# Apache DolphinScheduler review (2026): is it any good? > Open-source workflow scheduler for data pipelines Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Automation - **Made by:** The Apache Software Foundation - **Website:** https://dolphinscheduler.apache.org - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you don't want to host software, since there's no hosted edition. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Apache DolphinScheduler is free to use. - **Pricing model:** 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 https://github.com/apache/dolphinscheduler on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Apache DolphinScheduler before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Data engineering teams running dependent batch pipelines - Teams that want a scheduler they host on their own servers or Kubernetes - Organizations that need multi-tenant workflow management ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: C.** $0 under an Apache 2 licence, but it's software you host yourself, which needs a server. That puts it in the middle. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free software with no paid tier at all. It costs nothing but the machines you run it on. - **Features: B.** Drag-and-drop workflows, a Python SDK, an open API, versioning, many task types and multi-tenancy. The core job is covered. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. You install and operate the platform yourself. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web interface, with a Python SDK and open API, and 7 integrations. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/automation ## Keep it, 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. - You could make: Job scheduling: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with MySQL, PostgreSQL, Hive, Trino, Kubernetes, Docker, Terraform **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Workflow automation, Job scheduling, Public API ## Alternatives - [Apache Airflow](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apache-airflow): Open-source platform for authoring and scheduling workflows in Python. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apache-airflow-vs-apache-dolphinscheduler) - [Dagster](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dagster): Asset-based data orchestration platform, now part of Prefect. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apache-dolphinscheduler-vs-dagster) - [Prefect](https://toolgpa.com/tools/prefect): Python workflow orchestration with an open-source core and a cloud. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apache-dolphinscheduler-vs-prefect) - [Kestra](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kestra): Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apache-dolphinscheduler-vs-kestra) - [Argo Workflows](https://toolgpa.com/tools/argo-workflows): Open-source container-native workflow engine for Kubernetes. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apache-dolphinscheduler-vs-argo-workflows) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://github.com/apache/dolphinscheduler - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/apache/dolphinscheduler/dev/README.md - https://dolphinscheduler.apache.org Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/apache-dolphinscheduler Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).