--- title: "hop vs flowable-engine" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/apache-hop-vs-flowable-flowable-engine" tools: ["apache-hop", "flowable-flowable-engine"] --- # hop vs flowable-engine *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick hop if hop is a Java-based orchestration platform focused on data integration and workflow management, making it suitable for organizations that require robust ETL processes and are comfortable with the Java ecosystem; pick flowable-engine if flowable-engine is a Java-based BPM platform which focuses on being compact and efficient for developers, system admins, and business users. [hop](https://hop.apache.org/) reports 1.5k GitHub stars, 477 forks, and 430 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. [flowable-engine](https://www.flowable.org) has 9.5k stars, 2.9k forks, and 411 open issues, last pushed Sep 12, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [hop's repository](https://github.com/apache/hop) and [flowable-engine's repository](https://github.com/flowable/flowable-engine). | | [hop](/tools/apache-hop.md) | [flowable-engine](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A Java-based orchestration platform for data integration and workflow management | A compact and highly efficient workflow and Business Process Management (BPM) platform | | Stars | 1,469 | 9,535 | | Forks | 477 | 2,887 | | Open issues | 430 | 411 | | Language | Java | Java | | Adopt for | Hop is a Java-based orchestration platform focused on data integration and workflow management, making it suitable for organizations that require robust ETL processes and are comfortable with the Java ecosystem. | Flowable-engine is a Java-based BPM platform which focuses on being compact and efficient for developers, system admins, and business users. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Under the Apache-2.0 license, users are granted permissive rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software for any purpose. | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [hop](/tools/apache-hop.md) | [flowable-engine](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 0d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 430 | 411 | | Stars delta | +34 (30d) | +84 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -49 (30d) | +10 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/apache-hop/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: hop - **Pricing:** freemium - As an open-source tool under the Apache-2.0 license, Hop is free to download and use. However, additional support or services might come at a cost. - **Requirements:** Java development environment must be set up for using Hop. - **Adopt for:** Hop is a Java-based orchestration platform focused on data integration and workflow management, making it suitable for organizations that require robust ETL processes and are comfortable with the Java ecosystem. - **License detail:** Under the Apache-2.0 license, users are granted permissive rights to use, study, change, and distribute the software for any purpose. ## Decision facts: flowable-engine - **Adopt for:** Flowable-engine is a Java-based BPM platform which focuses on being compact and efficient for developers, system admins, and business users. ## Choose when ### Choose hop if… - Pricing: As an open-source tool under the Apache-2.0 license, Hop is free to download and use. However, additional support or services might come at a cost.. - Requirements: Java development environment must be set up for using Hop.. - Tags unique to hop: apache, data-integration, etl, orchestration. - - When your organization primarily uses the Java programming language for development. ### Choose flowable-engine if… - Tags unique to flowable-engine: bpmn, workflow-engine. - When your project requires extensive integration with existing Java applications without adding significant overhead. - More GitHub stars (9.5k vs 1.5k) - visibility, not fit. ## When NOT to use hop - - When the team lacks experience in Java and has a preference for languages like Python for workflow orchestrations. - - If project requirements align more closely with cloud-specific tools that offer deeper integrations than Hop can provide. - - In scenarios where real-time data streaming is critical, as alternatives might have stronger capabilities. ## When NOT to use flowable-engine - If you need a BPM solution that heavily relies on graphical process design tools, as Flowable-engine may not cater to non-technical users as intuitively as some competitors. - In scenarios needing extensive support for custom programming languages outside of Java, as this could limit its applicability and efficacy. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between hop and flowable-engine? hop: A Java-based orchestration platform for data integration and workflow management. flowable-engine: A compact and highly efficient workflow and Business Process Management (BPM) platform. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose hop over flowable-engine? Choose hop over flowable-engine when Pricing: As an open-source tool under the Apache-2.0 license, Hop is free to download and use. However, additional support or services might come at a cost.; Requirements: Java development environment must be set up for using Hop.; Tags unique to hop: apache, data-integration, etl, orchestration; - When your organization primarily uses the Java programming language for development. ### When should I choose flowable-engine over hop? Choose flowable-engine over hop when Tags unique to flowable-engine: bpmn, workflow-engine; When your project requires extensive integration with existing Java applications without adding significant overhead; More GitHub stars (9.5k vs 1.5k) - visibility, not fit. ### When should I avoid hop? - When the team lacks experience in Java and has a preference for languages like Python for workflow orchestrations. - If project requirements align more closely with cloud-specific tools that offer deeper integrations than Hop can provide. - In scenarios where real-time data streaming is critical, as alternatives might have stronger capabilities. ### When should I avoid flowable-engine? If you need a BPM solution that heavily relies on graphical process design tools, as Flowable-engine may not cater to non-technical users as intuitively as some competitors. In scenarios needing extensive support for custom programming languages outside of Java, as this could limit its applicability and efficacy. ### Is hop or flowable-engine more popular on GitHub? flowable-engine has more GitHub stars (9,535 vs 1,469). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are hop and flowable-engine open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (hop: Apache-2.0, flowable-engine: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to hop or flowable-engine? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [hop alternatives](/tools/apache-hop/alternatives) and [flowable-engine alternatives](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine/alternatives) ([hop markdown twin](/tools/apache-hop/alternatives.md), [flowable-engine markdown twin](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/apache-hop-vs-flowable-flowable-engine.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, hop or flowable-engine? hop: Very active. flowable-engine: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for hop and flowable-engine? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [hop trust report](/tools/apache-hop/trust); [flowable-engine trust report](/tools/flowable-flowable-engine/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=apache-hop`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=apache-hop) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_