head to head · open source
Kestra vs OpenCue
Kestra has 28,148 GitHub stars, 2,999 forks, 713 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenCue has 961 stars, 262 forks, 47 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Kestra leads on adoption by 2,829% (28,148 vs 961 stars). Kestra is written in Java under Apache-2.0; OpenCue is written in Python under Apache-2.0. Kestra has attracted 11% as many forks as stars, OpenCue 27%. Kestra 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 | OpenCue | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 28K | ★ 961 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | Python |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 262 |
| 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 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 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 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. Highly…
read the full OpenCue overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Kestra or OpenCue more popular?
Kestra has 28,148 GitHub stars and OpenCue has 961. Kestra has the larger community by that measure.
Are Kestra and OpenCue free?
Both are open source. Kestra is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenCue under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Kestra and OpenCue?
Kestra 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, Kestra or OpenCue?
Choose Kestra if you want the larger community (28,148 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.