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Automation Integration · head to head

Orkes vs Stitch

Orkes logo

Orkes

Automation Integration

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Stitch logo

Stitch

Automation Integration

Simple, powerful ETL built for data teams

From
$100/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Orkes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Stitch the Standard plan allows a single destination, so loading the same data into two warehouses requires the $1,500 a month Advanced plan
  • They diverge on capability: Orkes covers JSON workflow definitions, Stitch covers Data replication.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Orkes and Stitch actually diverge.

Attributes where Orkes and Stitch differ
AttributeOrkesStitch
Starting priceFree$100/month
Pricing modelquoteusage-based
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudWeb, Cloud
FoundedUnknown2014

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 Orkes

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

Only in Stitch

  • Data replication
  • Schema detection
  • Data transformation
  • Real-time sync
  • Monitoring
  • Error handling
  • Incremental updates
  • 200+ connectors

What people use each for

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

Orkes

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

Stitch

  • Data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load)not Orkes
  • Data pipeline managementnot Orkes
  • Cloud data warehouse loadingnot Orkes
  • Real-time data synchronizationnot Orkes

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Stitch

  • The Standard plan allows a single destination, so loading the same data into two warehouses requires the $1,500 a month Advanced plan
  • The Advanced and Premium plans are billed annually only
  • The jump from Standard to Advanced is from $100 a month to $1,500
  • Standard is limited to 10 sources and 5 users
  • HIPAA support and private connectivity options such as VPN, AWS PrivateLink and VPC peering are excluded from Standard
  • Published prices are US only, with international pricing available on request

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Stitch

$100/month
  • Standard$100/month
    • 5-300 million rows per month (configurable)
    • 1 destination
    • 10 standard sources
  • Advanced$1500/month
    • 100 million rows per month
    • 3 destinations
    • Unlimited enterprise sources
  • Premium$3000/month
    • 1 billion rows per month
    • 5 destinations
    • Unlimited enterprise sources

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Stitch if

  • You need data replication.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want schema detection.
Stitch review

Questions people ask

Is Orkes or Stitch better?
Neither clearly leads. Orkes starts at Free and Stitch at $100/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Orkes or Stitch?
Orkes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Orkes and $100/month for Stitch.
Does Orkes or Stitch run on more platforms?
Orkes runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Stitch runs on Web, Cloud.
Can I use Orkes for free?
Yes. Orkes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Stitch starts at $100/month.
What is Orkes best used for?
Orkes is most often used for a microservices estate that needs orchestration across services written in different languages without a shared sdk, a team already running conductor oss that wants a supported distribution now that netflix has stopped maintaining it, an ai platform composing agent steps, model calls and vector lookups as versioned workflow definitions, a business process needing human approval steps interleaved with automated service calls. Of those, a microservices estate that needs orchestration across services written in different languages without a shared sdk and a team already running conductor oss that wants a supported distribution now that netflix has stopped maintaining it are not what Stitch is typically brought in for.
What can Orkes do that Stitch cannot?
Orkes covers JSON workflow definitions, Polyglot workers, Visual workflow builder, AI and LLM tasks. Stitch covers Data replication, Schema detection, Data transformation, Real-time sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Stitch: How much does Stitch cost?

Stitch's usage-based pricing starts at $100/month for the Standard plan. Advanced tier is $1,500/month (annual billing), and Premium is $3,000/month (annual billing). Pricing is based on rows per month and data destinations.

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.

Stitch: Does Stitch offer a free trial?

Yes, Stitch provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.

Source
Orkes: What does Enterprise cost?

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

Stitch: How many rows can I process with each Stitch plan?

Standard plan is configurable from 5 to 300 million rows per month. Advanced includes 100 million rows per month. Premium includes 1 billion rows per month. Additional rows are available for customization.

Source
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.

Stitch: Is Stitch pricing available outside the US?

Stitch publishes pricing for US customers only. International pricing requires contacting Stitch sales directly.

Source
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