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Databases · head to head

Apache Airflow vs Convoy

Apache Airflow logo

Apache Airflow

Databases

Programmatically author, schedule and monitor data workflows in Python

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Convoy logo

Convoy

APIs

Open source webhooks gateway you self-host, handling both sending and receiving

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apache Airflow self-hosting is genuinely heavy: scheduler, metadata database, workers and executor choice are a standing operational job; Convoy the default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.
  • They diverge on capability: Apache Airflow covers Pipelines as Python, Convoy covers Inbound and outbound.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apache Airflow and Convoy actually diverge.

Attributes where Apache Airflow and Convoy differ
AttributeApache AirflowConvoy
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee; managed services billed separatelyPer month, flat rate regardless of volume
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hostedLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud
CategoryDatabasesAPIs

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Apache Airflow

  • Pipelines as Python
  • Web UI
  • Cloud provider packages
  • Jinja templating
  • Retries and dependencies
  • Extensible operators

Only in Convoy

  • Inbound and outbound
  • Broker-driven ingestion
  • Payload transformation
  • Portal links
  • Circuit breaking
  • Retry policies
  • OpenTelemetry export
  • Role-based access control

What people use each for

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

Apache Airflow

  • Scheduling nightly ETL where step order and retries matternot Convoy
  • Coordinating machine learning training and evaluation runsnot Convoy
  • Orchestrating dbt runs alongside extraction and loadingnot Convoy
  • Replacing a sprawl of cron jobs with dependencies and visible run historynot Convoy

Convoy

  • A fintech that cannot route customer webhook traffic through a third-party SaaS for compliance reasonsnot Apache Airflow
  • A high-volume platform for which per-message webhook pricing costs more than the flat premium licencenot Apache Airflow
  • A team that also receives webhooks from many providers and wants ingestion, verification and deduplication in the same gatewaynot Apache Airflow
  • An engineering group that wants webhook delivery driven directly from an existing Kafka or SQS topicnot Apache Airflow

Where each one falls short

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

Apache Airflow

  • Self-hosting is genuinely heavy: scheduler, metadata database, workers and executor choice are a standing operational job
  • Built for scheduled batch work, and a poor fit for event-driven or sub-minute latency pipelines
  • Because DAGs are Python that the scheduler parses continuously, expensive top-level code in a DAG file slows the whole scheduler
  • Local development and testing of DAGs is awkward compared with newer orchestrators designed with it in mind

Convoy

  • The default deployment is self-hosted, so you operate Convoy plus Postgres and Redis and carry the on-call burden for the system that delivers your customers' events.
  • Frain Technologies is a small startup, and putting customer-facing delivery infrastructure on it means accepting real vendor continuity risk on a component that is hard to swap out quickly.
  • The premium tier at a flat 999 US dollars a month is poor value below substantial volume, while the community edition omits the portal, transformations and RBAC that most production deployments end up wanting.
  • The hosted cloud trial is capped at one project and 100 events a day, which is too small to properly evaluate the service before committing.
  • Documentation and the third-party ecosystem are thinner than the established webhook services, so unusual configurations often mean reading the Go source.

Pricing, plan by plan

Apache Airflow

Free
  • Apache AirflowFree
    • Full scheduler and web UI
    • All provider packages
    • No task or DAG limits

Convoy

Free
  • CommunityFree
    • Self-hosted open source gateway
    • Inbound and outbound webhooks
    • Automatic retries and message broker support
  • Premium$999/month
    • Flat rate irrespective of message volume
    • Portal links and payload transformation
    • RBAC, circuit breaking and white labelling
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • SAML SSO
    • Dedicated support with SLA
    • On-premises deployment assistance
  • Cloud$undefined/month
    • Hosted by Convoy
    • 14 day trial limited to one project and 100 events a day
    • Usage-based tiers above the trial

Which should you pick?

Choose Apache Airflow if

  • You need pipelines as python.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted.
  • You also want web ui.
Apache Airflow review

Choose Convoy if

  • You need inbound and outbound.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want broker-driven ingestion.
Convoy review

Questions people ask

Is Apache Airflow or Convoy better?
Neither clearly leads. Apache Airflow starts at Free and Convoy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apache Airflow or Convoy?
Apache Airflow starts at Free and Convoy at Free.
Does Apache Airflow or Convoy run on more platforms?
Apache Airflow runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Self-hosted. Convoy runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use Apache Airflow for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apache Airflow best used for?
Apache Airflow is most often used for scheduling nightly etl where step order and retries matter, coordinating machine learning training and evaluation runs, orchestrating dbt runs alongside extraction and loading, replacing a sprawl of cron jobs with dependencies and visible run history. Of those, scheduling nightly etl where step order and retries matter and coordinating machine learning training and evaluation runs are not what Convoy is typically brought in for.
What can Apache Airflow do that Convoy cannot?
Apache Airflow covers Pipelines as Python, Web UI, Cloud provider packages, Jinja templating. Convoy covers Inbound and outbound, Broker-driven ingestion, Payload transformation, Portal links.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Apache Airflow: Is Apache Airflow free?

Yes. Airflow is open source under the Apache Software Foundation with no licence fee. Costs are the infrastructure to run it, or a managed service such as Google Cloud Composer or Amazon MWAA.

Convoy: Is Convoy really open source?

Yes, the community edition is open source and self-hostable, covering both inbound and outbound webhooks with retries.

Apache Airflow: What language are Airflow workflows written in?

Python. A workflow is a Python file, so standard language features including loops and datetime handling can generate tasks dynamically, with no XML or command-line configuration.

Convoy: What does premium cost?

A flat 999 US dollars a month, self-hosted, regardless of message volume.

Apache Airflow: Is Airflow suitable for real-time pipelines?

Not really. Airflow is designed for scheduled batch orchestration. Event-driven or sub-minute work is better served by a streaming platform such as Kafka or a purpose-built streaming engine.

Convoy: Does it receive webhooks as well as send them?

Yes, inbound ingestion with verification and deduplication is a first-class feature, unlike most webhook services.

Apache Airflow: What are the main alternatives to Airflow?

Dagster and Prefect are the two most commonly weighed against it, both newer and both designed around the local development and testing experience Airflow is criticised for.

Convoy: Do I have to self-host?

No, there is a hosted cloud, but the trial is capped at 100 events a day and self-hosting is the primary model.

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