Dagu vs Kestra
Dagu
dagu.sh
Kestra
kestra.ioSide by side
| Figure | Dagu | Kestra |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $50/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Workload Automation Software | 8.3 (#11) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Deployment | Dagu runs as a single binary locally or across distributed workers and does not require an external database or message broker. | Kestra can be self-hosted with Docker or Kubernetes, and Enterprise Edition also supports cloud, on-premises and air-gapped environments. |
| Integrations | Built-in integration actions include HTTP, mail, SSH, SFTP, Git, S3, Redis, LLM, browser, computer, SQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and DuckDB. | The plugin catalog covers databases, warehouses, queues, cloud services, CI/CD and security tools, with more than 2,200 plugins advertised on the features page. |
| Scheduling | Dagu supports cron schedules with timezones, catchup windows, overlap policies, retry policies, zombie detection, lifecycle handlers, and notifications. | Scheduling supports intervals, cron expressions, condition-based schedules, event triggers, HTTP triggers, webhooks and backfills. |
| Security | Dagu's privacy policy says hosted service data is on Google Cloud Platform and uses encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and tenant isolation safeguards. | Kestra Cloud advertises SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 and GDPR status through its linked Trust Center. |
| Support | Team and Pro include standard support, Enterprise includes priority support, and support is handled directly by Dagu's maintainer. | Enterprise Edition includes a customer success program and enterprise support with an SLA. |
Plans
Kestra
- Open SourceFree
- Enterprise EditionPriced on request
- Kestra CloudPriced on request
- Kestra CloudPriced on request
In their own words
Dagu
Dagu is a self-hosted workflow engine for defining DAG workflows in YAML and managing runs, logs and retries through a built-in web interface. It runs as a single binary locally or across distributed workers, without an external database or message broker. Workflows can run shell scripts, Docker containers, SSH commands, SQL queries, HTTP requests, chat completion steps and Agent Harness steps. Scheduling supports cron timezones, catchup windows, overlap and retry policies, zombie detection, lifecycle handlers and notifications. Built-in actions cover HTTP, mail, SSH, SFTP, Git, S3, Redis, LLM, browser, computer, SQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite and DuckDB. Dagu also supports MCP connections from clients including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Zed and Cline. The project is open source under GNU GPL v3.0. Its free Community plan includes unlimited servers and workers, with up to two API keys. Team is $50 a month and Pro is $150 a month; both add SSO, role-based access, audit logging, incident routing and standard support.
Kestra
Kestra is a declarative orchestration platform for building, running, and governing workflows across an organization. Workflows, called flows, are defined in YAML and can combine tasks, dependencies, conditions, triggers, and runtime parameters. Execution controls include retries, failure policies, timeouts, concurrency limits, worker assignment, and log capture. Kestra advertises more than 2,000 plugins for connecting to external tools, with examples including Airbyte, AWS, Azure, BigQuery, dbt, Docker, GitHub, Kafka, Kubernetes, Slack, Snowflake, and Terraform. A flow can orchestrate SQL, Python, shell, APIs, Terraform, dbt, Spark, and custom tools. The platform includes an MCP server for AI agents and supports exposing flows as callable tools. Teams can self-host with Docker or Kubernetes; Enterprise Edition also supports cloud, on-premises, and air-gapped environments. Setup instructions cover macOS, Windows, and Linux, alongside web and API platforms. Kestra Cloud advertises up to two months free during team setup. The Open Source and Enterprise Edition plans have no price listed.