Softwr

Software · head to head

Windmill vs Workato

Windmill logo

Windmill

Software

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Workato logo

Workato

Software

The enterprise integration platform

From
$99/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Windmill has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Windmill free self-hosted tier caps SSO users at 10 and workspaces at 3, requiring Enterprise for larger teams.; Workato the pricing page names four product lines, Enterprise iPaaS, Agentic solutions, API Management and Data Orchestration, and publishes no figure for any of them, gating all of it behind Schedule a demo
  • They diverge on capability: Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Workato covers Process orchestration.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Windmill and Workato actually diverge.

Attributes where Windmill and Workato differ
AttributeWindmillWorkato
Starting priceFree$99/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Platformsweb, api, linux, windows, macWeb, On-premise
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Windmill

  • Script-to-workflow engine
  • Auto-generated UIs
  • Self-hosted deployment
  • Git sync
  • SSO support
  • Audit logs

Only in Workato

  • Process orchestration
  • Master data management
  • Integration templates
  • Real-time sync
  • Error handling
  • Monitoring
  • API management
  • Workflow analytics

What people use each for

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

Windmill

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

Workato

  • Workflow Automationnot Windmill
  • Data Integrationnot Windmill
  • Process Automationnot Windmill
  • App Integrationnot Windmill
  • API Connectivitynot Windmill

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Workato

  • The pricing page names four product lines, Enterprise iPaaS, Agentic solutions, API Management and Data Orchestration, and publishes no figure for any of them, gating all of it behind Schedule a demo

Pricing, plan by plan

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)

Workato

$99/month
  • Starter$99/month
    • Up to 50 recipes
    • Basic integrations
    • Email support
  • Professional$299/month
    • Unlimited recipes
    • Premium integrations
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$999/month
    • Custom SLA
    • Dedicated support
    • Advanced security

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Workato if

  • You need process orchestration.
  • You work on Web, On-premise.
  • You also want master data management.
Workato review

Questions people ask

Is Windmill or Workato better?
Neither clearly leads. Windmill starts at Free and Workato at $99/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Windmill or Workato?
Windmill has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Windmill and $99/month for Workato.
Does Windmill or Workato run on more platforms?
Windmill runs on web, api, linux, windows, mac. Workato runs on Web, On-premise.
Can I use Windmill for free?
Yes. Windmill has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Workato starts at $99/month.
What is Windmill best used for?
Windmill is most often used for turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and apis, building internal tools from existing python/typescript code, self-hosted automation for engineering teams, orchestrating multi-language workflows. Of those, turning ad-hoc scripts into scheduled jobs and apis and building internal tools from existing python/typescript code are not what Workato is typically brought in for.
What can Windmill do that Workato cannot?
Windmill covers Script-to-workflow engine, Auto-generated UIs, Self-hosted deployment, Git sync. Workato covers Process orchestration, Master data management, Integration templates, Real-time sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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 Windmill

More on Workato

Keep looking

Other head to heads