Apache NiFi vs FME Flow
Apache NiFi
nifi.apache.orgFME Flow
fme.safe.comSide by side
| Figure | Apache NiFi | FME Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · ETL Software | 9.0 (#4) | 7.6 (#16) |
| Deployment | NiFi runs in a JVM on a host operating system and can be installed from a downloaded ZIP archive. | FME Flow can be deployed in cloud, on-premises, hybrid, containerized, and distributed environments. |
| Integrations | The component catalog lists connectors for Kafka, AWS services, Azure services, Google Cloud, databases, HDFS, Elasticsearch, MQTT, Slack, FTP and many other systems. | Safe Software says FME offers over 1,000 application integrations, with additional community-built items available through FME Hub. |
| Purpose | NiFi automates the flow of data between systems, including cybersecurity, observability, event stream, and generative AI data pipelines. | FME Flow deploys workflows and powers solutions using automations, no-code web apps, and other tools. |
| Security | The project homepage lists HTTPS, configurable authentication, multi-tenant authorization, and encrypted communications such as TLS and SSH. | Safe Software says it is certified to ISO 27001 and has a SOC 2 Type 2 report; its security page also lists PCI DSS, GDPR, and PIPEDA. |
| Support | The project lists a users mailing list and Slack workspace for help, questions, and problem reports. | Standard one-to-one customer support is for customers with active maintenance or subscription on supported versions; stated support hours are 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Pacific, Monday through Friday, excluding recognized Canadian holidays. |
Plans
Apache NiFi
- Apache NiFiFree
- Apache NiFi self-hosted open-source distributionFree
In their own words
Apache NiFi
Apache NiFi is free, open-source software for automating data movement between systems, including cybersecurity, observability, event stream, and generative AI pipelines. Its browser-based interface lets users design, control, and monitor dataflows and receive feedback. NiFi records and indexes provenance data to track information as it passes through the system. Flow controls include guaranteed delivery, back pressure, prioritized queues, and quality-of-service settings for individual flows. Users can change dataflows while they run, applying updates to affected components without stopping the whole flow. Documented processors connect to Kafka, AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, databases, Slack, S3, and Salesforce. Security features include HTTPS, configurable authentication, multi-tenant authorization, and encrypted communications such as TLS and SSH. NiFi runs in a JVM on a host operating system and can be installed from a ZIP archive. It supports clustering and can scale down to edge devices through MiNiFi. The project lists a users mailing list and Slack workspace for questions and problem reports. Its security model assigns users responsibility for operating-system commands and custom code they configure.
FME Flow
FME Flow deploys workflows and data-powered solutions through automation, no-code web apps and related tools. It supports ETL, data replication and synchronization, with instant or event-triggered runs to keep data and applications current. Teams can create no-code web apps for workflow coordination and collaboration, and expose FME-powered services through an OpenAPI interface. Safe Software says FME offers more than 1,000 application integrations, with additional community-built options through FME Hub. Deployment can be cloud, on-premises, hybrid, containerized or distributed. FME Flow Hosted runs on Amazon Web Services, while Safe Software handles server maintenance and backups. Subscriptions include unlimited web users and system connections, with pricing tailored to each client. Listed platforms include API, iOS, Linux, self-hosted, web and Windows. Safe Software, founded in 1993 in Surrey, British Columbia, lists ISO 27001 certification, a SOC 2 Type 2 report, PCI DSS, GDPR and PIPEDA.