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Dagu

Dagu is a self-hosted workflow engine that runs scripts, containers and SSH commands from YAML files, with a free Community edition for ops teams.

Our take: Dagu sits between crontab and Airflow.

Best forReplacing cron with a UI
ReviewedPricing: Freemium
7.3 out of 105 criteria · see breakdown
Try DaguFree Community; Team $50/mo for 3 servers

Dagu is a self-hosted workflow engine that runs scripts, Docker containers, SSH commands and HTTP calls from YAML files, with cron, retries and a web UI. It ships as one binary with no database. The Community edition is free; Team costs $50 a month for 3 servers and adds SSO, RBAC and audit logs.

The bottom line

A practical, low-overhead way to manage scheduled jobs on your own servers.

Our score

Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.

What it is, and why we rate it

One line each. Open a row for detail.

What it really isA single-binary, self-hosted workflow orchestrator that runs YAML-defined jobs with cron, retries and a web UI.
Our takeDagu sits between crontab and Airflow.
You get dependencies, retries, queues, logs and a DAG view from one binary with no database, which keeps setup short. The free edition covers most small teams; access control and audit logs are where the paid licenses start.
Why we rate itA generous free tier and very little infrastructure to run.
The catchSSO, RBAC and audit logs are paid, and there is no managed cloud option.

Best / not good for

Best for
  • Replacing cron jobs with tracked workflows
  • Ops teams on their own or air-gapped servers
  • Small teams that want a UI without a database
Not good for
  • Teams that want a fully managed service
  • Data teams needing a large plugin library
  • Companies that cannot use GPLv3 software
Trade-offs

Friction report

Trade-offs to know before signing up.

  1. Time to value
    Minutes: install the binary, write a YAML file and open the web UI.
  2. Scale breakpoint
    When you need SSO, RBAC or audit logs (Team) or more than 3 licensed servers (Pro).
  3. Walled garden
    Low: GPLv3 code, plain YAML files and your own servers.
Still a fit?
If none of these block you, start on the free plan.
Try Dagu

Dagu plans and pricing

PlanMonthlyYearlyServer licensesAdds
CommunityFreeFreeUnlimited servers and workersWeb UI, Docker/SSH/HTTP executors, cron, retries, up to 2 API keys
Team$50/mo$500/yr3SSO (OIDC), RBAC, audit logging, standard support, incident routing
Pro$150/mo$1,500/yr15Same as Team
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustomPriority support

From Dagu's pricing page, checked 4 October 2026. Team and Pro include a 14-day trial with no credit card.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Dagu?

Dagu is an open-source, self-hosted workflow engine. It runs scripts, Docker containers, SSH commands and HTTP calls defined in YAML, with cron scheduling, retries and a web UI. It ships as one binary and needs no external database. (Not to be confused with Dagu Rice Noodle, the restaurant chain.)

Is Dagu free?

Yes. The Community edition is free with unlimited servers and workers, the web UI, Docker, SSH and HTTP executors, cron and retries, and up to 2 API keys (checked 4 October 2026). It is licensed under GPLv3.

How much does Dagu cost?

Team costs $50 a month or $500 a year for 3 self-hosted server licenses, and Pro costs $150 a month or $1,500 a year for 15. Both add SSO (OIDC), role-based access control, audit logging, standard support and incident routing, with a 14-day trial and no card required. Enterprise is custom priced (checked 4 October 2026).

Is Dagu an alternative to Airflow or cron?

Dagu's GitHub page describes it as an alternative to Airflow, cron and job schedulers. It fits teams that want scheduled jobs with retries, logs and a UI but do not want to run a database or a large orchestration stack.

Where can Dagu run?

Dagu runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, in Docker or on Kubernetes via Helm. It can run on a single machine or with a coordinator and several workers, and its site says it works on-prem, air-gapped, at the edge or in the cloud.

Dagu alternatives

Other workflow orchestrators to compare:

Showing 1–3 of 4
Sources checked October 4, 2026: Dagu homepage, Dagu pricing, Dagu on GitHub, Dagu releases.

Conversion Gems independently reviews every tool.

Tags

#WorkflowAutomation#SelfHosted#OpenSource#DevOps

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