Open-source automation · checked 28 Sept 2026
DeskFerry vs Activepieces
Activepieces is an automation builder whose core is MIT-licensed: you can self-host it, fork it or put it inside your own product. DeskFerry is a hosted service for teams that want agents doing the work rather than a platform to build on.
Choose Activepieces when
- you want to embed an automation builder inside your own SaaS
- you need a permissive licence your lawyers will sign off on quickly
- your flows are simple and you want the lowest possible entry price
Choose DeskFerry when
- you want a finished product, not a codebase to operate
- the job needs an agent that plans its own steps
- you want to run and approve work inside Slack
01 · Licence
Activepieces: MIT core, commercial enterprise add-ons
DeskFerry: Proprietary SaaS
02 · Metered on
Activepieces: credits: 1 per flow run, AI steps extra
DeskFerry: credits per job
03 · Integrations
Activepieces: 763 pieces
DeskFerry: 1,500+ apps
04 · Entry price
Activepieces: free 100 credits a day, Plus $20/mo
DeskFerry: 7-day trial, then $49/mo
What the licence lets you do
MIT means you can take it apart. The question is whether you want to.
Activepieces is the most permissively licensed tool in this category. That matters if you are building a product, and much less if you are trying to get invoices filed.
| Job | Activepieces self-hosted | Activepieces Cloud | DeskFerry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fork and modify the core | Yes | No | No |
| Embed the builder in your product | Yes | — | No |
| Run and patch the servers | You | Activepieces | Us |
| Build each flow step by step | You | You | The agent |
| Decide what to do with odd input | Your branches | Your branches | The agent, with approval |
| What you pay | $0 core + hosting | Free, $20 or $200 a month | $49 / $99 / $299 a month |
Where Activepieces wins
No other tool here lets you fork the core under MIT or ship its builder inside your own app. For developers building on top of automation, that settles it.
Where DeskFerry wins
You skip owning a platform entirely. The person who needs the work done writes the brief, and the agent handles the steps and the odd cases.
Feature by feature
Where each one wins
| Feature | Activepieces | DeskFerry | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | MIT core; enterprise packages under a commercial licence | Proprietary | Activepieces |
| How you build | Linear flow of pieces with branches and an AI router | Plain-English brief | DeskFerry |
| Integrations | 763 pieces, community-built | 1,500+ apps | DeskFerry |
| MCP | Hundreds of MCP servers for your own agents | Connected apps managed for you | Activepieces |
| Human approval | Flow Approvals step | Approve in Slack | Depends |
| Pricing basis | 1 credit per flow run; AI steps 2–20 credits | Credits per job, shared across the plan | Depends |
| Free option | Free plan, 100 credits a day | 7-day free trial | Activepieces |
Sources: activepieces.com/pricing · activepieces.com/pieces · Activepieces licence · checked 28 Sept 2026
How the bill works
Credits per run vs credits per job
Activepieces charges one credit per flow run however many steps it has, and adds credits for each AI step: 2 for a fast model, 10 for a smart one, 20 for a frontier model. Plus includes 10,000 credits a month for $20.
A flow that makes two smart-model calls costs about 21 credits a run. DeskFerry prices the whole job in credits instead, one to five for a simple task, and you never pick the model.
A worked example. Bringing your own LLM key drops Activepieces AI steps to one credit each. Real use on both depends on the job.
Straight talk
When to stay on Activepieces
You are building a product
If automation is a feature you ship to your own customers, an MIT core you can embed is exactly what you need.
Strict open-source policy
Some companies only run OSI-licensed software on their own infrastructure. Activepieces fits that; DeskFerry doesn't.
Straight-line flows on a budget
Simple trigger-then-action flows are cheap on Activepieces' free and Plus plans.
FAQ
Activepieces questions
Is Activepieces really open source?
The core is MIT-licensed, which is permissive open source. Enterprise features live in separate packages under a commercial licence and need a paid key, even when self-hosted.
How many integrations does Activepieces have?
Its pieces directory lists 763, many of them community-contributed. DeskFerry connects to 1,500+ apps through managed connections.
Does Activepieces have AI agents?
Yes. Agents and Chat are on every plan, and agentic actions cost one credit each. They sit inside a flow you build. A DeskFerry agent plans its own steps from the brief.
Which is cheaper?
For simple flows, Activepieces: the free plan gives 100 credits a day and Plus is $20 a month. The gap narrows once flows make several AI calls per run.
Can I self-host DeskFerry?
No. DeskFerry is cloud-only. If self-hosting is a hard requirement, Activepieces or n8n is the better fit.
Skip the platform. Keep the outcome.
If the goal is the work, not the codebase, brief an agent and have it running today.