# AWS Step Functions alternative: node-flow vs Step Functions

> node-flow vs AWS Step Functions — a portable, self-hosted JSON workflow engine with no per-transition pricing and no cloud lock-in.

Source: https://node-flow.dev/docs/alternatives/aws-step-functions

**node-flow is a self-hosted AWS Step Functions alternative.** Both describe a
workflow as JSON rather than code: Step Functions uses the Amazon States
Language, node-flow uses a Conductor-style DAG. The difference is where it runs
and what it costs. Step Functions is an AWS-managed service billed per state
transition (Standard) or per request and duration (Express). node-flow runs
wherever you run a container and a Postgres database, for free.

## Why people look for a Step Functions alternative

* **Portability.** Run the same workflows on AWS, GCP, Azure, on-premises or a
  laptop — including in air-gapped environments.
* **Predictable cost at volume.** No per-transition charge; you pay for the
  compute and Postgres you already size.
* **Workers anywhere.** node-flow workers are HTTP clients, not Lambda
  functions or AWS activity workers.
* **Local development and tests.** `nf test` and `@node-flow-dev/testkit` run a
  whole workflow in milliseconds without any cloud account.

## node-flow vs Step Functions at a glance

|                           | node-flow                                              | AWS Step Functions                                 |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Definition                | JSON DAG                                               | Amazon States Language (JSON)                      |
| Hosting                   | Self-hosted anywhere                                   | AWS only                                           |
| Pricing                   | Free to run                                            | Per state transition or per request/duration       |
| Workers                   | Any process over HTTP                                  | Lambda, AWS service integrations, activity workers |
| Branching and parallelism | `SWITCH`, `FORK_JOIN`, `FORK_JOIN_DYNAMIC`, `DO_WHILE` | `Choice`, `Parallel`, `Map`                        |
| Long waits                | `WAIT`, `HUMAN`, `WAIT_FOR_WEBHOOK` — one row each     | `Wait`, task tokens                                |
| Human approvals           | `HUMAN` task with inbox                                | Task tokens plus your own UI                       |
| Visual editor             | Yes                                                    | Workflow Studio                                    |
| Access control            | Namespaces, RBAC, SSO                                  | IAM                                                |

## When Step Functions is the better choice

Choose Step Functions when you are all-in on AWS, your steps are mostly Lambda
and AWS service calls, and you want zero infrastructure to operate.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is there a self-hosted alternative to AWS Step Functions?

node-flow is a self-hosted workflow engine where workflows are also JSON. It runs anywhere Docker and PostgreSQL run, has no per-transition pricing, and supports branching, parallelism, loops, waits, human approvals and saga compensation.

### Can node-flow call AWS services?

Yes. HTTP system tasks can call any API, workers can use any AWS SDK, and event handlers can consume from SQS. node-flow simply does not require AWS to run.

## Next

* [Workflows](/docs/guide/workflows)
* [CLI](/docs/guide/cli)