Kestra review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML
Black Friday: is there a Kestra sale?
Kestra report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for workflows defined in YAML
Kestra is an open-source workflow orchestrator whose flows are written in YAML, free to self-host with no limit on flows or runs. You run and upgrade it yourself, and SSO, roles and audit logs are Enterprise only.
Who Kestra is for
- Fits if you are an engineer who wants to own the orchestrator
- Works for data teams already using dbt, Spark or Kafka
Who Kestra is not for
- Skip it if you do not write YAML or run servers
- Tight if you need SSO, roles, audit logs or multi-tenancy, as those are Enterprise
- Watch out: no Cloud or Enterprise price is published
- Watch out: you run and upgrade the platform yourself
Why Kestra 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 moneyThe open-source edition is $0 but needs your own servers, which is a C. Cloud and Enterprise prices are not published.
- BFree plan and trialFree to self-host under Apache 2.0, with unlimited flows and executions. You pay for the server.
- BFeaturesDeclarative workflows, code and no-code editors, event-driven scheduling and over 2,600 plugins. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work.
- DEase of useFlows are YAML, and self-hosting means running and upgrading it yourself.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb interface with plugins for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Terraform, dbt, Spark and Redis. No desktop or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Kestra's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Kestra? Put this grade on your site
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/kestra#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/kestra.svg" alt="Kestra: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Kestra stands among automation tools
Kestra's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 40 of the 71 other automation tools we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 56 of 71) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 72 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Kestra’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 14 of 71, level with 36
- BFree plan and trialAbove 56 of 71, level with 11
- BFeaturesAbove 35 of 71, level with 33
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 71, level with 8
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 19 of 71, level with 52
Keep Kestra, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Kestra you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Kestra is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on, SCIM, audit logs and roles and permissions.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Kestra’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 Kestra?
Kestra is an orchestration platform where workflows are declared in YAML and run on a schedule, on events or through an API. It is open source under Apache 2.0 and can be self-hosted, with a managed Cloud edition and a paid Enterprise Edition that adds governance features. It lists more than 2,600 plugins and scripts in any language.
Worth knowing
- No Cloud or Enterprise price is published; Cloud is by access request and Enterprise by contact with sales.
- SSO, role-based access, audit logs and multi-tenancy are Enterprise Edition features.
- Workflows are defined in YAML, so it assumes engineering skills.
- Self-hosting means running and upgrading the platform yourself.
Key features
- Declarative workflows
- Workflows, triggers and dependencies are written as YAML, versioned in Git and deployed through CI/CD.
- Code and no-code editors
- Flows can be written in code or built in a visual editor.
- Event-driven scheduling
- Flows run on schedules, on events or through the API, with retries, backfills and failure handling.
- 2,600+ plugins
- Plugins and scripts orchestrate SQL, Python, shell, APIs, Terraform, dbt and Spark in one workflow.
- AI features
- An MCP server for AI agents is in open source; an agentic AI copilot on any LLM is an Enterprise feature.
- Enterprise governance
- Enterprise adds SSO, LDAP and SCIM, role-based access, audit logs, multi-tenancy and secrets management.
Kestra pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Kestra has a free plan.
- Starts at
- Not published
- Free plan
- The open-source edition is free to self-host, with unlimited flows and executions.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source | $0 | Self-hosted under Apache 2.0. Unlimited flows and executions, queue on PostgreSQL or MySQL. |
| Cloud | Custom | Managed by Kestra with scaling and enterprise plugins; priced by usage, access by request. |
| Enterprise Edition | Custom | Annual subscription per instance, with SSO, RBAC, audit logs, worker groups and SLA support. |
Read from kestra.io on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Kestra before you buy.
Works with
- PostgreSQL
- MySQL
- Kafka
- Terraform
- dbt
- Spark
- Redis
Kestra alternatives
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Common questions
Does Kestra have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Kestra is listed for Web.
Does Kestra have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 12, 2026. Kestra is listed for Web.
Is Kestra open source?
Yes. Kestra is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Kestra have an API?
Yes. Kestra 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 12, 2026.