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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Flowise

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Flowise logo

Flowise

Automation Integration

Build AI Agents, Visually

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.; Flowise enterprise tier requires custom pricing with no published rates
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Flowise actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Flowise differ
AttributeActivitiFlowise
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
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 Flowise

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 Flowise
  • A Java application that needs to embed a BPMN engine as a library under a permissive licencenot Flowise
  • An organisation that has ruled out Camunda 8 on licence grounds and needs an Apache 2.0 alternativenot Flowise
  • Document-centric approval workflows where the process engine sits inside the content management stack rather than beside itnot Flowise

Flowise

  • Building multi-agent systems with orchestrated workflowsnot Activiti
  • Creating chatbots that retrieve knowledge from uploaded documentsnot Activiti
  • Implementing human-in-the-loop approval for AI agent decisionsnot Activiti
  • Deploying conversational AI without writing backend codenot 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.

Flowise

  • Enterprise tier requires custom pricing with no published rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

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

Flowise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 Flows & Assistants
    • 100 predictions per month
    • 5 MB storage
  • Starter$35/month
    • Unlimited flows & assistants
    • 10,000 predictions per month
    • 1 GB storage
  • Pro$65/month
    • 50,000 predictions per month
    • 10 GB storage
    • Unlimited workspaces

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 Flowise if

  • You want to start without paying.
Flowise review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Flowise better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Flowise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Flowise?
Activiti starts at Free and Flowise at Free.
Does Activiti or Flowise run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Flowise 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 Flowise is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Flowise 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.

Flowise: Does Flowise have a free tier?

Yes, Flowise offers a free plan with 2 flows and assistants, 100 predictions per month, 5 MB storage, and community support.

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.

Flowise: What is Flowise's Starter plan pricing?

The Starter plan costs $35 per month (first month free) and includes unlimited flows and assistants, 10,000 predictions per month, and 1 GB storage.

Source
Activiti: What licence is it?

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

Flowise: How does Flowise charge for additional users?

Additional users on the Pro plan cost $15 per user per month. The Pro plan supports 5+ users with this per-user add-on 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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