head to head · open source
conductor vs Prefect
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars, 1,051 forks, 253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Prefect has 24,109 stars, 2,624 forks, 858 open issues and last shipped yesterday. conductor leads on adoption by 34% (32,401 vs 24,109 stars). conductor is written in Java under Apache-2.0; Prefect is written in Python under Apache-2.0. conductor has attracted 3% as many forks as stars, Prefect 11%. Prefect 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 | Prefect | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 32K | ★ 24K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.1K | ⑂ 2.6K |
| 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 Prefect if
- You want the Prefect 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 Prefect 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 Prefect
Installation · Quickstart · Build workflows · Deploy workflows · Prefect Cloud Prefect Prefect is a workflow orchestration framework for building data pipelines in Python. It's the simplest way to elevate a script into a production workflow. With Prefect, you can build resilient, dynamic data pipelines that react to the world around them and recover from unexpected changes. With just a few lines of code, data teams can confidently automate any data process with features such as scheduling, caching, retries, and event based automations. Workflow activity is tracked and can be monitored with a self hosted Prefect…
read the full Prefect overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is conductor or Prefect more popular?
conductor has 32,401 GitHub stars and Prefect has 24,109. conductor has the larger community by that measure.
Are conductor and Prefect free?
Both are open source. conductor is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Prefect under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between conductor and Prefect?
conductor is written in Java and Prefect 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 Prefect?
Choose conductor if you want the larger community (32,401 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Prefect if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.