head to head · open source
Kestra vs agent-framework
Kestra has 28,181 GitHub stars, 3,005 forks, 713 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. agent-framework has 13,604 stars, 2,344 forks, 617 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Kestra leads on adoption by 107% (28,181 vs 13,604 stars). Kestra is written in Java under Apache-2.0; agent-framework is written in Python under MIT. Kestra has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, agent-framework 17%. agent-framework was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Kestra | agent-framework | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 14K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 2.3K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Kestra if
- You weight community size — 28K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick agent-framework if
- You want the agent-framework feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and agent-framework fits your workflow better
About Kestra
Kestra is an open source, event driven orchestration platform for data, AI, and infrastructure workflows. It operates in the Java based ecosystem and is licensed under Apache 2.0. The project provides a unified interface for both scheduled and real time automation, supporting declarative workflow definitions in YAML while also offering visual and AI assisted authoring.
read the full Kestra overview →
About agent-framework
Microsoft Agent Framework is an open, MIT licensed, multi language framework for building, orchestrating and deploying production grade AI agents and multi agent workflows in Python and .NET, aimed at teams moving agents from prototype to production.
read the full agent-framework overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or agent-framework more popular?
Kestra has 28,181 GitHub stars and agent-framework has 13,604. Kestra has the larger community by that measure.
Are Kestra and agent-framework free?
Both are open source. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and agent-framework under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Kestra and agent-framework?
Kestra is written in Java and agent-framework in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Kestra or agent-framework?
Choose Kestra if you want the larger community (28,181 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose agent-framework if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.