What is the difference between Windmill Dev and Apache Airflow?

Windmill Dev focuses on Multi-language support and is freemium, while Apache Airflow specializes in Python DAGs and is free. Both are AI Automation tools.

Is Windmill Dev or Apache Airflow better?

It depends on your needs. Windmill Dev excels at Open source, while Apache Airflow is known for Industry standard. Compare their features above to decide which fits your workflow.

Windmill Dev vs Apache Airflow

AI Automation tools comparison · Updated 2026

Choosing between Windmill Dev and Apache Airflow? Both are popular AI Automation tools. Windmill Dev starts at Freemium and focuses on Multi-language support. Apache Airflow is free to use and specializes in Python DAGs. Here's a detailed side-by-side comparison to help you decide.

At a Glance

	Windmill Dev	Apache Airflow
Category	AI Automation	AI Automation
Pricing	freemium	free
Starting Price	Freemium	Free
Best For	developer-tools, open-source, workflows	data-engineering, orchestration, open-source
Features	6 listed	6 listed

Windmill Dev

Open-source platform turning scripts into workflows, UIs, and APIs.

AI Automation freemium

Visit Windmill Dev → Alternatives

Apache Airflow

Industry-standard open-source workflow orchestration with Python-based DAGs.

AI Automation free

Visit Apache Airflow → Alternatives

Feature Comparison

Windmill Dev	Apache Airflow
✓ Multi-language support	✓ Python DAGs
✓ Auto-generated UIs	✓ Extensive provider ecosystem
✓ Flow builder	✓ Web UI dashboard
✓ Scheduler	✓ Scheduling
✓ Open source	✓ XCom data sharing
✓ Self-hostable	✓ Connection management

Pricing Comparison

Windmill Dev

freemium

Free self-hosted. Cloud free tier. Team $10/mo per user. Enterprise $40/mo per user.

Apache Airflow

free

Free and open source. Managed versions available from Astronomer, GCP Composer, and AWS MWAA.

Pros & Cons

Windmill Dev

Pros

+ Open source
+ Multi-language
+ Fast execution
+ Self-hosting option

Cons

− Small community
− Niche audience
− Limited documentation
− Newer platform

Apache Airflow

Pros

+ Industry standard
+ Massive community
+ Extensive integrations
+ Battle-tested at scale

Cons

− Complex setup
− DAGs can be verbose
− Resource heavy
− Debugging can be difficult

The Verdict

Both Windmill Dev and Apache Airflow are strong AI Automation tools. Windmill Dev stands out for Open source, making it ideal if that's your priority. Apache Airflow excels at Industry standard, which may be more important for your workflow. Price-wise, Windmill Dev is freemium while Apache Airflow is free, so budget may also factor in.