StackStorm review (2026): is it any good?
Open-source event-driven automation for DevOps and SRE teams
StackStorm report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for event-driven automation for IT operations
StackStorm is a free, open-source automation engine where sensors watch for events, rules fire actions and workflows, and there's a web UI, ChatOps and an API. You install and run it yourself, there's no paid support, and custom sensors and actions are written in Python.
Who StackStorm is for
- Fits if your IT team wants rules that react to events and run fixes automatically
- Works for engineers comfortable writing Python sensors and actions
Who StackStorm is not for
- Skip it if you don't want to host software, since no hosted service is listed
- Not for you if you need vendor support, as help comes from community Slack, forums and GitHub
- Too light on hand-holding for non-technical teams: custom pieces are Python plugins or scripts
- Watch out: install docs cover Ubuntu and RHEL-compatible Linux, Docker and Kubernetes, not Windows or Mac
Why StackStorm 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 for open-source software, but you run it on your own machines. That puts it in the middle.
- BFree plan and trialNo paid plan; it costs only the servers you host it on.
- BFeaturesSensors, rules, workflows, packs, an audit trail, ChatOps and an API. The core job is covered.
- DEase of useNo store rating on record. You install it on Linux, Docker or Kubernetes and write Python.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb UI and Linux, with 7 integrations and an API.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the StackStorm project'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/stackstorm#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/stackstorm.svg" alt="StackStorm: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where StackStorm stands among automation tools
StackStorm'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).
StackStorm 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. StackStorm’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 StackStorm, or make your own?
Keep it
StackStorm 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 not
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: audit logs.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. StackStorm’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 StackStorm?
StackStorm is a free, open-source automation engine that connects apps, services and workflows. Sensors watch for events, rules map those events to actions or multi-step workflows, and a web UI, command-line client and REST API are provided. It is hosted as a Linux Foundation project.
Worth knowing
- It is self-hosted: the install docs cover Ubuntu and RHEL-compatible Linux, Docker and Kubernetes, and no hosted service is listed.
- The project lists no paid plan or vendor support; help comes from the community Slack, forums and GitHub.
- Custom sensors and actions are written as Python plugins or scripts, so it suits technical teams.
Key features
- Sensors and triggers
- Sensors are Python plugins that watch for events in outside systems and emit triggers, such as timers, webhooks or a monitoring alert.
- Rules
- Rules map triggers to actions or workflows, with matching criteria and a mapping from the trigger payload to the action's inputs.
- Actions and workflows
- Actions are outbound integrations such as SSH or REST calls, and workflows string several actions together with order, conditions and data passing.
- Packs and Exchange
- Packs group integrations and automations for sharing, and many are published on StackStorm Exchange.
- Audit trail
- Manual and automated action executions are recorded with their triggering context and results, and audit logs can feed tools such as Splunk and syslog.
- ChatOps, web UI and API
- The docs describe ChatOps support, a web UI, a CLI client, a REST API and Python client bindings.
StackStorm pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, StackStorm is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Open source | $0 | Free software you install and run yourself. The project's pages list no paid plans. |
Read from stackstorm.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with StackStorm before you buy.
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Common questions
Does StackStorm have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. StackStorm is listed for Web and Linux.
Does StackStorm have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. StackStorm is listed for Web and Linux.
Is StackStorm open source?
Yes. StackStorm is open source, according to its own site. It can also be run on a server of your own.
Does StackStorm have an API?
Yes. StackStorm 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.