Apache AirflowvsOrca
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Apache Airflow | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 91/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 32 in Workflow Automation | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 47 293 | 108 446 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +336 | +8 539 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 15 |
| Latest release | providers-ydb/2.6.1 · 13 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Python | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Orca scores 91/100 against 84/100 for Apache Airflow, so it is the safer default.
Orca ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for Apache Airflow.
If you want the quickest setup, Orca is easier to run; Apache Airflow needs more configuration.
Orca is growing faster right now (+8 539 stars in 30 days).
Apache Airflow details →Orca details →