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Automation Integration · head to head

Activiti vs Teable

Activiti logo

Activiti

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Teable logo

Teable

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet interface over real PostgreSQL tables, so the data stays queryable by anything that speaks SQL

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.; Teable the automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
  • They diverge on capability: Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Activiti and Teable actually diverge.

Attributes where Activiti and Teable differ
AttributeActivitiTeable
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Docker, KubernetesWeb, Linux
CategoryAutomation IntegrationSpreadsheets

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Teable

  • PostgreSQL native storage
  • Multiple views
  • Linked records and rollups
  • Generated REST API
  • Real time collaboration
  • Self hosting via Docker
  • Field level permissions

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

Teable

  • A team that has hit the record ceiling of a hosted spreadsheet database and does not want to move to raw SQLnot Activiti
  • Operational data that a business intelligence tool must also read directly, without an export or a sync jobnot Activiti
  • A regulated or data resident organisation that needs the underlying database inside its own infrastructurenot Activiti
  • An internal tool where a grid interface and a REST API over the same table are both requirednot 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.

Teable

  • The automation builder is far less capable than the established commercial alternatives, so multi step workflows usually end up in an external tool that must be paid for and maintained separately.
  • Self hosting moves PostgreSQL backups, version upgrades, connection pooling and capacity planning onto your team, and the licence saving disappears if that time is costed honestly.
  • The integration catalogue is small, so connecting to a common business system often means writing against the REST API rather than installing a connector.
  • The project is young relative to the products it replaces, and interface and API changes still arrive at a pace that requires reading release notes before upgrading.
  • Storing every table as a real PostgreSQL table means schema changes are real migrations, so a careless field type change on a large table can lock it far longer than a spreadsheet user would expect.

Pricing, plan by plan

Activiti

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

Teable

Free
  • Self hosted open sourceFree
    • No licence fee
    • Unlimited rows subject to your PostgreSQL capacity
    • Docker deployment

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 Teable if

  • You need postgresql native storage.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want multiple views.
Teable review

Questions people ask

Is Activiti or Teable better?
Neither clearly leads. Activiti starts at Free and Teable at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Activiti or Teable?
Activiti starts at Free and Teable at Free.
Does Activiti or Teable run on more platforms?
Activiti runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes. Teable runs on Web, Linux.
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 Teable is typically brought in for.
What can Activiti do that Teable cannot?
Activiti covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Activiti Cloud, Modeler, Java and REST APIs. Teable covers PostgreSQL native storage, Multiple views, Linked records and rollups, Generated REST API.

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.

Teable: How many rows can it actually hold?

As many as your PostgreSQL instance can serve. There is no product imposed record limit on the self hosted edition, which is the main reason to choose it.

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.

Teable: Can I query the data with SQL directly?

Yes. Tables are real PostgreSQL tables, so any SQL client or reporting tool can read them.

Activiti: What licence is it?

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

Teable: Is self hosting genuinely free?

The licence is. The database server, backups and the engineer maintaining them are not.

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.

Teable: Does it replace Airtable feature for feature?

No. Views and field types are close; automations, apps and the integration catalogue are not.

Teable: What happens to my data if the project stops?

It remains in a standard PostgreSQL database that you control, which is a materially better exit than a proprietary export format.

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