# Kestra review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Open-source workflow orchestration platform defined in YAML Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. 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. - **Category:** Automation - **Made by:** Kestra (since 2021) - **Website:** https://kestra.io - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you do not write YAML or run servers. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Kestra has a free plan. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **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 https://kestra.io/pricing on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Kestra before buying. ## 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. ## Good for - Data and platform engineers who want workflows as code - Teams that must run on their own infrastructure or air-gapped - Organizations wanting an open-source start with a paid enterprise route ## 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. 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. - **Value for money: C.** The open-source edition is $0 but needs your own servers, which is a C. Cloud and Enterprise prices are not published. - **Free plan and trial: B.** Free to self-host under Apache 2.0, with unlimited flows and executions. You pay for the server. - **Features: B.** Declarative 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. - **Ease of use: D.** Flows are YAML, and self-hosting means running and upgrading it yourself. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web interface with plugins for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Terraform, dbt, Spark and Redis. No desktop or phone app. These are ToolGPA's own grades. 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. ## Where it 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). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/automation ## Keep it, 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. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on, SCIM, audit logs and 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 PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Terraform, dbt, Spark, Redis **Tags:** Workflow automation, Open source, Self-hostable, AI features, Public API ## Alternatives - [n8n](https://toolgpa.com/tools/n8n): Workflow automation and AI agents you can self-host. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kestra-vs-n8n) - [Windmill](https://toolgpa.com/tools/windmill): Open-source platform for scripts, workflows and internal apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kestra-vs-windmill) - [Camunda](https://toolgpa.com/tools/camunda): BPMN process orchestration, self-hosted or as a cloud service. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/camunda-vs-kestra) - [Trigger.dev](https://toolgpa.com/tools/trigger-dev): Open-source platform for long-running background tasks and AI agents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kestra-vs-trigger-dev) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://kestra.io/pricing - https://kestra.io - https://kestra.io/about-us - https://kestra.io/docs/installation Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/kestra Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).