# Apache Airflow vs apache-nifi

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Apache Airflow | apache-nifi |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 32 in Workflow Automation | #1 of 8 in Data Pipeline |
| GitHub stars | 47 301 ✓ | 6 277 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +344 ✓ | +35 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | providers-ydb/2.6.1 · 13 Oct 2026 ✓ | rel/nifi-2.12.0 · 13 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Java |

## Which one should you pick?

Apache Airflow scores 84/100 against 73/100 for apache-nifi, so it is the safer default.

Apache Airflow ships more often: 7 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for apache-nifi.

Apache Airflow is growing faster right now (+344 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Apache Airflow](https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-airflow) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-airflow.md)
- [apache-nifi](https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-nifi) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apache-nifi.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/apache-airflow-vs-apache-nifi