Top 10 Open Source Workflow Automation Tools in 2024

Open-source workflow automation tools do more than automate and streamline business processes. They offer complete transparency and flexibility. The “open source” in these tools means that you aren’t tied down to one vendor’s vision. The source code is out there for anyone to view, tweak, and improve. This kind of freedom is priceless.

In this post, we’ll dive into the top 10 open-source workflow automation tools of 2024, highlighting how each one stands out. Whether you're dipping your toes into workflow automation or you're already knee-deep but looking to upgrade, this list will help you know what tools to explore.

However, before we jump to the tools, we need to look at some reasons why you should even consider open-source workflow automation tools.

Why Open Source Workflow Automation Tool

Apart from the obvious cost-effectiveness, what else is really there to gain? Well let's take a quick look at some reasons why you should be using open-source workflow automation tools

Security

Is workflow automation software whose source code can be accessible by every developer safe?

Security is the most common concern many people have about open-source workflow automation tools just because it's called “open source”. Well, it might interest you to know that the open nature of the source code enhances security because your engineers can audit the code for vulnerabilities. You can’t do that with a proprietary workflow automation tool. Additionally, you have the flexibility to host the software on your premises, further controlling security measures.

Cost Effectiveness

Being open source means they are generally free to use, which can lead to significant reductions in software costs. This financial advantage alone makes them an attractive option for businesses looking to optimize their budgets.

Customization

Businesses can also tailor these open-source workflow automation tools to meet their specific needs, ensuring a perfect fit for their unique workflows. This level of customization is something non-open-source software often fails to offer, making open-source solutions far more adaptable and efficient.

Community Support

Another reason why you should choose open-source workflow automation tools is the support from a large community of developers and users. This community provides a wealth of resources, plugins, and extensions, which can enhance the functionality of the tools and address any issues that arise. The collaborative nature of open-source communities promotes continuous improvement and innovation, keeping the tools up-to-date and highly functional.

Scalability

Open-source workflow automation tools can grow with your business, allowing you to scale your operations seamlessly without the need to switch to a different system. This scalability ensures that your business can continue to evolve and expand without being hindered by software limitations.

10 Top Open-Source Workflow Automation Tools in 2024

1. Activepieces

Activepieces allows users to create workflow automation without needing to write any code, making it accessible for individuals without technical expertise. This feature enables teams across various departments—such as marketing, sales, and operations—to automate repetitive tasks easily, enhancing overall productivity.

One of the significant advantages of Activepieces is that it can be self-hosted. This gives organizations greater control over their data and workflows, which is especially important for businesses concerned about data privacy and security. You can deploy the tool on your own servers, ensuring that sensitive information remains within your premises.

Activepieces supports over 200 integrations facilitating efficient data flow and task automation across platforms. You can create complex workflows that synchronize data between applications, send notifications, and update records effortlessly.

As an open-source tool, Activepieces benefits from a vibrant community that contributes to its continuous improvement. It offers a free, open-source version, making it a cost-effective alternative to proprietary automation tools like Zapier. The potential for significant cost savings can lead to a strong return on investment (ROI) as organizations automate more processes. Activepieces is designed for customization and scalability, enabling organizations to adapt the tool to their evolving needs. Whether a business is automating simple tasks or complex workflows.

2. Apache Airflow

Apache Airflow is particularly popular in data engineering and ETL processes. Airflow allows you to define workflows as code using Python. This means you can dynamically generate pipelines and leverage Python’s flexibility to create complex workflows. It has a modular architecture that uses a message queue to orchestrate an arbitrary number of workers. This makes it highly scalable, and capable of handling workflows of any size. Airflow is highly extensible. You can define your own operators and extend libraries to fit your specific needs. It also integrates seamlessly with many third-party services like Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure Being open-source, Airflow benefits from a large and active community. This means continuous improvements, a wealth of shared knowledge, and the ability to contribute to its development.

3. Camunda

Camunda facilitates real-time collaboration on business process models using BPMN and DMN. This helps bridge the gap between business and IT, ensuring that both teams can understand and adapt process models quickly. Camunda facilitates collaboration and integration with other systems. It also offers out-of-the-box connectors for universal orchestration, making it easy to integrate with various platforms and services. Camunda provides powerful tools for monitoring, analyzing, and troubleshooting processes in real-time. This includes performance monitoring, alerting for important KPIs, and intuitive visualization of process performance and bottlenecks.

4. CabloyJS

CabloyJS is a Node.js full-stack framework platform designed to streamline and enhance your development process. CabloyJS is built around a powerful workflow engine, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to automate complex workflows. It supports both backend and frontend development with a single codebase, which means you can develop admin management systems and frontend applications simultaneously. One of the most compelling features of CabloyJS is its low-code development environment. This allows developers to create and customize applications with minimal coding, significantly speeding up the development process. The platform’s flexibility is further enhanced by its support for multiple databases, including MySQL and PostgreSQL, and its compatibility with modern frontend technologies like Vue3 and Quasar.

5. Bonitasoft

Bonita Studio offers a visual interface for designing processes, which can be enhanced with custom code. This separation between visual and code-based development enables efficient teamwork between business analysts and developers. The platform supports continuous integration and deployment, leveraging tools like Git, Jenkins, Docker, and Ansible. This ensures that process applications can be developed, tested, and deployed rapidly and iteratively Bonita provides tools for monitoring and optimizing business processes in real time. This includes performance monitoring, alerting, and detailed analytics to identify bottlenecks and improve efficiency.

6. CloudSlang

CloudSlang is designed primarily for DevOps and IT operations. It offers a flow-based orchestration engine that simplifies the management of deployed applications. One of the key strengths of CloudSlang is its use of a YAML-based language, which makes writing and understanding workflows straightforward and readable. This approach allows users to create custom workflows or leverage ready-made ones, providing flexibility and efficiency in automating various tasks. The tool’s orchestration capabilities are particularly beneficial for automating DevOps use cases. Whether it’s continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), infrastructure as code (IaC), or other routine IT operations, CloudSlang provides a robust platform to streamline these processes.

7. Activiti

Activiti is capable of executing business processes with high efficiency and reliability, which is crucial for real-world automation needs. The platform’s Java-centric nature ensures seamless integration with other Java applications and frameworks. Activiti can run in various environments, whether on a single server, in a clustered setup, or in the cloud. This adaptability ensures that businesses can deploy Activiti in a way that best suits their infrastructure and scalability requirements. The modular architecture of Activiti also means that businesses can extend and modify the platform as needed, ensuring it evolves alongside their requirements.

8. ProcessMaker

ProcessMaker adheres to the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0 standard, ensuring that your workflows are compatible with industry standards The platform includes a form builder that lets you create custom forms to capture data at various stages of your workflow. You can assign roles and permissions to different users, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access specific parts of the workflow. ProcessMaker can integrate with various third-party applications, making it easier to incorporate into your existing tech stack. The platform is highly scalable, making it suitable for both small businesses and large enterprises. As an open-source tool, ProcessMaker has a robust community of developers and users who contribute to its continuous improvement.

9. StackStorm

StackStorm is an open-source, event-driven automation platform designed to streamline and automate various IT operations. StackStorm is highly scalable, making it suitable for both small teams and large enterprises. Its architecture supports distributed execution, ensuring it can handle high loads. As an open-source tool, StackStorm has a vibrant community of users and contributors. This community-driven approach ensures continuous improvement and a wealth of shared knowledge. The platform’s event-driven nature and extensive integration capabilities make it highly adaptable to various use cases, from DevOps automation to security incident response

10. Kubeflow Pipelines

Kubeflow Pipelines is an open-source platform designed to streamline the creation, deployment, and management of machine learning (ML) workflows. It is built on Kubernetes and it leverages containerization to ensure that your ML workflows are portable and scalable. One of the key strengths of Kubeflow Pipelines is its ability to handle end-to-end orchestration of ML workflows. This means you can manage everything from data ingestion and preprocessing to model training, evaluation, and deployment within a single, cohesive platform. The platform uses a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) structure to define workflows, allowing for complex, multi-step processes to be easily visualized and managed. You can create custom ML components or leverage an existing ecosystem of components, which can be easily integrated into your workflows. This reusability not only speeds up development but also ensures consistency and reliability across different projects