--- title: "loonflow vs autoflow" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/blackholll-loonflow-vs-pingcap-autoflow" tools: ["blackholll-loonflow", "pingcap-autoflow"] --- # loonflow vs autoflow *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick loonflow if loonflow is an intelligent and visual process automation system that supports ticketing systems and MCP through workflow management capabilities. It operates with TypeScript under the AGPL-3.0 license; pick autoflow if pingcap/autoflow leverages Graph RAG technology and TiDB Serverless Vector Storage, making it a specialized choice for building conversational knowledge bases in TypeScript. [loonflow](https://github.com/blackholll/loonflow) reports 2.1k GitHub stars, 706 forks, and 20 open issues, last pushed May 25, 2026. [autoflow](https://tidb.ai) has 2.8k stars, 178 forks, and 75 open issues, last pushed Apr 27, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [loonflow's repository](https://github.com/blackholll/loonflow) and [autoflow's repository](https://github.com/pingcap/autoflow). | | [loonflow](/tools/blackholll-loonflow.md) | [autoflow](/tools/pingcap-autoflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | An intelligent and visual process automation system. | Graph RAG based conversational knowledge base tool using TiDB Serverless Vector Storage | | Stars | 2,084 | 2,799 | | Forks | 706 | 178 | | Open issues | 20 | 75 | | Language | TypeScript | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Loonflow is an intelligent and visual process automation system that supports ticketing systems and MCP through workflow management capabilities. It operates with TypeScript under the AGPL-3.0 license. | pingcap/autoflow leverages Graph RAG technology and TiDB Serverless Vector Storage, making it a specialized choice for building conversational knowledge bases in TypeScript. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [loonflow](/tools/blackholll-loonflow.md) | [autoflow](/tools/pingcap-autoflow.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 50d | 74d | | Open issues (now) | 20 | 75 | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/blackholll-loonflow/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/pingcap-autoflow/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: loonflow - **Adopt for:** Loonflow is an intelligent and visual process automation system that supports ticketing systems and MCP through workflow management capabilities. It operates with TypeScript under the AGPL-3.0 license. ## Decision facts: autoflow - **Adopt for:** pingcap/autoflow leverages Graph RAG technology and TiDB Serverless Vector Storage, making it a specialized choice for building conversational knowledge bases in TypeScript. ## Choose when ### Choose loonflow if… - License: loonflow is AGPL-3.0, autoflow is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to loonflow: devops, django, mcp, python. - Also covers Developer Tools. - You need a fully open-source solution for your internal process automation, as Loonflow requires you to share modifications if used in a SaaS service publically. ### Choose autoflow if… - License: autoflow is Apache-2.0, loonflow is AGPL-3.0. - Tags unique to autoflow: chatbot, cot, graphrag, knowledge-graph. - Also covers Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases. - autoflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - - When you need to create a conversational interface that can leverage both graph-based data structures and retrieval-augmented generation techniques for context-aware responses. ## When NOT to use loonflow - You seek closed-source solutions for proprietary reasons as Loonflow's AGPLv3 requirement mandates openness in SaaS settings. - When deployment flexibility is essential since the tool relies on Docker for installation, which may not align with all IT environments. ## When NOT to use autoflow - - When your application does not require a conversational knowledge base or cannot benefit from retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques. - - If you are aiming for broad compatibility across different SQL-based databases, as autoflow specifically integrates with TiDB and might offer less flexibility when compared to tools that support a ## Common questions ### What is the difference between loonflow and autoflow? loonflow: An intelligent and visual process automation system.. autoflow: Graph RAG based conversational knowledge base tool using TiDB Serverless Vector Storage. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose loonflow over autoflow? Choose loonflow over autoflow when License: loonflow is AGPL-3.0, autoflow is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to loonflow: devops, django, mcp, python; Also covers Developer Tools; You need a fully open-source solution for your internal process automation, as Loonflow requires you to share modifications if used in a SaaS service publically. ### When should I choose autoflow over loonflow? Choose autoflow over loonflow when License: autoflow is Apache-2.0, loonflow is AGPL-3.0; Tags unique to autoflow: chatbot, cot, graphrag, knowledge-graph; Also covers Data & Retrieval, Vector Databases; autoflow ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; - When you need to create a conversational interface that can leverage both graph-based data structures and retrieval-augmented generation techniques for context-aware responses. ### When should I avoid loonflow? You seek closed-source solutions for proprietary reasons as Loonflow's AGPLv3 requirement mandates openness in SaaS settings. When deployment flexibility is essential since the tool relies on Docker for installation, which may not align with all IT environments. ### When should I avoid autoflow? - When your application does not require a conversational knowledge base or cannot benefit from retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) techniques. - If you are aiming for broad compatibility across different SQL-based databases, as autoflow specifically integrates with TiDB and might offer less flexibility when compared to tools that support a ### Is loonflow or autoflow more popular on GitHub? autoflow has more GitHub stars (2,799 vs 2,084). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are loonflow and autoflow open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (loonflow: AGPL-3.0, autoflow: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to loonflow or autoflow? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [loonflow alternatives](/tools/blackholll-loonflow/alternatives) and [autoflow alternatives](/tools/pingcap-autoflow/alternatives) ([loonflow markdown twin](/tools/blackholll-loonflow/alternatives.md), [autoflow markdown twin](/tools/pingcap-autoflow/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/blackholll-loonflow-vs-pingcap-autoflow.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, loonflow or autoflow? loonflow: Steady. autoflow: Steady. 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 loonflow and autoflow? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [loonflow trust report](/tools/blackholll-loonflow/trust); [autoflow trust report](/tools/pingcap-autoflow/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=blackholll-loonflow`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=blackholll-loonflow) - 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/_