Side by side
AWS Step Functions vs Kestra
Both stand on it orchestration software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APIWeb
Step Functions offers visual workflow design, AWS and HTTPS integrations, and execution monitoring. Its execution duration and payload limits differ by workflow and should be considered when planning a workflow.
Visit AWS Step Functions
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3
Kestra combines configurable workflow execution with a broad advertised plugin library and multiple deployment options. Teams should check which features are included in each plan, since prices are not listed.
Visit KestraThe facts
| AWS Step Functions | Kestra | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Web | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | aws.amazon.com | kestra.io |
| On it orchestration software | #5 of 28 | #1 of 28 |
AWS Step Functions: what it does well
- Visual workflow designer is included in the console.
- Integrates with over 200 AWS services.
- Distributed Map supports up to 10,000 parallel child executions.
- Execution history, CloudWatch Logs, and AWS X-Ray are available.
- Free plan is listed.
What to know first
- Task, state, or execution payloads are limited to 256 KiB.
- Express executions can run for up to five minutes.
- Standard and Express pricing is usage-based.
Kestra: what it does well
- Free plan and cloud trial of up to two months
- YAML flows support tasks, conditions and triggers
- More than 2,000 advertised plugins
- Built-in retries, timeouts and execution logs
- Self-hosted and enterprise deployment options
What to know first
- Plan prices are not listed
- Enterprise support and access controls require Enterprise Edition
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