head to head · open source
conductor vs OpenCue
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars, 1,051 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenCue has 1,005 stars, 271 forks, 47 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. conductor leads on adoption by 3,124% (32,401 vs 1,005 stars). conductor is written in Java under Apache-2.0; OpenCue is written in Python under Apache-2.0. conductor has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, OpenCue 27%. conductor 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
| conductor | OpenCue | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 1.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-10-28 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 271 |
| 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 OpenCue if
- You want the OpenCue feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and OpenCue 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 OpenCue
Introduction OpenCue features Learn more Quick installation and tests OpenCue full installation OpenCue documentation Meeting notes Contributors Contact us Introduction OpenCue is an open source render management system. You can use OpenCue in visual effects and animation production to break down complex jobs into individual tasks. You can submit jobs to a configurable dispatch queue that allocates the necessary computational resources. OpenCue features OpenCue provides the following features to help manage rendering jobs at scale: Sony Pictures Imageworks in house render manager used on hundreds of films…
read the full OpenCue overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is conductor or OpenCue more popular?
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars and OpenCue has 1,005. conductor has the larger community by that measure.
Are conductor and OpenCue free?
Both are open source. conductor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenCue under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between conductor and OpenCue?
conductor is written in Java and OpenCue 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, conductor or OpenCue?
Choose conductor if you want the larger community (32,401 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose OpenCue if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.