Apache DolphinScheduler review (2026): is it any good?
Open-source workflow scheduler for data pipelines
Apache DolphinScheduler report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for scheduling data workflows you host yourself
Apache DolphinScheduler is an open-source workflow scheduler for data jobs, with a drag-and-drop editor, a Python SDK and a multi-master design. It's free, but you install and run it yourself, there's no hosted edition, and help comes from GitHub and mailing lists.
Who Apache DolphinScheduler is for
- Fits if your team already runs batch and data jobs on its own servers
- Works for engineers who want a scheduler with workflow dependencies and an API
Who Apache DolphinScheduler is not for
- Skip it if you don't want to host software, since there's no hosted edition
- Not for you if you need paid support, as help comes from GitHub issues and mailing lists
- Too light on hand-holding for non-technical people: it's aimed at data and batch work, not no-code app automation
- Watch out: the project's main page is a docs site, so we read little beyond the listing
Why Apache DolphinScheduler gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for money$0 under an Apache 2 licence, but it's software you host yourself, which needs a server. That puts it in the middle.
- BFree plan and trialFree software with no paid tier at all. It costs nothing but the machines you run it on.
- BFeaturesDrag-and-drop workflows, a Python SDK, an open API, versioning, many task types and multi-tenancy. The core job is covered.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. You install and operate the platform yourself.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb interface, with a Python SDK and open API, and 7 integrations.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the Apache DolphinScheduler project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. The pricing page could not be read in full when we checked, so some grades rest on the listing alone. How we review and grade.
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Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/apache-dolphinscheduler#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/apache-dolphinscheduler.svg" alt="Apache DolphinScheduler: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Apache DolphinScheduler stands among automation tools
Apache DolphinScheduler's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 90 of the 134 other automation tools we grade, and level with 23.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 100 of 134) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Apache DolphinScheduler has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 135 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Apache DolphinScheduler’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 22 of 134, level with 82
- BFree plan and trialAbove 100 of 134, level with 23
- BFeaturesAbove 86 of 134, level with 45
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 134, level with 26
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 39 of 134, level with 95
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 80 automation tools. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Apache DolphinScheduler, or make your own?
Keep it
Apache DolphinScheduler is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.4 is higher than 90 of the 134 other automation tools we grade.
What you could make
- Job scheduling: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Apache DolphinScheduler’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Apache DolphinScheduler?
Apache DolphinScheduler is an open-source data orchestration platform for building and running workflows with complex task dependencies. Workflows are drawn in a web interface or defined through a Python SDK or an open API, and it can be deployed standalone, on a cluster, in Docker or on Kubernetes.
Worth knowing
- It is self-hosted software with no hosted edition listed on the project pages, so your team installs and runs it.
- The project page is a documentation site; support comes through GitHub issues and mailing lists, not a paid plan.
- It is aimed at data and batch workflows, not at no-code app-to-app automation for non-technical users.
Key features
- Drag-and-drop workflow editor
- Workflows are created and managed in a web interface by drag and drop, with a tree view that shows how tasks depend on each other.
- Python SDK and open API
- Besides the web interface, workflows can be defined with a Python SDK or managed through the project's open API.
- Multi-master, multi-worker design
- The architecture is decentralized with several masters and workers, and the project says it scales horizontally.
- Versioning and state control
- Workflows and individual workflow instances are versioned, and runs can be paused, stopped, recovered or backfilled from the web interface.
- Built-in task types and data sources
- A range of task types ships with the product, and data sources such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, Hive and Trino can be connected.
- Multi-tenancy and permissions
- The project lists multi-tenancy and permission control by project and data source.
Apache DolphinScheduler pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Apache DolphinScheduler is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Apache 2 licensed software you host yourself. The project lists no paid plans or hosted service. |
Read from github.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Apache DolphinScheduler before you buy.
Works with
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Common questions
Does Apache DolphinScheduler have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Apache DolphinScheduler is listed for Web.
Does Apache DolphinScheduler have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Apache DolphinScheduler is listed for Web.
Is Apache DolphinScheduler open source?
Yes. Apache DolphinScheduler is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Apache DolphinScheduler have an API?
Yes. Apache DolphinScheduler offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.