Apache OpenWhisk vs Fission

Apache OpenWhisk8.8Visit Fission8.2Visit

Higher score Apache OpenWhisk #3 in Serverless Development Frameworks 8.8/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 4 features Try Apache OpenWhisk

vs

Fission #7 in Serverless Development Frameworks 8.2/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Fission

• Apache OpenWhisk fits best

  Teams building portable event-driven functions

• Fission fits best

  Kubernetes teams needing scalable event-triggered functions

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Side by side

Feature	Apache OpenWhisk 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Fission 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.2
Ranking	#3 in Serverless Development Frameworks	#7 in Serverless Development Frameworks
Best for	Teams building portable event-driven functions	Kubernetes teams needing scalable event-triggered functions
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Open source
Free plan	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Linux, macOS, Windows
Integrations	7 integrations	7 integrations
Features Apache OpenWhisk 0/4 · Fission 0/4
Local testing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Application packaging	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Kubernetes support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment rollback	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment targets	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Supported languages	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports triggers, rules, feeds, sequences, and synchronous or asynchronous actions Offers multiple language runtimes plus custom Docker runtimes Deploys locally or on Kubernetes and includes REST API access	Supports HTTP, timer, queue, and Kubernetes event triggers. Automatically provisions and scales function pods. Offers streaming responses and Prometheus and Fluentd integration.
Cons	Requires a self-managed deployment rather than a vendor-hosted paid service Management and deployment workflows center on the CLI and YAML manifests The published product details give limited development and deployment workflow guidance	Requires teams to operate the Kubernetes infrastructure themselves. Deployment is CLI-based rather than through a hosted service. Functions use a request-based execution model.
Our verdict	Apache OpenWhisk is an open-source, distributed serverless platform for running functions in response to events or HTTP requests. Its model combines actions with triggers, rules, feeds, packages, and sequences, making it a fit for teams… Read the review →	Fission brings serverless-style functions to Kubernetes clusters that teams operate themselves. Developers can write short-lived functions, package them in language-specific runtime environments, and expose them through HTTP or event… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Apache OpenWhisk — where it wins

  • Supports triggers, rules, feeds, sequences, and synchronous or asynchronous actions
  • Offers multiple language runtimes plus custom Docker runtimes
  • Deploys locally or on Kubernetes and includes REST API access

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a self-managed deployment rather than a vendor-hosted paid service
  • Management and deployment workflows center on the CLI and YAML manifests
  • The published product details give limited development and deployment workflow guidance

• Fission — where it wins

  • Supports HTTP, timer, queue, and Kubernetes event triggers.
  • Automatically provisions and scales function pods.
  • Offers streaming responses and Prometheus and Fluentd integration.

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires teams to operate the Kubernetes infrastructure themselves.
  • Deployment is CLI-based rather than through a hosted service.
  • Functions use a request-based execution model.

• Apache OpenWhisk8.8/10 · Open source

  A portable, self-managed framework for event-driven functions, with Kubernetes and Docker support.

  Try Apache OpenWhiskFull verdict →
• Fission8.2/10 · Open source

  A self-hosted way to run event-triggered functions on Kubernetes, with automatic scaling.

  Visit FissionFull verdict →