Alternatives / Pipedream
Looking for an open source Pipedream alternative? We compared 11 open source workflow automation and integration tools by license, code support, self-hosting, and maintenance. n8n, Activepieces, and Windmill cover general automation, while Trigger.dev, Hatchet, Nango, and Svix solve narrower developer problems.
Written by Maxime DERAME
Last updated:
| Alternative | Best for | License |
|---|---|---|
| n8n | Visual workflows with custom code | Sustainable Use License + enterprise (.ee) files |
| ActivePieces | No-code automation platform | MIT (Community Edition) |
| Windmill | Code-first workflows and internal apps | AGPL-3.0 + Apache-2.0 + proprietary parts |
| Trigger.dev | Long-running TypeScript tasks | Apache-2.0 |
| CocoIndex | Data pipelines for AI and RAG | Apache-2.0 |
| Nango | Code-first API integrations | Elastic License 2.0 |
| Automatisch | Zapier-style app connections | AGPL-3.0 (Community Edition) |
| Hatchet | Durable task orchestration | MIT |
| ACI.dev | Connect agents to hundreds of tools | Apache-2.0 |
| Svix | Customer-facing webhooks | MIT |
| Hook0 | Webhook management (SSPL) | SSPL (source available); SDKs MIT |
We looked for open-source tools that run code-friendly automations like Pipedream: triggers, app integrations, and scripts. We verified each project's license, recent activity, stars, and self-hosting in its repository, and flag licenses that restrict commercial use. See our methodology for the full criteria.
n8n is the most popular visual workflow builder with custom JavaScript or Python steps and 500+ integrations. Windmill is code-first for workflows, scripts, and internal apps in many languages, and Activepieces is a no-code, drag-and-drop automation platform.
Trigger.dev runs long TypeScript tasks and AI agents, and Hatchet offers durable orchestration for background tasks and agents. Nango handles API authentication and syncs, ACI.dev connects agents to tools, and Svix and Hook0 deliver webhooks. CocoIndex is a data-pipeline framework rather than general automation.
n8n uses the Sustainable Use License, which limits commercial redistribution. Nango is under the Elastic License 2.0. Hook0 is under the SSPL, which is source available and not OSI open source. Windmill and Activepieces have enterprise features outside their open-source core.
Activepieces Community Edition, Hatchet, and Svix are MIT. Trigger.dev, CocoIndex, and ACI.dev are Apache-2.0. Windmill and Automatisch are AGPL-3.0, Nango is Elastic License 2.0, n8n uses the Sustainable Use License, and Hook0 is SSPL.
Most had commits within days of this update. Automatisch's last commit was in February 2026, and ACI.dev's in May 2026.
Pipedream is a proprietary hosted platform where workflows and credentials run on its servers and pricing scales with credits and invocations. Open-source alternatives can run on your infrastructure, but some use fair-code or source-available licenses that restrict reselling, so check them.
n8n is a fair-code platform to build and deploy workflows and AI agents with a visual canvas plus optional JavaScript or Python code, 500+ integrations, and self-hosting as a first-class option. It uses the Sustainable Use License, which is source available rather than standard open source, and files marked .ee need an enterprise license. SSO, RBAC, and audit logs are in the on-premises enterprise path.
Pricing: Free to self-host under the license terms; cloud and enterprise plans are paid.
ActivePieces is an open-source automation platform for building no-code workflows and AI agents. The Community Edition is MIT-licensed and self-hostable via Docker; enterprise features (SSO, advanced permissions) sit behind a separate paid tier.
Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted; Cloud and enterprise features (SSO, advanced permissions) are paid.
Windmill is a self-hosted platform for turning scripts into workflows and internal apps, with a code-first approach for TypeScript, Python, Go, and more. Its source is under AGPL-3.0 and Apache-2.0, but the community edition also includes proprietary parts. It is free to use internally, while commercial redistribution or managed services need a commercial license.
Pricing: Free to use internally; commercial redistribution and enterprise features need a paid license.
Trigger.dev is an Apache-2.0 platform for long-running tasks and AI agents written in TypeScript, with retries, scheduling, and full run logs. It is usage-priced as a managed platform, and self-hosting is possible.
Pricing: Free to self-host; the managed platform is usage-based.
Automatisch is an open-source, self-hosted workflow automation tool positioned as a lightweight Zapier alternative. The Community Edition is AGPL-3.0 licensed, with enterprise-only features under a separate license.
Pricing: Community Edition free and self-hosted; paid Cloud and enterprise tiers available.
Nango is a code-first platform for building integrations with hundreds of prebuilt APIs, handling authentication and syncs. Its code is under the Elastic License 2.0, which prevents offering it as a managed service, and it can be self-hosted or used in the cloud.
Pricing: Free self-hosted core; cloud plans are paid.
CocoIndex is an Apache-2.0 Rust-core engine that keeps derived data such as embeddings and indexes up to date incrementally for AI agents and RAG. It is more of a data-pipeline framework than a general automation tool.
Pricing: Free and open source.
Hatchet is an MIT-licensed orchestration platform for running background tasks, durable workflows, and AI agents, with queues, scheduling, and observability. It is not a UI builder: it targets workflow and task execution for developers.
Pricing: Free to self-host; Hatchet Cloud is paid.
ACI.dev is an Apache-2.0 platform that connects AI agents to hundreds of tools through function calling or a unified MCP server, handling OAuth and permissions. The last commit was in May 2026.
Pricing: Free to self-host; hosted platform has paid tiers.
Svix is an MIT-licensed webhook delivery platform with retries, signed payloads, multi-tenancy, and monitoring, available as a self-hosted open-source server or a managed cloud. It delivers webhooks to your customers' endpoints and is not a general app automation tool.
Pricing: Free to self-host; the managed cloud is paid.
Hook0 is an open-source webhooks-as-a-service platform that makes it easy for online products to provide webhooks, written in Rust. Its main code is under the Server Side Public License, which is source available rather than open source, while its client SDKs are MIT. It is developed on GitLab.
Pricing: Free to self-host under the SSPL; check the website for hosted plans.
| Alternative | Type | License | Self-hosted | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n8n | Workflow automation | Sustainable Use License | Yes | General automation |
| ActivePieces | Workflow automation | MIT (Community) + ee | Yes | Non-technical teams |
| Windmill | Workflow platform | AGPL-3.0 + ee | Yes | Developers |
| Trigger.dev | Background jobs | Apache-2.0 | Yes | TypeScript teams |
| CocoIndex | Data pipelines | Apache-2.0 | Yes | AI data workflows |
| Nango | Integrations platform | Elastic License 2.0 | Yes | Product integrations |
| Automatisch | Workflow automation | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Simple automations |
| Hatchet | Task orchestration | MIT | Yes | Background tasks |
| ACI.dev | Agent tooling | Apache-2.0 | Yes | AI agents |
| Svix | Webhook delivery | MIT | Yes | Sending webhooks |
| Hook0 | Webhook delivery | SSPL | Yes | Sending webhooks |
Want visual workflows with custom code
n8n supports JavaScript or Python steps and 500+ integrations, under a fair-code license.
Want code-first scripts and workflows
Windmill runs scripts in several languages as workflows and internal apps.
Want a no-code Zapier replacement
Activepieces offers drag-and-drop automations under an MIT community edition.
Want durable background jobs
Hatchet is MIT and supports Python, TypeScript, Go, and Ruby.
Want to send webhooks to customers
Svix delivers webhooks with retries, signatures, and monitoring under MIT.