Automation & Integration · head to head
Automate.io vs Windmill
Automate.io
Automation & Integration
Connect and automate your cloud applications
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Windmill
Automation & Integration
Open-source developer platform for building scripts, workflows, and internal apps
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Automate.io no longer exists as a product. automate.io redirects to notion.com, which acquired the company and wound the integration service down; Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
- They diverge on capability: Automate.io covers Multi-step automations, Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Automate.io and Windmill actually diverge.
| Attribute | Automate.io | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | open-source |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | web, api, linux, windows, mac |
| Category | Unknown | Automation & Integration |
| Founded | 2014 | Unknown |
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 Automate.io
- Multi-step automations
- Conditional logic
- Data mapping
- Error handling
- Scheduling
- Webhooks
- API integrations
- 500+ apps
Only in Windmill
- Script-to-workflow engine
- Auto-generated UIs
- Self-hosted deployment
- Git sync
- SSO support
- Audit logs
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Automate.io
- Workflow Automationnot Windmill
- Data Integrationnot Windmill
- Process Automationnot Windmill
- App Integrationnot Windmill
- API Connectivitynot Windmill
Windmill
- Turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and APIsnot Automate.io
- Building internal tools from existing Python/TypeScript codenot Automate.io
- Self-hosted automation for engineering teamsnot Automate.io
- Orchestrating multi-language workflowsnot Automate.io
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Automate.io
- No longer exists as a product. automate.io redirects to notion.com, which acquired the company and wound the integration service down
- Existing automations were not portable to Notion, so users had to rebuild elsewhere
Windmill
- Free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
- Compute unit and seat-based pricing (developer vs. operator seats, worker compute units) adds pricing complexity beyond a flat monthly fee.
- Email triggers are capped at 100/day on the free tier, limiting event-driven use cases without upgrading.
- Smaller ecosystem of pre-built integrations compared to more established automation tools like n8n.
Pricing, plan by plan
Automate.io
Free- FreeFree
- 250 tasks/month
- 2 automations
- Starter$15/month
- 5000 tasks/month
- Unlimited automations
- Email support
- Professional$50/month
- Unlimited tasks
- Priority support
- Advanced features
Windmill
Free- Free / Open-sourceFree
- Unlimited executions
- Self-hosted deployment
- Max 10 users with SSO
- Enterprise$120/month
- Unlimited executions and workspaces
- Uncapped SSO seats
- 24/7 priority support (3-hour response)
Which should you pick?
Choose Automate.io if
- You need multi-step automations.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want conditional logic.
Choose Windmill if
- You need script-to-workflow engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
- You also want auto-generated uis.
Questions people ask
- Is Automate.io or Windmill better?
- Neither clearly leads. Automate.io starts at Free and Windmill at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Automate.io or Windmill?
- Automate.io starts at Free and Windmill at Free.
- Does Automate.io or Windmill run on more platforms?
- Automate.io runs on Web, Mobile. Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
- Can I use Automate.io for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Automate.io best used for?
- Automate.io is most often used for workflow automation, data integration, process automation, app integration. Of those, workflow automation and data integration are not what Windmill is typically brought in for.
- What can Automate.io do that Windmill cannot?
- Automate.io covers Multi-step automations, Conditional logic, Data mapping, Error handling. Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Windmill: What does Windmill cost?
Windmill's Free and Open-source edition is $0/month for self-hosted use with unlimited executions, while Enterprise starts at $120/month with unlimited workspaces and uncapped SSO seats, priced further by developer/operator seats and compute units.
SourceWindmill: Is there a free plan and what are its limits?
The free self-hosted plan supports unlimited executions but caps SSO at 10 users, workspaces at 3, groups/permissions at 4, and email triggers at 100 per day.
SourceWindmill: How is usage metered on Windmill Enterprise?
Enterprise usage is metered through seats (developer seats at $20/month, operator seats at $10/month) and compute units, e.g. $100/month for 2 standard-worker compute units.
SourceWindmill: What happens to a self-hosted Windmill deployment if the company shuts down?
The pricing page addresses this directly as an FAQ topic, noting that self-hosted applications built on the open-source edition can continue running independently of Windmill the company.
SourceRelated pages
More on Automate.io
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