Comparison

Apache Airflow vs Mage

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
Mage42
Score
Vioscale score
Apache Airflow73 / 100medium · 66%
Mage42 / 100high · 75%
Pricing
Free tier
Apache Airflow
Mage
Model
Apache Airflowopen_source
Price level
Apache Airflowfree
Magehigh
Starting price
Apache Airflow
Mage$100
Transparent
Apache Airflow
Mage
Integrations
Count
Apache Airflow100
Mage8
Security
Disclosure policy
Apache Airflow
Mage
Gdpr
Apache Airflow
Mage
Scorecard
Apache Airflow7.3
Mage
Soc2
Apache Airflow
Mage
Reliability
Status page
Apache Airflow
Mage
Adoption
Dependent repos
Apache Airflow189
Mage
Github stars
Apache Airflow46,610
Mage
Package downloads weekly
Apache Airflow3,883,451
Mage
Activity
Commits last 30d
Apache Airflow100
Mage
Release
Cadence days
Apache Airflow13
Mage
History
Apache Airflow20 items
Mage
License
Spdx
Apache AirflowApache-2.0
Mage
Language
Primary
Apache AirflowPython
Mage
Market
Availability
Apache Airflow

Capabilities

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

Core
Tool role
Apache AirflowOrchestrator
MageOrchestrator
Processing paradigm
Apache AirflowBatch
MageBatch + streaming
Connectivity
Connector count
Apache Airflow100+
Mage12+
CDC / log-based replication
Apache Airflow-
Mage
Transformation
In-warehouse transformation (push-down)
Apache Airflow-
Mage
dbt-native orchestration
Apache Airflow
Mage
Deployment
Self-hosted / open-source available
Apache Airflow
Mage
Managed cloud available
Apache Airflow
Mage
Governance
Data lineage / asset catalog
Apache Airflow
Mage
Authoring
Python-first authoring
Apache Airflow
Mage
Execution
Incremental / partition-aware runs
Apache Airflow
Mage
Quality
Built-in data quality / tests
Apache Airflow-
Mage
Scale
Horizontal scale (distributed executor)
Apache Airflow
Mage

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

Mage

A system for constructing data processing pipelines that validates, schedules, and executes them in production environments. Supports both cloud-managed and self-hosted deployment models.

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 ↗

Mage

from $100/moHybrid

From $100/month + usage for cloud, custom pricing for private deployments

  • Mage Cloud$100/month + usage ($0.50 per cpu-hour, $0.50 per 4GB-hour)
    • Workflow orchestration and scheduling
    • Pipeline monitoring and observability
    • Data validation and quality checks
    • Unlimited users
    • Development environment included
  • Mage ProContact sales
    • Hybrid cloud deployment
    • Private cloud deployment
    • On-premises deployment
    • Full data isolation
    • Custom infrastructure configuration
    • +1 more
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
Mage
Linux
Apache Airflow
Mage
CLI
Apache Airflow
Mage
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Apache Airflow
Mage
Self-hosted
Apache Airflow
Mage
On-premise
Apache Airflow
Mage
Hybrid
Apache Airflow
Mage

Integrations

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

In common (4)
  • Salesforce
  • MySQL
  • Kubernetes
  • Apache Spark

Apache Airflow

Leader
50 total - 46 not shared
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Databricks
  • Snowflake
  • dbt Cloud
  • Slack
  • Tableau
  • PostgreSQL
  • MongoDB
  • Redis
  • Docker
  • Apache Kafka
  • Apache Cassandra
  • Apache Flink
  • Apache Druid
  • Elasticsearch
  • Datadog
  • Jenkins
  • GitHub
  • OpenAI
  • Anthropic
  • Cohere
  • Pinecone
  • +22 more
Independently observed

Mage

13 total - 9 not shared
  • PySpark
  • Kafka
  • Stripe
  • BigQuery
  • AWS EMR
  • EHR systems
  • Billing platforms
  • Lab systems
  • Clinical systems
Independently observed

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