Softwr

Automation Integration · head to head

Mage AI vs Windmill

Mage AI logo

Mage AI

Automation Integration

Data pipeline platform with AI-generated workflows and governance

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Windmill logo

Windmill

Automation Integration

Open-source developer platform for building scripts, workflows, and internal apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Windmill has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mage AI usage-based pricing lacks transparency for cost forecasting; Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.
  • They diverge on capability: Mage AI covers AI-generated workflows, Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mage AI and Windmill actually diverge.

Attributes where Mage AI and Windmill differ
AttributeMage AIWindmill
Starting price$100/monthFree
Pricing modelUsage-based cloud platformopen-source
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premisesweb, api, linux, windows, mac

Identical on both: 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 Mage AI

  • AI-generated workflows
  • Pipeline building
  • Data validation
  • Workflow orchestration
  • Automatic recovery
  • Reusable components
  • Governance controls

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.

Mage AI

  • Building and orchestrating data pipelines with visual interfacenot Windmill
  • Automating ETL workflows with AI assistancenot Windmill
  • Validating data quality across transformationsnot Windmill
  • Distributing transformed data to multiple destinationsnot Windmill

Windmill

  • Turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and APIsnot Mage AI
  • Building internal tools from existing Python/TypeScript codenot Mage AI
  • Self-hosted automation for engineering teamsnot Mage AI
  • Orchestrating multi-language workflowsnot Mage AI

Where each one falls short

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

Mage AI

  • Usage-based pricing lacks transparency for cost forecasting
  • Limited standalone pricing details on website
  • Requires contact for enterprise deployment options
  • Smaller ecosystem compared to established competitors
  • May require significant customization for complex data models

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

Mage AI

$100/month
  • Cloud$100/month
    • 1 development environment
    • Unlimited users
    • Usage-based infrastructure pricing
  • Hybrid Cloud$null/custom
    • Private data processing
    • Custom infrastructure
    • Contact sales
  • Private Cloud$null/custom
    • Complete isolation
    • Full infrastructure control
    • Contact sales
  • On-Premises$null/custom
    • Full local control
    • Enterprise deployment
    • Contact sales

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 Mage AI if

  • You need ai-generated workflows.
  • You work on Cloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premises.
  • You also want pipeline building.
Mage AI review

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.
Windmill review

Questions people ask

Is Mage AI or Windmill better?
Neither clearly leads. Mage AI starts at $100/month and Windmill at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mage AI or Windmill?
Windmill has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/month for Mage AI and Free for Windmill.
Does Mage AI or Windmill run on more platforms?
Mage AI runs on Cloud, Hybrid, Private Cloud, On-Premises. Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac.
Can I use Windmill for free?
Yes. Windmill has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mage AI starts at $100/month.
What is Mage AI best used for?
Mage AI is most often used for building and orchestrating data pipelines with visual interface, automating etl workflows with ai assistance, validating data quality across transformations, distributing transformed data to multiple destinations. Of those, building and orchestrating data pipelines with visual interface and automating etl workflows with ai assistance are not what Windmill is typically brought in for.
What can Mage AI do that Windmill cannot?
Mage AI covers AI-generated workflows, Pipeline building, Data validation, Workflow orchestration. Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mage AI: What is the starting price for Mage Cloud?

Cloud plan starts at $100/month for one development environment with unlimited users, plus usage-based compute charges.

Source
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.

Source
Mage AI: How is compute usage billed on Mage?

CPU is charged at $0.50 per hour and RAM at $0.50 per 4GB per hour of utilization.

Source
Windmill: 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.

Source
Windmill: 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.

Source
Windmill: 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.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Mage AI

More on Windmill

Keep looking

Other head to heads