# Activepieces API + MCP vs Kestra

> Kestra scores 63.6 (B) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth. Both do automation workflows. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.md (~2,300 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.min.md (~730 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-09

Kestra scores 63.6 (B) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth. Both do automation workflows.

- Activepieces API + MCP: grade C, 57.5/100, rank #545 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/activepieces.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/activepieces.json
- Kestra: grade B, 63.6/100, rank #351 of 842. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kestra.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kestra.json

## Which one, for what

### Activepieces API + MCP (C)

Good for: A team that wants an MIT-licensed builder it can self-host or embed, with an agent that builds flows through MCP.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 64 against 41

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: Docs say API keys come from the platform dashboard in Platform and Enterprise editions, while the pricing page lists the API on every plan

### Kestra (B)

Good for: Engineering and data teams that want declarative YAML flows with scripts in any language, run on their own infrastructure.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 89 against 55
- Agent ergonomics, 73 against 65
- Payments & pricing, 50 against 35
- Maintenance & community, 93 against 80

Watch for: The open-source edition has one basic-auth username and password. API tokens, service accounts, RBAC and audit logs need Enterprise or Cloud


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Activepieces API + MCP | Kestra | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 55 | 89 | Kestra +34 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 82 | Kestra +2 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 73 | Kestra +8 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 64 | 41 | Activepieces API + MCP +23 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 35 | 50 | Kestra +15 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 93 | Kestra +13 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 73 | 69 | Activepieces API + MCP +4 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -6 | -7 | |
| **Total** | | **57.5 · C** | **63.6 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Activepieces API + MCP | Kestra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Activepieces | Kestra Technologies |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://cloud.activepieces.com/api/v1` | no (local only) |
| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (core), commercial licence for enterprise-only parts | Apache-2.0 (open-source server and SDK repository). Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud are commercial |
| Tools exposed | 45 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-05 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read |  |
| Popularity | 25k stars, 452k npm/wk | 29k stars, 244 npm/wk, 170 PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**Activepieces API + MCP.** MIT core, self-hostable, with the enterprise parts clearly separated. Docs say API keys come from the platform dashboard in Platform and Enterprise editions, while the pricing page lists the API on every plan.

**Kestra.** Kestra's open-source edition has a 216-operation OpenAPI spec, Markdown docs for agents and weekly patch releases on two long-term support lines. Its only credential is one basic-auth username and password with full access, and five critical advisories were published between March and September 2026, all fixed.

## Before you call either

### Activepieces API + MCP

1. Run `ap_validate_flow` before publishing a flow
2. Use `ap_search_actions` with a plain task description rather than listing pieces
3. Turn off the Flow Building and Tables groups for a project the agent should only read
4. Page with `limit` and `cursor` and stop when `next` is null
5. Cloud runs stop at 10 minutes of active time. Waits and approvals don't count

### Kestra

1. Run 2.0.5 or 1.3.42 or later. Earlier builds carry unauthenticated remote code execution advisories fixed in 1.3.38 and 2.0.3
2. Set `kestra.server.basic-auth` in the config file before first start. Without it the setup page is open to anyone who reaches the port
3. Put the tenant in the path. Open-source instances use `main`, as in `/api/v1/main/executions/{namespace}/{id}`
4. Send flow inputs as multipart form fields, and add `wait=true` to get the finished execution in the same call
5. Keep port 8081 off any shared network. The management endpoints there skip the API's basic auth

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Activepieces API + MCP or Kestra?

Kestra scores 63.6 (B) on agent readiness against Activepieces API + MCP's 57.5 (C), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. Activepieces API + MCP leads on security & auth.

### Do Activepieces API + MCP and Kestra need an API key?

Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call Activepieces API + MCP and Kestra without installing anything?

Activepieces API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://cloud.activepieces.com/api/v1. No hosted endpoint is listed for Kestra.

### Are Activepieces API + MCP and Kestra open source?

Yes. Activepieces API + MCP is open source (MIT (core), commercial licence for enterprise-only parts). Kestra is open source (Apache-2.0 (open-source server and SDK repository). Enterprise Edition and Kestra Cloud are commercial).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-kestra.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "activepieces", "b": "kestra"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare activepieces kestra`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/activepieces.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kestra.json

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- [Activepieces API + MCP vs Make API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/activepieces-vs-make.md)
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