Apache OpenWhisk vs OpenFaaS

Apache OpenWhisk8.8Visit OpenFaaS8.4Visit

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

vs

OpenFaaS #6 in Serverless Development Frameworks 8.4/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit OpenFaaS

• Apache OpenWhisk fits best

  Teams building portable event-driven functions

• OpenFaaS fits best

  Teams deploying containerized functions on Kubernetes

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Side by side

Feature	Apache OpenWhisk 8.8/10 Visit ↗	OpenFaaS 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.4
Ranking	#3 in Serverless Development Frameworks	#6 in Serverless Development Frameworks
Best for	Teams building portable event-driven functions	Teams deploying containerized functions on Kubernetes
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Open source	$1,250/mo
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Desktop, Self-hosted	Cloud, Desktop, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, macOS, Windows	Web, Linux
Integrations	7 integrations	11 integrations
Features Apache OpenWhisk 0/4 · OpenFaaS 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	Deploy to Kubernetes, K3s, OpenShift, or a single host with faasd Supports event connectors including Kafka, RabbitMQ, and PostgreSQL Offers language templates plus custom container images and runtimes
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	Community Edition limits deployments to 15 functions and one namespace Private function registries and scale-to-zero require a paid plan Standard starts at $1,250 per month
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 →	OpenFaaS is a self-hosted serverless platform for teams deploying event-driven functions and microservices as OCI container images. It targets Kubernetes, K3s, OpenShift, and single-host deployments with faasd, and is designed for cloud,… 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

• OpenFaaS — where it wins

  • Deploy to Kubernetes, K3s, OpenShift, or a single host with faasd
  • Supports event connectors including Kafka, RabbitMQ, and PostgreSQL
  • Offers language templates plus custom container images and runtimes

  Where it doesn't

  • Community Edition limits deployments to 15 functions and one namespace
  • Private function registries and scale-to-zero require a paid plan
  • Standard starts at $1,250 per month

• Apache OpenWhisk8.8/10 · Open source

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

  Try Apache OpenWhiskFull verdict →
• OpenFaaS8.4/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A self-hosted, container-based serverless platform with broad Kubernetes targets and paid scale-to-zero.

  Visit OpenFaaSFull verdict →