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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Letta

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Letta logo

Letta

Automation Integration

Machines that learn

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.; Letta free tier limited to 3 stateful agents
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Letta actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Letta differ
AttributeActivitiLetta
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 Letta

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

Letta

  • Building agents with memory for continuous learningnot Activiti
  • Enabling reflection during idle periods via sleep-computenot Activiti
  • Managing agent context and extracting learningsnot 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.

Letta

  • Free tier limited to 3 stateful agents
  • Pro tier capped at 20 stateful agents
  • API Plan usage charges apply beyond base tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

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

Letta

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Limited agents
    • Limited Letta Auto usage
    • Bring your own API keys
  • Pro$20/month
    • Weekly and monthly Letta Auto quota
    • Pay-as-you-go overage
    • Up to 20 stateful agents
  • API Plan$20/month
    • Unlimited agents
    • $0.10/active agent/month
    • $0.00015/second for tool execution
  • Teams Pro$20/month
    • Per seat pricing
    • Add teammates
    • Letta Auto quota

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 Letta if

  • You want to start without paying.
Letta review

Questions people ask

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

Letta: How much does Letta cost?

Letta offers a free tier, then Pro plan at $20/month with up to 20 stateful agents, API Plan at $20/month base plus usage charges ($0.10/active agent/month, $0.00015/second for tool execution), and Teams Pro at $20/seat/month.

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.

Letta: How many agents can I create on the free plan?

The free tier is limited to 3 stateful agents. Pro plan allows up to 20 stateful agents, while API Plan offers unlimited agents.

Source
Activiti: What licence is it?

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

Letta: Does Letta charge for tool execution?

On the API Plan, Letta charges $0.00015 per second for tool execution. The Pro and Teams Pro plans include execution in their monthly fee.

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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