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Alternatives · Automation

Astronomer alternatives

As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded Astronomer alternative is Windmill (2.6 GPA). It's also the best free one.

Astronomer compared with 5 alternatives: Apache Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, Kestra and Windmill.

Astronomer is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $0.35 per hour for a Developer deployment, plus worker hours billed separately. 4 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.

Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

Black Friday: is there a Astronomer sale?

At a glance

ToolPriceFree planRuns on
AstronomerThis toolFree trial · from $0.35Trial onlyWeb
Apache AirflowFreeFreeWeb
PrefectFree plan · from $100/moYesWeb
DagsterFree trial · from $10/moTrial onlyWeb
KestraFree planYesWeb
WindmillFree plan · from $10/moYesWeb

How each one differs from Astronomer

  1. Apache Airflow

    Open-source platform for authoring and scheduling workflows in Python

    • Apache Airflow is free.
    • Apache Airflow has a free plan, which Astronomer lacks.
    • Apache Airflow is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Apache Airflow does not cover AI agents and dashboards, which Astronomer does.

    Suits: Python-literate data teams that want full control of their orchestrator

    Apache Airflow vs AstronomerApache Airflow pricing and details

  2. Prefect

    Python workflow orchestration with an open-source core and a cloud

    • Prefect starts at $100 per month, billed monthly (Starter, 3 users).
    • Prefect has a free plan, which Astronomer lacks.
    • Prefect is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Prefect does not cover dashboards, which Astronomer does.

    Suits: Python data and ML teams moving scripts into scheduled, monitored workflows

    Prefect vs AstronomerPrefect pricing and details

  3. Dagster

    Asset-based data orchestration platform, now part of Prefect

    • Dagster starts at $10 per month plus $0.040 per credit (Solo).
    • Dagster is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Dagster does not cover AI agents, which Astronomer does.

    Suits: Data engineering teams that think in tables and models rather than tasks

    Dagster vs AstronomerDagster pricing and details

  4. Kestra

    Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML

    • Kestra has a free plan, which Astronomer lacks.
    • Kestra is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Kestra does not cover AI agents and dashboards, which Astronomer does.

    Suits: Data and platform engineers who want workflows as code

    Kestra vs AstronomerKestra pricing and details

  5. Windmill

    Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps

    • Windmill starts at $10 per seat / month (Cloud Team); self-hosted Pro from $48 / month.
    • Windmill has a free plan, which Astronomer lacks.
    • Windmill is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
    • Windmill also covers app builder.
    • Windmill does not cover dashboards, which Astronomer does.

    Suits: Engineering teams that want internal tools and automations kept as code

    Windmill vs AstronomerWindmill pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in Astronomer

  • Deployments, workers, dedicated clusters, Observe and Otto are each billed separately, so the monthly total depends on usage.
  • Prices shown are the monthly-billing view; Business and above show only a quote on the annual view.
  • Networking costs are passed through from the cloud provider.
  • Astro Private Cloud has no published price.
Astronomer pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to Astronomer?

The alternatives to Astronomer in this directory are Apache Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, Kestra and Windmill. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Astronomer.

Is there a free alternative to Astronomer?

Yes. Apache Airflow is free to use. Prefect, Kestra and Windmill have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Is there an open-source alternative to Astronomer?

Apache Airflow, Prefect, Dagster, Kestra and Windmill are described as open source on their own sites.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 6, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.

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