Prefect review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Python workflow orchestration with an open-source core and a cloud
Black Friday: is there a Prefect sale?
Prefect report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for Python teams scheduling and tracking workflows
Prefect turns an ordinary Python function into a scheduled, retried and tracked workflow, on an open-source server or on Prefect Cloud. The free Hobby plan stops at 2 users and 5 deployments, the cheapest Team bill is $400 a month, and it needs people who write Python.
Who Prefect is for
- Fits if you write Python and want scheduling, retries and run history
- Makes sense if you want an open-source core you can self-host
Who Prefect is not for
- Not for you if you don't write code, as workflows are Python functions
- Tight if you grow past Hobby: 2 users, 5 deployments and 7 days of run history
- Pricey if you need Team: it starts at 4 users at $100 each, so $400 a month
- Watch out: SSO, SCIM, RBAC and an uptime SLA are Enterprise only
- Watch out: there is no free trial of paid plans, the Hobby plan stands in for it
Why Prefect 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 version is free to host yourself, which needs a server. Paid Cloud starts at $100 a month for 3 users, against a $19.99 middle for automation tools.
- BFree plan and trialA free Hobby plan: 2 users, 5 deployments, 500 minutes a month of serverless compute and 7 days of run retention. One person can live on that.
- BFeaturesFlows, scheduling, remote runs, managed compute, alerting and automations. SSO, SCIM and an SLA are Enterprise only, which the listing treats as plan gating.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. You write Python and set up work pools, or self-host the server.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, an API and integrations with AWS, Databricks, dbt, Docker, Kubernetes, Slack, Snowflake and GitHub. No desktop or phone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Prefect's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/prefect#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/prefect.svg" alt="Prefect: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Prefect stands among automation tools
Prefect'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).
Its paid plans start at $100 a month, against a middle price of $22.17 for the category: 54 of the 65 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 18 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 135 automation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Prefect’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 Prefect, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Prefect 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.
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. It costs $1,200 a year. Prefect 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.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: SOC 2 and HIPAA.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Prefect’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 Prefect?
Prefect is a workflow orchestration framework for Python. A decorator turns an ordinary function into a flow with retries, scheduling and run tracking, and the same code runs on the open-source server or on Prefect Cloud. The cloud adds hosted compute, alerting, service accounts and governance features across four plans.
Worth knowing
- The Hobby plan stops at 2 users, 5 deployments and 7 days of run retention.
- Team starts at 4 users at $100 per user per month, so the cheapest Team bill is $400 a month.
- SSO, SCIM, object-level RBAC and an uptime SLA are Enterprise-only; Starter and Team have no SLA.
- The pricing page says it offers no free trial of paid plans; the Hobby plan serves that purpose.
Key features
- Flows from plain Python
- Adding a decorator to a Python function makes it a flow with retries, state tracking and artifacts, without a separate DAG definition language.
- Scheduling and deployments
- Flows are packaged as deployments that can be scheduled, triggered by webhooks or events, and run remotely on work pools you configure.
- Prefect Serverless
- Managed compute run by Prefect, so flows can run without hosting your own infrastructure. Each paid plan includes a monthly allowance of it.
- Observability and automations
- Run logs, alerting and event-driven automations that send notifications or trigger runs when something in a workflow changes state.
- Open-source core
- The orchestration framework is open source and can be self-hosted; Prefect Cloud is the hosted version with more governance and scale features.
- Security and compliance
- Prefect states SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR alignment, with hybrid and VPC deployment options on higher plans.
Prefect pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Prefect has a free plan, and paid plans start at $100 per month, billed monthly (Starter, 3 users).
- Starts at
- $100 per month, billed monthly (Starter, 3 users)
- Free plan
- Hobby plan: 2 users, up to 5 deployments, 500 minutes a month of Prefect Serverless and 7 days of run retention.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby | $0 | 2 users, 5 deployments, 500 min/mo of Prefect Serverless, logging and alerting, 7-day run retention. |
| Starter | $100per month for up to 3 users, billed monthly | 20 deployments, 75 hours/mo of Prefect Serverless, bring your own compute, webhooks and 1,250 API requests/min. |
| Team | $100per user / month, for 4 to 8 users, billed monthly | 100 deployments, 225 hours/mo of Prefect Serverless, service accounts, 24-hour audit log, email support. |
| Enterprise | Custom | SSO (SAML/OIDC), RBAC and ACLs, SCIM, multiple workspaces, unlimited deployments and a 99.9% uptime SLA. Annual billing; sold through sales. |
Read from prefect.io on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Prefect before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- StartupsPrefect Startup Program
The pricing page says eligible startups get credits toward the Team plan through the Prefect Startup Program; qualification is by application.
Stated on prefect.io
Works with
Prefect alternatives
- Prefect vs Dagster
Free trial · from $10/mo
- Prefect vs Kestra
Free plan
- Prefect vs Windmill
Free plan · from $10/mo
- Prefect vs Astronomer
Free trial · from $0.35
Common questions
Does Prefect have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Prefect is listed for Web.
Does Prefect have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Prefect is listed for Web.
Is Prefect open source?
Yes. Prefect is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does Prefect have an API?
Yes. Prefect 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.