Apache DolphinScheduler vs Argo Workflows
Apache DolphinScheduler
dolphinscheduler.apache.orgArgo Workflows
argoproj.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Apache DolphinScheduler | Argo Workflows |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Workload Automation Software | 8.9 (#3) | 8.6 (#5) |
| Spec score · Workflow Orchestration Software | 8.9 (#5) | 8.6 (#9) |
| Deployment | The maker documents standalone, cluster, and Kubernetes deployment; standalone is intended for quick evaluation rather than production. | Argo Workflows is cloud agnostic and can run on any Kubernetes cluster. |
| Scheduling | Workflows support cross-project and cross-workflow dependencies, pause and resume operations, and batch backfills in serial or parallel mode. | Cron-based scheduled workflows are supported. |
| Support | The homepage directs users to documentation, quick starts, and a community mailing list for updates. | The project directs users with questions to GitHub Discussions and Slack and describes monthly community meetings. |
| Workflow design | Users can create workflows with a drag-and-drop interface or define them with Python, YAML, or the Open API. | Workflows can be modeled as task sequences or directed acyclic graphs, with each step defined as a container. |
Plans
Apache DolphinScheduler
- Apache DolphinSchedulerFree
- Open sourceFree
In their own words
Apache DolphinScheduler
Apache DolphinScheduler is a free, open-source workflow orchestration platform for designing and running data workflows through visual directed-acyclic-graph interfaces or code. Workflows can be built with drag-and-drop tools or defined in Python, YAML, or the Open API. The project lists more than 30 task types, including Shell, SQL, Spark, Flink, Hive, Kubernetes, and HTTP. Scheduling supports cross-project and cross-workflow dependencies, pause and resume operations, and serial or parallel batch backfills. A decentralized multi-master, multi-worker design is described as increasing scheduling capacity with cluster size. Deployment options are standalone, cluster, and Kubernetes. Standalone is for evaluation, recommended for fewer than 20 workflows, and its in-memory H2 database is cleared when the service stops or restarts. Authentication includes password, LDAP, Casdoor SSO, and OAuth2, with administrator-managed resource controls. The security model assumes a trusted network.
Argo Workflows
Argo Workflows is a free, open-source engine for orchestrating container-based jobs on Kubernetes. Workflows can be arranged as sequential steps or as tasks linked in a directed acyclic graph, with each step running in a container. The project lists machine learning pipelines, data and batch processing, infrastructure automation, and CI/CD as use cases. Controls include loops, conditionals, retries, timeouts, suspension and resumption, cancellation, and limits on parallel work. Cron scheduling, workflow archiving, a UI for viewing and managing runs, and Prometheus metrics are included. Artifact support covers S3, Artifactory, Alibaba Cloud OSS, Azure Blob Storage, HTTP, Git, GCS, raw artifacts, and plugins. The server provides REST API support over HTTP and gRPC, with client libraries for Java, Go, Python, and TypeScript. Argo Workflows is self-hosted and can run on any Kubernetes cluster. Its listed plan costs nothing, and the official pages list no paid plans or usage limits. Administrators should configure transport security, authentication, roles, and permissions; workflow pods run as root by default unless their security context is set.