head to head · open source
rowboat vs flowable-engine
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars, 1,784 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. flowable-engine has 9,542 stars, 2,890 forks, 411 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. rowboat leads on adoption by 88% (17,914 vs 9,542 stars). rowboat is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; flowable-engine is written in Java under Apache-2.0. rowboat has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, flowable-engine 30%. rowboat 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
| rowboat | flowable-engine | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 9.5K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Java |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 2.9K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick rowboat if
- You weight community size — 18K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick flowable-engine if
- You want the flowable-engine feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You evaluated both and flowable-engine fits your workflow better
About rowboat
Rowboat is an open source desktop AI coworker, licensed Apache 2.0 and written in TypeScript, that maintains a memory of your work as a local Markdown knowledge graph and provides built in surfaces — email, notes, browser, code mode, meeting notes — for acting on that memory.
read the full rowboat overview →
About flowable-engine
Flowable is an open source workflow and Business Process Management platform written in Java and distributed under the Apache 2.0 license. It bundles three engines in one project: a BPMN process engine, a CMMN case engine, and a DMN rule engine. The project lives in the Java ecosystem, integrates with Spring, and exposes both a Java API and a REST API for orchestrating human or system activities.
read the full flowable-engine overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rowboat or flowable-engine more popular?
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars and flowable-engine has 9,542. rowboat has the larger community by that measure.
Are rowboat and flowable-engine free?
Both are open source. rowboat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and flowable-engine under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rowboat and flowable-engine?
rowboat is written in TypeScript and flowable-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, rowboat or flowable-engine?
Choose rowboat if you want the larger community (17,914 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose flowable-engine if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.