head to head · open source
conductor vs loonflow
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars, 1,051 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. loonflow has 2,095 stars, 706 forks, 19 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. conductor leads on adoption by 1,447% (32,401 vs 2,095 stars). conductor is written in Java under Apache-2.0; loonflow is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. conductor has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, loonflow 34%. conductor was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (workflow-engine), 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
| conductor | loonflow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 2.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 706 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick conductor if
- You weight community size — 32K 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 loonflow if
- You want the loonflow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and loonflow fits your workflow better
About conductor
Conductor Durable Execution for Workflows and Agents Build agents that adapt. Run graphs that endure. Conductor is an open source durable execution platform for microservices, AI agents, and adaptive workflow graphs. It turns runtime choices—loops, branching, fan out, tool calls, approvals, retries, and cancellation—into durable, inspectable execution. It originated at Netflix and is actively maintained by Orkes and the community. Get Running in 60 Seconds Prerequisites: Node.js v16+ and Java 21+ must be installed. Open — your server is running with the built in ui next UI. Upgrading from a previous version? The…
read the full conductor overview →
About loonflow
Loonflow 3.0 Intelligent and Visual Process Automation System Dedicated to providing enterprise grade unified workflow solutions English 简体中文 Loonflow 3.0 A Fresh Start Loonflow is an open source process automation platform developed based on Django. After multiple versions of iteration and refactoring, we proudly present Loonflow 3.0 a version that achieves a qualitative leap in visualization, flexibility, and scalability. The core of version 3.0 is "making complex business processes simple and visual, making personalized customization needs within reach." Not only have we rebuilt the process and form…
read the full loonflow overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is conductor or loonflow more popular?
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars and loonflow has 2,095. conductor has the larger community by that measure.
Are conductor and loonflow free?
Both are open source. conductor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and loonflow under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between conductor and loonflow?
conductor is written in Java and loonflow in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, conductor or loonflow?
Choose conductor if you want the larger community (32,401 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose loonflow if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.