Windmill vs Temporal

Side-by-side — pricing, strengths, tradeoffs, and fit.

Windmill

Open-source developer platform turning scripts into workflows and internal apps.

Temporal

Durable execution platform for reliable, long-running workflows in code.

At a glance

Open SourceFree TierEnterprise
● Established·From $0 self-hosted
Open SourceFree TierEnterprise
● Established·From $0 self-hosted

Overview

One-liner

Open-source developer platform turning scripts into workflows and internal apps.

One-liner

Durable execution platform for reliable, long-running workflows in code.

Maturity

Established

Maturity

Established

Open source

✓ Yes

Open source

✓ Yes

Pricing

Free tier

✓ Available

Self-hosted free; cloud has paid plans

Free tier

✓ Available

Self-hosted free; Temporal Cloud has usage pricing

Starts at

$0 self-hosted

Starts at

$0 self-hosted

Model

Usage-based

Model

Usage-based

Enterprise

✓ Available

Enterprise

✓ Available

Best for

✓ Best for

Script-based workflows and internal toolsTurn code into flows and UIs
Self-hosted automation platformOwn your execution engine

✓ Best for

Long-running, mission-critical workflowsDurable execution with guaranteed recovery
Complex orchestration in codeReliable distributed workflows

Not ideal for

✕ Not for

—

✕ Not for

—

Strengths

↑ Strengths

Scripts → workflows + UIs
Open source and fast
Flexible (jobs, crons, apps)

↑ Strengths

Durable, fault-tolerant workflows
Write workflows as code
Battle-tested at scale

Weaknesses

↓ Weaknesses

Self-hosting ops
Broad scope to learn

↓ Weaknesses

Operationally complex
Steeper learning curve
Full Windmill profile →Full Temporal profile →
Windmill vs Temporal | AI Navigator