/LICENSE
- Skyvern hardware requirements: www.skyvern.com/docs/reference/configuration
- Skyvern deploy instructions: www.skyvern.com/docs/developers/self-hosted/overview
- 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.