head to head · open source
cakephp vs WorkFlow-Engine
cakephp has 8,789 GitHub stars, 3,352 forks, 25 open issues and last shipped yesterday. WorkFlow-Engine has 865 stars, 154 forks, 1 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. cakephp leads on adoption by 916% (8,789 vs 865 stars). cakephp is written in PHP under MIT; WorkFlow-Engine is written in Java under GPL-3.0. cakephp has attracted 38% as many forks as stars, WorkFlow-Engine 18%. cakephp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (form-builder), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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
| cakephp | WorkFlow-Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 8.8K | ★ 865 |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | PHP | Java |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.4K | ⑂ 154 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick cakephp if
- You weight community size — 8.8K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches PHP
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick WorkFlow-Engine if
- You want the WorkFlow-Engine feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and WorkFlow-Engine fits your workflow better
About cakephp
CakePHP is a rapid development framework for PHP which uses commonly known design patterns like Associative Data Mapping, Front Controller, and MVC. Our primary goal is to provide a structured framework that enables PHP users at all levels to rapidly develop robust web applications, without any loss to flexibility. Installing CakePHP via Composer You can install CakePHP into your project using Composer. If you're starting a new project, we recommend using the app skeleton as a starting point. For existing applications you can run the following: For details on the (minimum/maximum) PHP version see version map…
read the full cakephp overview →
About WorkFlow-Engine
基于SpringBoot+Vue前后端分离的Java国产信创工作流引擎 简介 工作流引擎为业务流程自动化提供底层支撑，通过表单设计器、流程设计器与事项管理模块的协同，实现流程从设计、运行到监控的全生命周期管理。支持表单可视化配置、流程图形化设计、待办事项集中处理及跨系统集成，结合模板管理与智能提醒功能，提升流程流转效率与规范化水平，满足复杂业务场景的自动化需求。系统在线体验 （一）表单设计器 表单设计器提供可视化的表单创建与配置工具，支持通过拖拽操作快速设计表单结构，灵活设置数据源关联、字段绑定规则及校验逻辑。可自定义表单样式与布局，适配不同终端展示需求，支持数组、表格等复杂数据结构的录入与展示。通过配置表单动作触发规则，实现与后端数据的联动交互，同时支持导入标准化模板，简化常用表单的重复设计工作，提升表单制作效率与标准化程度，为流程流转提供结构化数据载体。 （二）流程设计器 流程设计器支持图形化流程建模与全生命周期管理，核心功能包括流程可视化设计、实例运行监控及版本迭代支持。通过图形界面拖拽节点元素（如开始事件、审批节点、结束事件），配置节点权限、流转条件及处理规则，构建可视化流程模型；可实时监控流程实例状态，对异常流程执行删除、挂起、激活等操作，查看审批历程与变量信息；支持低版本流程实例向高版本无缝迁移，保障流程迭代过程中业务连续性，同时支持流程模拟，提前发现设计缺陷，优化流程路径。 （三）事项管理…
read the full WorkFlow-Engine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is cakephp or WorkFlow-Engine more popular?
cakephp has 8,789 GitHub stars and WorkFlow-Engine has 865. cakephp has the larger community by that measure.
Are cakephp and WorkFlow-Engine free?
Both are open source. cakephp is licensed under MIT and WorkFlow-Engine under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between cakephp and WorkFlow-Engine?
cakephp is written in PHP and WorkFlow-Engine in Java. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, cakephp or WorkFlow-Engine?
Choose cakephp if you want the larger community (8,789 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose WorkFlow-Engine if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.