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Automation Integration · head to head

Camunda vs Cyclr

Camunda logo

Camunda

Automation Integration

BPMN process orchestration engine, now source-available rather than open source

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cyclr logo

Cyclr

Automation Integration

Embedded integration platform that SaaS vendors ship inside their own product

From
$1595/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Camunda camunda 7 Community Edition stopped receiving security patches after the 7.24 release in October 2025, so free production deployments are now running unpatched software.; Cyclr entry pricing of 1,595 US dollars a month for one connector and 100,000 API calls means small vendors will find building two or three integrations in-house genuinely cheaper, and Cyclr only pays off past a certain integration count.
  • They diverge on capability: Camunda covers BPMN 2.0 execution, Cyclr covers White-label integration UI.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Camunda and Cyclr actually diverge.

Attributes where Camunda and Cyclr differ
AttributeCamundaCyclr
Starting priceOn request$1595/month
Pricing modelquotePer month by API call volume
PlatformsWeb, Linux, Docker, KubernetesWeb, API

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Camunda

  • BPMN 2.0 execution
  • DMN decision tables
  • Zeebe engine
  • Operate console
  • Job workers
  • Optimize

Only in Cyclr

  • White-label integration UI
  • Connector library
  • Workflow builder
  • Custom connectors
  • Regional hosting
  • MCP server offering
  • Usage metering
  • Templates

What people use each for

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

Camunda

  • Long-running business processes crossing several services where the state must be visible to non-developersnot Cyclr
  • Insurance claims or loan origination where the process model is itself a compliance artefactnot Cyclr
  • Replacing orchestration logic scattered across microservices with one engine that owns the state machinenot Cyclr
  • A regulated organisation that needs an auditable record of how each process instance actually executednot Cyclr

Cyclr

  • A mid-market SaaS vendor losing deals because prospects ask for a CRM integration it has not builtnot Camunda
  • A product team that would rather ship an integration marketplace this quarter than hire two engineers to maintain connectorsnot Camunda
  • A European software company that needs its customers' integration data processed inside the EU for procurement reasonsnot Camunda
  • A vendor whose customers each want a slightly different variation of the same integration and cannot be served by one hard-coded connectornot Camunda

Where each one falls short

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

Camunda

  • Camunda 7 Community Edition stopped receiving security patches after the 7.24 release in October 2025, so free production deployments are now running unpatched software.
  • Camunda 8 Self-Managed is source-available under the Camunda License 1.0, not open source: production use requires a paid licence, and organisations that adopted Camunda for its Apache licence have to renegotiate that decision.
  • Migrating from Camunda 7 to 8 is a rewrite rather than an upgrade because the engine, the API and the persistence model all changed, and there is no in-place migration for running instances.
  • Camunda 8 Self-Managed has substantial infrastructure requirements including Zeebe brokers, Elasticsearch and Identity, which is a considerable operations burden compared with the single database that Camunda 7 needed.
  • Pricing is not published at all, so evaluating total cost requires a sales process, and there is no way to size a budget before committing engineering time to a proof of concept.

Cyclr

  • Entry pricing of 1,595 US dollars a month for one connector and 100,000 API calls means small vendors will find building two or three integrations in-house genuinely cheaper, and Cyclr only pays off past a certain integration count.
  • Connectors and API calls are metered separately, so a successful integration marketplace pushes you up tiers as your customers adopt it, meaning the cost rises with usage rather than with the revenue that usage generates.
  • Custom connectors to APIs outside the library are your work to build and maintain, so the promise of not building integrations only holds for applications Cyclr already covers.
  • Debugging is harder when the integration runs in a third-party runtime, because your support team sees a failed workflow rather than an HTTP response and has to escalate to Cyclr for anything non-obvious.
  • Deep embedding creates real switching cost: your customers' live integrations run on Cyclr, so migrating later means recreating every customer workflow, which in practice means you rarely leave.

Pricing, plan by plan

Camunda

On request
  • Camunda 8$undefined/year
    • Self-Managed under Camunda License 1.0, production licence required
    • SaaS with a thirty day full trial
    • Free unlimited BPMN and DMN modelling after the trial

Cyclr

$1595/month
  • PAYG$1595/month
    • 100,000 API calls included
    • 1 connector included
    • Unlimited integrations and users
  • Growth$2595/month
    • 1,000,000 API calls included
    • 10 connectors included
    • Everything in PAYG
  • Scale$7195/month
    • 5,000,000 API calls included
    • Unlimited connectors
    • Everything in Growth
  • Private Cloud$undefined/month
    • Dedicated hosting in US, UK or EU
    • Configurable processing and runtime
    • Quoted pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Camunda if

  • You need bpmn 2.0 execution.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes.
  • You also want dmn decision tables.
Camunda review

Choose Cyclr if

  • You need white-label integration ui.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want connector library.
Cyclr review

Questions people ask

Is Camunda or Cyclr better?
Neither clearly leads. Camunda starts at On request and Cyclr at $1595/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Camunda or Cyclr?
Camunda starts at On request and Cyclr at $1595/month.
Does Camunda or Cyclr run on more platforms?
Camunda runs on Web, Linux, Docker, Kubernetes. Cyclr runs on Web, API.
What is Camunda best used for?
Camunda is most often used for long-running business processes crossing several services where the state must be visible to non-developers, insurance claims or loan origination where the process model is itself a compliance artefact, replacing orchestration logic scattered across microservices with one engine that owns the state machine, a regulated organisation that needs an auditable record of how each process instance actually executed. Of those, long-running business processes crossing several services where the state must be visible to non-developers and insurance claims or loan origination where the process model is itself a compliance artefact are not what Cyclr is typically brought in for.
What can Camunda do that Cyclr cannot?
Camunda covers BPMN 2.0 execution, DMN decision tables, Zeebe engine, Operate console. Cyclr covers White-label integration UI, Connector library, Workflow builder, Custom connectors.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Camunda: Is Camunda still open source?

No. Camunda 8 Self-Managed ships under the Camunda License 1.0, which is source-available and requires a paid production licence.

Cyclr: What does Cyclr actually cost?

Published tiers start at 1,595 US dollars per month for 100,000 API calls and one connector, rising to 7,195 for unlimited connectors and five million calls.

Camunda: What happened to Camunda 7?

Its final feature release, 7.24, was in October 2025 and the Community Edition receives no further patches. Enterprise support runs to April 2030.

Cyclr: Do my customers know they are using Cyclr?

No. The interface is white-labelled to appear as part of your product.

Camunda: Can I upgrade from 7 to 8?

Not in place. The engine, API and persistence changed, so it is a rewrite of the integration layer.

Cyclr: Can I host it in the EU or UK?

Yes, on the private cloud tiers, which matters for European procurement requirements.

Camunda: What does it cost?

Camunda does not publish prices. Both self-managed production and SaaS require a quote.

Cyclr: What if the connector I need does not exist?

You build a custom connector using Cyclr tooling, which is work you own rather than work the platform removes.

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