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Automation Integration · head to head

Nango vs Prefect

Nango logo

Nango

Automation Integration

Open source unified API and OAuth infrastructure for product integrations, licensed under Elastic License 2.0

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prefect logo

Prefect

Automation Integration

Python-first workflow orchestration that heals itself

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Nango the licence is Elastic License 2.0, which is source available rather than OSI open source, and it forbids offering Nango to third parties as a managed service, so anyone planning to resell or embed it in a platform for their own customers has a genuine legal problem.; Prefect limited to Python-based workflows; other languages require API calls
  • They diverge on capability: Nango covers Managed OAuth, Prefect covers Python function decorators.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Nango and Prefect actually diverge.

Attributes where Nango and Prefect differ
AttributeNangoPrefect
Pricing modelPer connection per monthFreemium with per-user and usage-based tiers
PlatformsWeb, Linux, DockerCloud, Self-hosted, VPC

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 Nango

  • Managed OAuth
  • Pre-built integrations
  • Custom syncs and actions
  • Incremental sync
  • Rate limit and retry handling
  • Self-hosting
  • Unified models

Only in Prefect

  • Python function decorators
  • Automatic resilience
  • Flexible deployment
  • Observable execution
  • Multiple scheduling
  • Open-source core

Both cover

  • Webhooks

What people use each for

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

Nango

  • A SaaS product that needs to ship twenty customer-facing integrations without hiring a team to maintain OAuth and token refresh for eachnot Prefect
  • A team that needs a niche or internal API integrated, which closed unified API vendors will not build for themnot Prefect
  • A company with data residency or security constraints that must self-host the integration layer rather than send customer tokens to a vendornot Prefect
  • An engineering team replacing a homegrown integration service whose main cost is silent token expiry and rate limit failures in productionnot Prefect

Prefect

  • Orchestrating data pipeline workflows in Pythonnot Nango
  • Managing ML model training and inference jobsnot Nango
  • Building ETL and event-driven automationnot Nango
  • Monitoring and alerting on workflow healthnot Nango

Where each one falls short

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

Nango

  • The licence is Elastic License 2.0, which is source available rather than OSI open source, and it forbids offering Nango to third parties as a managed service, so anyone planning to resell or embed it in a platform for their own customers has a genuine legal problem.
  • Pricing is per connection where a connection is one authorised end-user account, so cost scales linearly with your customer base and a product where each user links several services multiplies quickly beyond what a headline plan price suggests.
  • Pre-built integrations vary in depth, and a connection that exists is not the same as a connection that covers the endpoints and objects your feature needs, so each one must be verified before it is designed into a roadmap.
  • Custom syncs are written in TypeScript and run in Nango model, which means integration logic lives in a vendor runtime and migrating away later requires rewriting it rather than lifting it out.
  • Self-hosting removes the vendor from the data path but transfers operational responsibility for a component that holds customer OAuth tokens, and few teams appreciate the security burden that comes with running that themselves.

Prefect

  • Limited to Python-based workflows; other languages require API calls
  • Hobby free tier severely limited for production use
  • Team plan billing per user scales quickly with team size
  • Less visual workflow builder compared to some competitors
  • Smaller ecosystem of pre-built connectors than alternatives

Pricing, plan by plan

Nango

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10 connections
    • Pre-built integrations
    • Managed OAuth
  • Starter$50/month
    • 20 connections included
    • 1 USD per additional connection
    • Custom syncs and actions
  • Growth$500/month
    • 100 connections included
    • 1 USD per additional connection
    • Higher limits
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Quoted
    • Custom connection volumes
    • Security review and SLA

Prefect

Free
  • HobbyFree
    • 2 users and 5 deployments
    • 500 minutes serverless monthly
    • 7-day run retention
  • Starter$100/month
    • 3 users and 20 deployments
    • 75 hours serverless compute
    • Bring-your-own infrastructure
  • Team$100/user/month
    • 4-8 users per plan tier
    • 100 deployments
    • 225 hours serverless monthly
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • SSO and SAML authentication
    • Role-based access control
    • Multiple workspaces

Which should you pick?

Choose Nango if

  • You need managed oauth.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Docker.
  • You also want pre-built integrations.
Nango review

Choose Prefect if

  • You need python function decorators.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted, VPC.
  • You also want automatic resilience.
Prefect review

Questions people ask

Is Nango or Prefect better?
Neither clearly leads. Nango starts at Free and Prefect at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Nango or Prefect?
Nango starts at Free and Prefect at Free.
Does Nango or Prefect run on more platforms?
Nango runs on Web, Linux, Docker. Prefect runs on Cloud, Self-hosted, VPC.
Can I use Nango for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Nango best used for?
Nango is most often used for a saas product that needs to ship twenty customer-facing integrations without hiring a team to maintain oauth and token refresh for each, a team that needs a niche or internal api integrated, which closed unified api vendors will not build for them, a company with data residency or security constraints that must self-host the integration layer rather than send customer tokens to a vendor, an engineering team replacing a homegrown integration service whose main cost is silent token expiry and rate limit failures in production. Of those, a saas product that needs to ship twenty customer-facing integrations without hiring a team to maintain oauth and token refresh for each and a team that needs a niche or internal api integrated, which closed unified api vendors will not build for them are not what Prefect is typically brought in for.
What can Nango do that Prefect cannot?
Nango covers Managed OAuth, Pre-built integrations, Custom syncs and actions, Incremental sync. Prefect covers Python function decorators, Automatic resilience, Flexible deployment, Observable execution. Both handle Webhooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Nango: Is Nango open source?

It is source available under Elastic License 2.0. You can read, modify and self-host it, but you cannot offer it to third parties as a managed service. That is not the same as an OSI approved open source licence.

Prefect: What is included in the Hobby free plan?

Hobby includes 2 users, 5 deployments, 500 minutes of serverless compute monthly, and 7-day run retention.

Source
Nango: How is it priced?

Per connection per month, where a connection is one authorised end-user account. Free to 10 connections, 50 dollars a month for Starter with 20, 500 for Growth with 100, and one dollar per additional connection.

Prefect: What is the difference between Starter and Team plans?

Starter is $100/month for 3 users and 20 deployments. Team is $100 per user per month for 4-8 users and 100 deployments.

Source
Nango: Can we integrate an API Nango does not support?

Yes. Custom syncs and actions in TypeScript cover any API including internal ones, which is the main advantage over closed unified API products.

Prefect: Can I deploy Prefect in my own infrastructure?

Yes, Starter and higher plans support bring-your-own-compute infrastructure and VPC deployments.

Source
Nango: Can we self-host it?

Yes, under the Elastic License 2.0 terms, which permit self-hosting for your own use but not resale as a service.

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