conductor logo
conductor
★ 32.4k
vs
trigger.dev logo
trigger.dev
★ 16.6k

conductor vs trigger.dev

conductor: Conductor is an open-source, scalable microservices orchestration engine originally built at Netflix. It empowers developers to define and manage resilient, distributed, and asynchronous workflows across various services and systems.; trigger.dev: Trigger.dev is an open-source platform designed for building AI workflows and agents using TypeScript. It provides a robust environment for long-running tasks with built-in features like retries, queues, observability, and elastic scaling, eliminating typical serverless timeouts.

01

TL;DR

conductor logo
conductorWorkflow Automation · ★ 32.4k
When to choose:
  • You want an Apache-2.0 durable workflow engine where workflows are defined as JSON graphs and workers can be written in any language.
  • You want built-in LLM task types, MCP tool calling, human approval steps, and vector workflows on top of a microservice orchestrator.
When to skip:
  • You prefer writing workflows purely as code rather than JSON graph definitions; Temporal or AutoKitteh fit better.
  • You want a lightweight embedded rule engine inside a single Go binary with zero external middleware; RuleGo is designed for that.
trigger.dev logo
trigger.devWorkflow Automation · ★ 16.6k

Building and deploying long-running AI agents and complex workflows.

02

Side-by-Side Comparison

Field
conductor logoconductor
trigger.dev logotrigger.dev
Category
Workflow Automation
Workflow Automation
Stars
★ 32.4k
★ 16.6k
License
Apache-2.0
Apache-2.0
Install Command
npm install -g @conductor-oss/conductor-cli
npm install @trigger.dev/sdk
Updated
1d ago
1d ago
Open Source
Yes
Yes
Tags
Microservices Orchestration, Workflow Engine, Distributed Systems
AI Agents, Workflow Automation, TypeScript
03

Features

conductor logoconductor
01Workflow as code with JSON definition
02Rich task types (HTTP, JSON, Lambda, Sub Workflow, Event)
03Dynamic workflow management independent of services
04Built-in UI for monitoring and management
05Flexible persistence and queue options (Redis, MySQL, Postgres)
trigger.dev logotrigger.dev
01Long-running tasks without timeouts
02Durable cron schedules
03Realtime updates and LLM streaming
04Human-in-the-loop (Waitpoints)
05Comprehensive observability, logging, and tracing
04

Use Cases

conductor logoconductor
↳Orchestrating complex microservice interactions
↳Automating event-driven business processes
↳Building resilient and observable distributed systems
trigger.dev logotrigger.dev
↳Building and deploying long-running AI agents and complex workflows.
↳Implementing robust background job processing with built-in durability and retries.
↳Creating human-in-the-loop systems that require human approval or feedback.
05

Best For

conductor logoconductor
Most PopularEssentialTrending
trigger.dev logotrigger.dev
Most PopularEssentialTrending
FAQ

FAQ

What is the difference between conductor and trigger.dev?
Both conductor and trigger.dev are in the Workflow Automation category. conductor has 32.4k stars, while trigger.dev has 16.6k stars.
Which is better, conductor or trigger.dev?
The best choice depends on your use case. Choose conductor if Orchestrating complex microservice interactions, and trigger.dev if Building and deploying long-running AI agents and complex workflows..
Is conductor free or open source?
Yes, conductor is open source on GitHub (Apache-2.0).
Is trigger.dev free or open source?
Yes, trigger.dev is open source on GitHub (Apache-2.0).
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