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# AWS Step Functions vs Apache Airflow Comparison - What are their main differences?

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AWS Step FunctionsApache Airflow[+ Add Product](#)

Reviews

**AWS Step Functions** [

4.3/5(36)

](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-step-functions/reviews#reviews)

**Apache Airflow** [

4.4/5(130)

](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews#reviews)

Pricing

**AWS Step Functions**
No pricing available

**Apache Airflow**
No pricing available

**Pricing Insights**
from reviews

Time to Implement

**AWS Step Functions**
Not enough reviews yet

**Apache Airflow**
3 months

Based on 7 responses

Return on Investment

**AWS Step Functions**
Not enough reviews yet

**Apache Airflow**
6 months

Based on 5 responses

Perceived Cost

**AWS Step Functions**
$$$$$

**Apache Airflow**
$$$$$

Average Discount

**AWS Step Functions**
Not enough reviews yet

**Apache Airflow**
Not enough reviews yet

Pros & Cons

**AWS Step Functions**
Not enough data

**Apache Airflow**
[
Ease of Use (35)
](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1882903&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
User Interface (18)
](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=1883162&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Difficult Setup (13)
](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2261802&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)[
Learning Curve (9)
](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews?filters%5Bsentiment_snippet%5D=2214616&qs=pros-and-cons#reviews)

Integrations

**AWS Step Functions**
[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_b3390b4cc3d92e87d570895f7358c003/amazon-athena.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon Athena

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-athena/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_764bdd3b0bc81b470d93f18d12c826d2/amazon-web-services-aws-amazon-dynamodb.png "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon DynamoDB

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-web-services-aws-amazon-dynamodb/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_b3390b4cc3d92e87d570895f7358c003/amazon-emr.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon EMR

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-emr/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_504423766e296a0eeef13491cb738385/amazon-eventbridge.png "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon EventBridge

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-eventbridge/reviews)[
View all
](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-step-functions/integrations)

**Apache Airflow**
[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_b3390b4cc3d92e87d570895f7358c003/amazon-emr.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon EMR

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-emr/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_cacdec8b8edeace9b3c89e0c2cded695/amazon-s3-glacier.jpg "Product Avatar Image")

Amazon S3 Glacier

](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-s3-glacier/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_13aba37ae908d9cf29a2452925257ccc/azure-databricks.jpeg "Product Avatar Image")

Azure Databricks

](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-databricks/reviews)[

 ![Product Avatar Image](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/large_detail/large_detail_96b275379465d759df5bffd0099d849a/google-cloud-bigquery.png "Product Avatar Image")

BigQuery

](https://www.g2.com/products/google-cloud-bigquery/reviews)[
View all
](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/integrations)

Ratings

Meets Requirements

**AWS Step Functions**

8.5

8.526

**Apache Airflow**

9.1

9.196

Ease of Use

**AWS Step Functions**

8.3

8.326

**Apache Airflow**

8.5

8.596

Ease of Setup

**AWS Step Functions**

7.9

7.912

**Apache Airflow**

7.9

7.960

Ease of Admin

**AWS Step Functions**

7.9

7.98

**Apache Airflow**

8.4

8.432

Quality of Support

**AWS Step Functions**

8.7

8.723

**Apache Airflow**

8.2

8.288

Has the product been a good partner in doing business?

**AWS Step Functions**

9.8

9.87

**Apache Airflow**

8.7

8.731

Product Direction (% positive)

**AWS Step Functions**

9.0

9.024

**Apache Airflow**

9.5

9.590

Features

MLOps Platforms[Hide 22 FeaturesShow 22 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

8.8

11

Deployment

Language Flexibility

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Framework Flexibility

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

11

Versioning

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

10

Ease of Deployment

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

11

Scalability

Not enough data

9.1(won by default)

11

Deployment

Language Flexibility

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

11

Framework Flexibility

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

10

Versioning

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Ease of Deployment

Not enough data

8.6(won by default)

11

Scalability

Not enough data

9.5(won by default)

10

Management

Cataloging

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Monitoring

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

10

Governing

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

10

Model Registry

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Operations

Metrics

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

11

Infrastructure management

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Collaboration

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

10

Management

Cataloging

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

10

Monitoring

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

10

Governing

Not enough data

9.0(won by default)

10

Generative AI

AI Text Generation

Not enough data

8.2(won by default)

10

AI Text Summarization

Not enough data

8.3(won by default)

10

AI Orchestration[Hide 17 FeaturesShow 17 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

8.4

27

Workflow Design & Integration - AI Orchestration

Dependency Management

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

25

Workflow Coordination

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

21

Multi-Provider API Connectivity

Not enough data

8.7(won by default)

22

Multi-Step Workflow Creation

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

20

Enterprise System Integration

Not enough data

8.9(won by default)

20

Real-Time Data Pipelines

Not enough data

8.1(won by default)

18

Performance Optimization & Analytics - AI Orchestration

Workflow Performance Dashboards

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

21

Workflow Reporting

Not enough data

8.1(won by default)

18

Resource Utilization Monitoring

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

18

Computational Resource Management

Not enough data

7.5(won by default)

18

Dynamic Scaling

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

19

Component Monitoring

Not enough data

8.8(won by default)

20

Governance & Compliance Controls - AI Orchestration

Regulatory Compliance

Not enough data

8.1(won by default)

17

Governance Policy Enforcement

Not enough data

7.6(won by default)

17

Role-Based Access Control

Not enough data

8.3(won by default)

18

Audit Trail Management

Not enough data

8.1(won by default)

19

Security Protocols

Not enough data

8.5(won by default)

18

Low-Code Development Platforms[Hide 62 FeaturesShow 62 Features](javascript:void(0);)

8.1

10

Not enough data

Application Design

UI Code Extending

6.9(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Programming Code Extending

9.0(won by default)

7

|

Verified

Not enough data

Application Templates

7.5(won by default)

6

|

Verified

Not enough data

Configurable Workflow

9.0(won by default)

8

|

Verified

Not enough data

Customized Branding

Not enough data

Not enough data

Rules-Based Workflow

Not enough data

Not enough data

Project Workflow

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Templates

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Control

Data Migration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Synchronization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Aggregation and Publishing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Publishing

Application Deployment

Not enough data

Not enough data

Platform Compatability

Not enough data

Not enough data

Lifecycle Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Mobile Access

Not enough data

Not enough data

Deployment Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Project Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Integrations Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Template Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Application Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Document Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Workflow Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Iteration Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Requirements Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Calendar Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Task Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Forms Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Agentic AI - Low-Code Development Platforms

Adaptive Learning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Natural Language Interaction

Not enough data

Not enough data

Proactive Assistance

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Custom Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Audit Trail

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI-assisted Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Collaborative Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Document Storage

Not enough data

Not enough data

Approval Process Control

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

CRM

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Drag & Drop

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting & Statistics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Reporting

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Reports

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Version Control

Not enough data

Not enough data

Database Support

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Import/Export

Not enough data

Not enough data

Graphical Workflow Editor

Not enough data

Not enough data

Visual Modeling

Not enough data

Not enough data

Business Process Automation

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Forms

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Fields

Not enough data

Not enough data

Web/Mobile App Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Show 3 feature categories with incomplete data

Application Development Platforms[Hide 57 FeaturesShow 57 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Continuous Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Drag & Drop

Not enough data

Not enough data

Backup and Recovery

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multiple Programming Languages Supported

Not enough data

Not enough data

Continuous Deployment

Not enough data

Not enough data

Code Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

For No-Code Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Version Control

Not enough data

Not enough data

Configurable Workflow

Not enough data

Not enough data

Graphical User Interface

Not enough data

Not enough data

For Low-Code Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

UI Prototyping

Not enough data

Not enough data

Source Control

Not enough data

Not enough data

Software Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Import/Export

Not enough data

Not enough data

Web App Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Custom Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Code Repository Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

Mobile Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Game Development

Not enough data

Not enough data

Collaboration Tools

Not enough data

Not enough data

Application Security

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Notifications

Not enough data

Not enough data

Automated Testing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Integrated Development Environment

Not enough data

Not enough data

Offline Access

Not enough data

Not enough data

Debugging

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting/Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compatibility Testing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Pre-built Templates

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Modeling

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Branding

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Code Editing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Functionality

Ease of Use

Not enough data

Not enough data

File Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi-Language Support

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Straight-Out-the-Box Functionality

Not enough data

Not enough data

Help Guides

Not enough data

Not enough data

Patching & Updates

Not enough data

Not enough data

Workflow Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Change Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Deployment Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Compliance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Lifecycle Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Task Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Document Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Database Support

Not enough data

Not enough data

Artificial Intelligence[Hide 37 FeaturesShow 37 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Additional Functionality

Tagging

Not enough data

Not enough data

Natural Language Processing

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Extraction

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi-Language

Not enough data

Not enough data

Predictive Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Drag & Drop

Not enough data

Not enough data

Speech Recognition

Not enough data

Not enough data

Reporting/Analytics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Storage Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Virtual Personal Assistant (VPA)

Not enough data

Not enough data

AI Copilot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customer Segmentation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Collaboration Tools

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Import/Export

Not enough data

Not enough data

Generative AI

Not enough data

Not enough data

For eCommerce

Not enough data

Not enough data

Role-Based Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customizable Branding

Not enough data

Not enough data

Search/Filter

Not enough data

Not enough data

Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Document Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

API

Not enough data

Not enough data

Data Visualization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Trend Analysis

Not enough data

Not enough data

Machine Learning

Not enough data

Not enough data

Access Controls/Permissions

Not enough data

Not enough data

Alerts/Escalation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Performance Metrics

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Data

Not enough data

Not enough data

Third-Party Integrations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Mobile App

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multiple Data Sources

Not enough data

Not enough data

For Sales Teams/Organizations

Not enough data

Not enough data

Sentiment Analysis

Not enough data

Not enough data

Activity Dashboard

Not enough data

Not enough data

Chatbot

Not enough data

Not enough data

Workflow Automation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Process Orchestration[Hide 13 FeaturesShow 13 Features](javascript:void(0);)

Not enough data

Not enough data

Functionality - Process Orchestration

Peak Demand Handling

Not enough data

Not enough data

Process Customization

Not enough data

Not enough data

Process Automation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Workflow Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

High-Stakes Process Automation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Integration & Adaptability - Process Orchestration

Third-Party Software Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Endpoint Integration

Not enough data

Not enough data

Intuitive Process Design

Not enough data

Not enough data

Real-Time Process Monitoring

Not enough data

Not enough data

Business Process Adaptation

Not enough data

Not enough data

Customer-Facing Process Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

Multi-Endpoint Execution

Not enough data

Not enough data

Regulatory Compliance Management

Not enough data

Not enough data

User Insights

Reviewers' Company Size

[![AWS Step Functions](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_5b5ecb6259c4c0d54368899a457a4e08/aws-step-functions.jpg "AWS Step Functions")](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-step-functions/reviews)

AWS Step Functions

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

41.2%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

29.4%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

29.4%

[![Apache Airflow](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_dc218a7b4e898f9384267cbd98b09aa8/apache-airflow.jpg "Apache Airflow")](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews)

Apache Airflow

Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)

22.4%

Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)

46.4%

Enterprise(\> 1000 emp.)

31.2%

Small-Business

(50 or fewer emp.)

41.2%

22.4%

Mid-Market

(51-1000 emp.)

29.4%

46.4%

Enterprise

(\> 1000 emp.)

29.4%

31.2%

Reviewers' Industry

[![AWS Step Functions](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_5b5ecb6259c4c0d54368899a457a4e08/aws-step-functions.jpg "AWS Step Functions")](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-step-functions/reviews)
AWS Step Functions

Computer Software

23.5%

Information Technology and Services

17.6%

Accounting

5.9%

Education Management

5.9%

Financial Services

5.9%

Other

41.2%

[![Apache Airflow](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/image/thumb_square/thumb_square_dc218a7b4e898f9384267cbd98b09aa8/apache-airflow.jpg "Apache Airflow")](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-airflow/reviews)
Apache Airflow

Information Technology and Services

24.6%

Computer Software

16.4%

Financial Services

10.7%

Marketing and Advertising

4.1%

Banking

3.3%

Other

41.0%

Alternatives

**AWS Step Functions Alternatives**

 ![Appian](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/bd72b36193132a308f5957cf548d1fd7/appian.svg "Appian")

[
Appian
](/products/appian/reviews)

 ![Pega Platform](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/e069cb407f8ebbf6ba84052b46de7843/pega-platform.svg "Pega Platform")

[
Pega Platform
](/products/pega-platform/reviews)

 ![UiPath Agentic Automation](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/52d1ee45d138a2ab66b69bb703ed76ce/uipath-agentic-automation.svg "UiPath Agentic Automation")

[
UiPath Agentic Automation
](/products/uipath-agentic-automation/reviews)

 ![Retool](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/70bcfd1c4654cadf2c43c468dfffb741/retool.svg "Retool")

[
Retool
](/products/retool/reviews)

**Apache Airflow Alternatives**

 ![UiPath Agentic Automation](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/52d1ee45d138a2ab66b69bb703ed76ce/uipath-agentic-automation.svg "UiPath Agentic Automation")

[
UiPath Agentic Automation
](/products/uipath-agentic-automation/reviews)

 ![Camunda](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/30c18234f9e66694cb630099b2f518d4/camunda.svg "Camunda")

[
Camunda
](/products/camunda/reviews)

 ![MuleSoft Anypoint Platform](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/d763ac0221fcc0848182458b48016e06/mulesoft-anypoint-platform%282%29.svg "MuleSoft Anypoint Platform")

[
MuleSoft Anypoint Platform
](/products/mulesoft-anypoint-platform/reviews)

 ![Workato](https://images.g2crowd.com/uploads/product/hd_favicon/5e21242185438a3b63b0b3cc5eb921b0/workato.svg "Workato")

[
Workato
](/products/workato/reviews)

## AWS Step Functions vs Apache Airflow

When assessing the two solutions, reviewers found Apache Airflow easier to use and administer. However, reviewers felt that AWS Step Functions was easier to do business with overall. Finally, reviewers felt that the products are equally easy to set up.

- Reviewers felt that Apache Airflow meets the needs of their business better than AWS Step Functions.
- When comparing quality of ongoing product support, reviewers felt that AWS Step Functions is the preferred option.
- For feature updates and roadmaps, our reviewers preferred the direction of Apache Airflow over AWS Step Functions.