Comparison

Apache Airflow vs Apache Flink

On the evidence we track, Apache Airflow leads this comparison with a composite score of 73/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Apache Airflow73
Apache Flink58
Score
Vioscale score
Apache Airflow73 / 100medium · 66%
Apache Flink58 / 100medium · 56%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Model
Apache Airflowopen_source
Apache Flinkopen_source
Price level
Apache Airflowfree
Apache Flinkfree
Transparent
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Integrations
Count
Apache Airflow100
Apache Flink17
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Airflow189
Apache Flink1,372
Github stars
Apache Airflow46,610
Apache Flink26,293
Package downloads weekly
Apache Airflow3,883,451
Apache Flink50,231
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Airflow100
Apache Flink100
Release
Cadence days
Apache Airflow13
Apache Flink
History
Apache Airflow20 items
Apache Flink
License
Spdx
Apache AirflowApache-2.0
Apache FlinkApache-2.0
Language
Primary
Apache AirflowPython
Apache FlinkJava

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for data engineering tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Tool role
Apache AirflowOrchestrator
Apache FlinkProcessing engine
Processing paradigm
Apache AirflowBatch
Apache FlinkBatch + streaming
Connectivity
Connector count
Apache Airflow100+
Apache Flink17+
CDC / log-based replication
Apache Airflow-
Apache Flink-
Transformation
In-warehouse transformation (push-down)
Apache Airflow-
Apache Flink-
dbt-native orchestration
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink-
Deployment
Self-hosted / open-source available
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Managed cloud available
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink-
Governance
Data lineage / asset catalog
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink-
Authoring
Python-first authoring
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink-
Execution
Incremental / partition-aware runs
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Quality
Built-in data quality / tests
Apache Airflow-
Apache Flink-
Scale
Horizontal scale (distributed executor)
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Apache Airflow

Leader

A community-built orchestration system that enables users to define data pipelines and tasks in Python, execute them on distributed workers, and monitor progress through a web-based interface. It supports dynamic pipeline generation, extensive third-party integrations, and operates best for batch-oriented workflows.

Independently observed

Apache Flink

A framework that processes real-time streams and batch data at scale, enabling stateful computations with low latency and high throughput across distributed clusters.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Apache Airflow

Leader
Open sourceFree tier

Free, open-source project. Managed cloud versions available through third parties.

as of verify ↗

Apache Flink

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
macOS
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Windows
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Linux
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
CLI
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Self-hosted
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
On-premise
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink
Hybrid
Apache Airflow
Apache Flink

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

In common (2)
  • MongoDB
  • Elasticsearch

Apache Airflow

Leader
50 total - 48 not shared
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Databricks
  • Snowflake
  • dbt Cloud
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • Tableau
  • PostgreSQL
  • MySQL
  • Redis
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker
  • Apache Spark
  • Apache Kafka
  • Apache Cassandra
  • Apache Flink
  • Apache Druid
  • Datadog
  • Jenkins
  • GitHub
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • +24 more
Independently observed

Apache Flink

17 total - 15 not shared
  • Kafka
  • Cassandra
  • OpenSearch
  • RabbitMQ
  • Google Cloud Pub/Sub
  • Apache Pulsar
  • JDBC
  • Apache HBase
  • Apache Hive
  • Amazon Kinesis
  • Amazon Firehose
  • Amazon DynamoDB
  • Apache Kudu
  • Prometheus
  • HTTP
Independently observed

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.

Apache Airflow vs Apache Flink: an evidence-based comparison · Vioscale