Automation Integration · head to head
Flowable vs Mathesar
Flowable
Automation Integration
Apache 2.0 BPMN, CMMN and DMN engine from the team that originally built Activiti
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Mathesar
Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet style interface that edits an existing PostgreSQL database directly, with no schema of its own
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Flowable the open source engine is genuinely usable but ships without the modelling studio, work application and admin console, so an open source deployment means building your own user interfaces before anyone can use it.; Mathesar there is no hosted offering of any kind, so a team without someone who can run and secure a server cannot use it at all.
- They diverge on capability: Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, Mathesar covers Direct PostgreSQL editing.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Flowable and Mathesar actually diverge.
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 Flowable
- BPMN 2.0 engine
- CMMN case management
- DMN decision tables
- Spring Boot integration
- Modelling studio
- Task and case application
- REST APIs
- History and audit
Only in Mathesar
- Direct PostgreSQL editing
- PostgreSQL permissions
- Schema editing
- Data exploration
- Relationship navigation
- Import of tabular files
- Self hosted only
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Flowable
- An insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and BPMN alone cannot express itnot Mathesar
- A bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing Spring Boot estate rather than buying a separate platformnot Mathesar
- A team leaving Activiti or jBPM that wants the same API family with active commercial maintenancenot Mathesar
- A regulated organisation needing complete process history and decision table audit trails for supervisorsnot Mathesar
Mathesar
- A nonprofit or research group whose data is already in PostgreSQL and whose staff cannot write SQLnot Flowable
- Giving analysts a safe editing interface governed by database roles that already existnot Flowable
- Replacing a hand built Django or Rails admin screen that nobody wants to maintainnot Flowable
- Editing production reference data where an export, edit and reimport cycle would risk losing concurrent changesnot Flowable
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Flowable
- The open source engine is genuinely usable but ships without the modelling studio, work application and admin console, so an open source deployment means building your own user interfaces before anyone can use it.
- It expects Java engineering capacity; teams looking for a business-user low-code automation tool will find the modelling and deployment cycle far too technical.
- Enterprise pricing is not published and is quoted per deployment, leaving buyers without a benchmark against Camunda or IBM alternatives.
- The Activiti fork left three engines with related APIs and overlapping documentation in circulation, and search results routinely return advice for the wrong one.
- Flowable AG is a small Swiss company relative to its competitors, so the partner network, training market and pool of engineers with production experience are all limited outside Europe.
Mathesar
- There is no hosted offering of any kind, so a team without someone who can run and secure a server cannot use it at all.
- It works only with PostgreSQL, so a MySQL, SQL Server or SQLite estate is excluded outright.
- There are no automations, no webhooks and effectively no integration catalogue, so it edits data and does nothing else.
- Because it writes to the live database, a careless bulk edit or column type change is a production change with no staging step and no undo.
- Development is grant and community funded rather than commercially funded, so roadmap pace and long term continuity carry a different risk profile from a venture backed vendor.
Pricing, plan by plan
Flowable
Free- Flowable Open SourceFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed BPMN, CMMN and DMN engines
- Embeddable Java library or standalone apps
- No modelling studio or enterprise applications
- Flowable Enterprise$undefined/year
- Modelling studio, work application and admin console
- Connectors, forms and advanced identity management
- Support with SLA and version maintenance
Mathesar
Free- Self hosted open sourceFree
- No licence fee
- No hosted option offered
- Connects to your existing PostgreSQL database
Which should you pick?
Choose Flowable if
- You need bpmn 2.0 engine.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
- You also want cmmn case management.
Choose Mathesar if
- You need direct postgresql editing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Linux.
- You also want postgresql permissions.
Questions people ask
- Is Flowable or Mathesar better?
- Neither clearly leads. Flowable starts at Free and Mathesar at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Flowable or Mathesar?
- Flowable starts at Free and Mathesar at Free.
- Does Flowable or Mathesar run on more platforms?
- Flowable runs on Linux, Windows, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Mathesar runs on Web, Linux.
- Can I use Flowable for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Flowable best used for?
- Flowable is most often used for an insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and bpmn alone cannot express it, a bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing spring boot estate rather than buying a separate platform, a team leaving activiti or jbpm that wants the same api family with active commercial maintenance, a regulated organisation needing complete process history and decision table audit trails for supervisors. Of those, an insurer automating claims handling where each case follows a different path and bpmn alone cannot express it and a bank embedding process orchestration inside an existing spring boot estate rather than buying a separate platform are not what Mathesar is typically brought in for.
- What can Flowable do that Mathesar cannot?
- Flowable covers BPMN 2.0 engine, CMMN case management, DMN decision tables, Spring Boot integration. Mathesar covers Direct PostgreSQL editing, PostgreSQL permissions, Schema editing, Data exploration.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Flowable: Is Flowable open source?
Yes, the BPMN, CMMN and DMN engines are Apache 2.0. The modelling studio and enterprise applications are commercial.
Mathesar: Is there a cloud version?
No. Self hosting is the only option, and that is a deliberate project decision rather than a gap waiting to be filled.
Flowable: How does it relate to Activiti and jBPM?
The same core developers built jBPM, then Activiti, then forked Activiti in 2016 to create Flowable.
Mathesar: How does it handle permissions?
Through PostgreSQL roles and privileges directly, so there is no second permission model to keep in step.
Flowable: What does Flowable Enterprise cost?
Nothing is published. It is quoted per deployment by the vendor.
Mathesar: What is the row limit?
Whatever PostgreSQL can handle. Mathesar adds no storage layer of its own.
Flowable: Why choose it over Camunda?
CMMN case management is a first-class engine, which matters when work is exception-driven rather than a fixed sequence.
Mathesar: Does it support databases other than PostgreSQL?
No.
Mathesar: Can it replace Airtable?
Only for editing and exploring data. There are no automations, apps or integrations.
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