head to head · open source
rowboat vs workflow
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars, 1,784 forks, 167 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. workflow has 2,425 stars, 365 forks, 360 open issues and last shipped today. rowboat leads on adoption by 639% (17,914 vs 2,425 stars). rowboat is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0; workflow is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. rowboat has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, workflow 15%. workflow was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (ai-agents), 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
| rowboat | workflow | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-20 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.8K | ⑂ 365 |
| 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 workflow if
- You want the workflow feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and workflow 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 workflow
Workflow SDK is a TypeScript and JavaScript library that makes application functions durable. It lives in the TypeScript/JavaScript ecosystem and targets server side frameworks such as Next.js. The project is intended for apps and AI agents that need to continue work across failures, waits, and restarts.
read the full workflow overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is rowboat or workflow more popular?
rowboat has 17,914 GitHub stars and workflow has 2,425. rowboat has the larger community by that measure.
Are rowboat and workflow free?
Both are open source. rowboat is licensed under Apache-2.0 and workflow under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between rowboat and workflow?
rowboat is written in TypeScript and workflow 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, rowboat or workflow?
Choose rowboat if you want the larger community (17,914 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose workflow if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.