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Head-to-head · Workflow Orchestration Software

Apache Airflow vs Apache DolphinScheduler

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Apache Airflow #2 in Workflow Orchestration Software 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Apache Airflow
Apache DolphinScheduler #6 in Workflow Orchestration Software 8.9/10 Open source ✓ 2 of 5 features Visit site

Apache Airflow leads on 0 checks, Apache DolphinScheduler on 1, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreApache Airflow · 9.2/10
  • Free planonly Apache Airflow
  • Most featuresApache Airflow · 4 of 5

Apache Airflow scores higher on our rubric for workflow orchestration software: 9.2 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #6.

Apache DolphinScheduler offers visual workflow builder; Apache Airflow doesn't.

Apache Airflow is the better fit for mature open-source data workflows. Apache DolphinScheduler is the better fit for open-source visual DAG orchestration.

  • Apache Airflow fits best

    Mature open-source data workflows

  • Apache DolphinScheduler fits best

    Open-source visual DAG orchestration

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Side by side

Feature Apache Airflow 9.2/10 Visit ↗ Apache DolphinScheduler 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.2 8.9
Ranking #2 in Workflow Orchestration Software #6 in Workflow Orchestration Software
Best for Mature open-source data workflows Open-source visual DAG orchestration
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Apache Airflow 4/5 · Apache DolphinScheduler 2/5
Visual workflow builder — ✓ (best)
Event triggers ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Automatic retries ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Execution observability ✓ ✓
Human approvals ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model Self-hosted Self-hosted
Our review
Pros
  • Python-based DAG authoring with dependencies and scheduling
  • Event-driven execution, retries, monitoring, and execution logs
  • Human approvals, provider packages, and REST API access
  • Visual drag-and-drop DAG creation with complex dependencies
  • Backfills, recovery, reruns, versioning, and instance history
  • Broad integrations across data, infrastructure, and ML tools
Cons
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the environment
  • No visual workflow builder for drag-and-drop authoring
  • Python-based authoring may not suit teams avoiding code-defined workflows
  • Self-managed deployment requires infrastructure ownership
  • No hosted SaaS deployment model is provided
  • Operational scope may exceed simple scheduling needs
Our verdict

Apache Airflow is an open-source workflow orchestration platform for teams that define and operate data pipelines, machine-learning workflows, infrastructure automation, and other batch-oriented processes. Workflows are authored in Python…

Read the review →

Apache DolphinScheduler is an open-source workflow orchestration platform for organizations building and operating data pipelines. Its web interface supports visual drag-and-drop DAG creation, while the Python SDK and Open API support…

Read the review →
  1. Apache AirflowWorkflow Orchestration Software 9.2Free plan
  2. Apache DolphinSchedulerWorkflow Orchestration Software 8.9Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Apache Airflow — where it wins

    • Python-based DAG authoring with dependencies and scheduling
    • Event-driven execution, retries, monitoring, and execution logs
    • Human approvals, provider packages, and REST API access

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to manage the environment
    • No visual workflow builder for drag-and-drop authoring
    • Python-based authoring may not suit teams avoiding code-defined workflows

  • Apache DolphinScheduler — where it wins

    • Visual drag-and-drop DAG creation with complex dependencies
    • Backfills, recovery, reruns, versioning, and instance history
    • Broad integrations across data, infrastructure, and ML tools

    Where it doesn't

    • Self-managed deployment requires infrastructure ownership
    • No hosted SaaS deployment model is provided
    • Operational scope may exceed simple scheduling needs

More comparisons

All workflow orchestration software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update