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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Browserbase

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

Apache 2.0 BPMN engine under Hyland, from which Flowable and Camunda were forked

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Browserbase logo

Browserbase

Automation Integration

Browserbase makes the web as reliable and programmable as APIs

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Activiti the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.; Browserbase free plan limited to 3 concurrent browsers and 1 browser hour/month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Browserbase actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Browserbase differ
AttributeActivitiBrowserbase
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeusage-based
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, KubernetesWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automation Integration).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Activiti

  • BPMN 2.0 engine
  • Activiti Cloud
  • Modeler
  • Java and REST APIs
  • Pluggable persistence
  • Identity integration

Only in Browserbase

Nothing recorded that Activiti does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Activiti

  • An Alfresco or Hyland content services deployment where Activiti is already the embedded workflow enginenot Browserbase
  • A Java application that needs to embed a BPMN engine as a library under a permissive licencenot Browserbase
  • An organisation that has ruled out Camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an Apache 2.0 alternativenot Browserbase
  • Document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside itnot Browserbase

Browserbase

  • Web scraping and automationnot Activiti
  • Browser-based data extractionnot Activiti
  • AI agent infrastructurenot Activiti

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Activiti

  • The last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024, and while release candidate builds continue, a two-year gap between stable versions is a real risk signal for a production dependency.
  • Both Camunda and Flowable forked away and took large parts of the contributor base with them, so the community, tutorials and third-party tooling around Activiti are much thinner than around either fork.
  • Commercial support is only realistically available by buying Hyland Alfresco subscriptions, so there is no way to pay for Activiti support on its own.
  • Activiti Cloud imposes a distributed architecture of several Spring Boot services plus Keycloak, which is heavy for teams who simply wanted an embeddable engine.
  • Documentation is dated and partly split between old Alfresco sites and Hyland Connect, and the transition between Activiti 6, 7 and 8 architectures makes much of the older material actively misleading.

Browserbase

  • Free plan limited to 3 concurrent browsers and 1 browser hour/month
  • Usage-based overages apply to browser hours and API calls beyond included amounts

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

Free
  • ActivitiFree
    • Apache 2.0 licence
    • Embeddable Java library or Activiti Cloud services
    • No usage limits

Browserbase

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 concurrent browsers, 1 browser hour/month
    • 1,000 search and fetch calls each
    • 15-minute session limit, 7-day data retention
  • Developer$20/month
    • 25 concurrent browsers, 100 browser hours
    • $0.12/hour overage on browser time
    • 1,000 fetch calls with usage-based overages
  • Startup$99/month
    • 100 concurrent browsers, 500 browser hours
    • $0.10/hour overage on browser time
    • 10,000 fetch calls with usage-based overages
  • Scale$null/mo
    • 250+ concurrent browsers, 500+ browser hours
    • 10,000+ search/fetch calls with usage-based pricing
    • Custom retention, HIPAA (BAA), DPA, SSO

Which should you pick?

Choose Activiti if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 engine.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want activiti cloud.
Activiti review

Choose Browserbase if

  • You want to start without paying.
Browserbase review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Browserbase better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Browserbase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Browserbase?
Activiti starts at Free and Browserbase at Free.
Does Activiti or Browserbase run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Browserbase runs on Web.
Can I use Activiti for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Activiti best used for?
Activiti is most often used for an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine, a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence, an organisation that has ruled out camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an apache 2.0 alternative, document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside it. Of those, an alfresco or hyland content services deployment where activiti is already the embedded workflow engine and a java application that needs to embed a bpmn engine as a library under a permissive licence are not what Browserbase is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Browserbase cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Activiti: Is Activiti still maintained?

Yes, Hyland continues to publish builds, but the last stable release was 8.2.0 in January 2024.

Browserbase: How much does Browserbase cost?

Free plan available; Developer plan is $20/month; Startup (most popular) is $99/month; Scale tier has custom pricing.

Source
Activiti: What is its relationship to Camunda and Flowable?

Both are forks of Activiti: Camunda in 2013 and Flowable in 2016, when core developers left Alfresco.

Browserbase: What browser concurrency limits does Browserbase have?

Free plan allows 3 concurrent browsers. Developer plan allows 25 concurrent browsers. Startup allows 100 concurrent browsers. Scale tier offers 250+ concurrent browsers.

Source
Activiti: What licence is it?

Apache 2.0, which distinguishes it from Camunda 8’s source-available licence.

Browserbase: What are Browserbase's browser hour limits and overage costs?

Free plan includes 1 browser hour/month. Developer includes 100 hours at $0.12/hour overage. Startup includes 500 hours at $0.10/hour overage. Scale tier includes 500+ hours with custom usage-based pricing.

Source
Activiti: Should I choose Activiti for a new project?

Only if the Apache licence or an existing Alfresco deployment is decisive. Flowable and Camunda have far larger ecosystems.

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