# Kestra vs windmill

> Two self-hosted [Prefect alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/prefect), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Kestra | windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 32 in Workflow Automation | #6 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 30 053 ✓ | 18 307 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 737 ✓ | +287 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 59 | 162 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.3.45 · 27 Oct 2026 | v1.852.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Java | Rust |

## Which one should you pick?

Kestra scores 82/100 against 77/100 for windmill, so it is the safer default.

windmill ships more often: 162 stable releases in the past year, against 59 for Kestra.

Kestra is growing faster right now (+1 737 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kestra](https://selfhost.directory/project/kestra) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kestra.md)
- [windmill](https://selfhost.directory/project/windmill) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/windmill.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kestra vs prefect](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-prefect)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-windmill