Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Flowise vs Orkes

Flowise logo

Flowise

Automation Integration

Build AI Agents, Visually

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Orkes logo

Orkes

Automation Integration

Commercial Conductor, now the maintainer of the workflow engine Netflix archived

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flowise enterprise tier requires custom pricing with no published rates; Orkes netflix archived the Conductor repository in December 2023 and Orkes took over maintenance, so the large-company backing that justified many original adoptions no longer exists.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flowise and Orkes actually diverge.

Attributes where Flowise and Orkes differ
AttributeFlowiseOrkes
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
PlatformsWebLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Flowise

Nothing recorded that Orkes does not also cover.

Only in Orkes

  • JSON workflow definitions
  • Polyglot workers
  • Visual workflow builder
  • AI and LLM tasks
  • Human tasks
  • Event handlers
  • RBAC and secrets
  • Hosted or self-hosted

What people use each for

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

Flowise

  • Building multi-agent systems with orchestrated workflowsnot Orkes
  • Creating chatbots that retrieve knowledge from uploaded documentsnot Orkes
  • Implementing human-in-the-loop approval for AI agent decisionsnot Orkes
  • Deploying conversational AI without writing backend codenot Orkes

Orkes

  • A microservices estate that needs orchestration across services written in different languages without a shared SDKnot Flowise
  • A team already running Conductor OSS that wants a supported distribution now that Netflix has stopped maintaining itnot Flowise
  • An AI platform composing agent steps, model calls and vector lookups as versioned workflow definitionsnot Flowise
  • A business process needing human approval steps interleaved with automated service callsnot Flowise

Where each one falls short

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

Flowise

  • Enterprise tier requires custom pricing with no published rates

Orkes

  • Netflix archived the Conductor repository in December 2023 and Orkes took over maintenance, so the large-company backing that justified many original adoptions no longer exists.
  • Enterprise pricing is entirely unpublished, and the only free option is explicitly a prototyping sandbox whose limits can change at any time, so there is no supported low-cost entry point.
  • Self-hosting Conductor OSS in production means operating the engine plus its persistence and indexing dependencies, typically Postgres or Cassandra with Elasticsearch, which is a substantial platform commitment.
  • JSON workflow definitions are language agnostic but verbose and awkward to test, and teams accustomed to defining workflows in code find them a step backwards in developer experience.
  • Orkes is a small company whose commercial future is tied to a single open source project it also maintains, which concentrates both vendor and project risk in the same place.

Pricing, plan by plan

Flowise

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 Flows & Assistants
    • 100 predictions per month
    • 5 MB storage
  • Starter$35/month
    • Unlimited flows & assistants
    • 10,000 predictions per month
    • 1 GB storage
  • Pro$65/month
    • 50,000 predictions per month
    • 10 GB storage
    • Unlimited workspaces

Orkes

Free
  • Developer EditionFree
    • All Conductor OSS features plus enterprise capabilities
    • Sandbox for prototyping only
    • Rate limits and resources may change without notice
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Availability SLA up to 99.99%
    • Orkes-hosted or customer-hosted deployment
    • Dedicated technical account manager

Which should you pick?

Choose Flowise if

  • You want to start without paying.
Flowise review

Choose Orkes if

  • You need json workflow definitions.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want polyglot workers.
Orkes review

Questions people ask

Is Flowise or Orkes better?
Neither clearly leads. Flowise starts at Free and Orkes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flowise or Orkes?
Flowise starts at Free and Orkes at Free.
Does Flowise or Orkes run on more platforms?
Flowise runs on Web. Orkes runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
Can I use Flowise for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Flowise best used for?
Flowise is most often used for building multi-agent systems with orchestrated workflows, creating chatbots that retrieve knowledge from uploaded documents, implementing human-in-the-loop approval for ai agent decisions, deploying conversational ai without writing backend code. Of those, building multi-agent systems with orchestrated workflows and creating chatbots that retrieve knowledge from uploaded documents are not what Orkes is typically brought in for.
What can Flowise do that Orkes cannot?
Orkes covers JSON workflow definitions, Polyglot workers, Visual workflow builder, AI and LLM tasks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Flowise: Does Flowise have a free tier?

Yes, Flowise offers a free plan with 2 flows and assistants, 100 predictions per month, 5 MB storage, and community support.

Source
Orkes: Does Netflix still maintain Conductor?

No. Netflix archived its repository in December 2023. The open source project continues at conductor-oss under Apache 2.0, maintained by Orkes.

Flowise: What is Flowise's Starter plan pricing?

The Starter plan costs $35 per month (first month free) and includes unlimited flows and assistants, 10,000 predictions per month, and 1 GB storage.

Source
Orkes: Is there a free production tier?

No. The Developer Edition is a sandbox that the vendor states is unsuitable for production. Self-hosting Conductor OSS is the free production route.

Flowise: How does Flowise charge for additional users?

Additional users on the Pro plan cost $15 per user per month. The Pro plan supports 5+ users with this per-user add-on pricing.

Source
Orkes: What does Enterprise cost?

Nothing is published; it is quoted by deployment and support requirements.

Orkes: How does it compare with Temporal?

Conductor uses declarative JSON workflow definitions and external workers; Temporal defines workflows in code. Temporal has the larger community.

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