A Pipedream alternative that doesn't bill you twice.
Pipedream meters two things at once, compute time and AI tokens. Run longer or think harder, and you pay more on both counters. It also caps how long a single run can last, and there's no way to run it on your own infrastructure.
Unmeshed counts a flat execution no matter how long it runs, doesn't charge for tokens at all, and you can self host it if you want to.
Trusted by teams at leading organisations
Overview
Two ways to run a workflow.
About Unmeshed
Unmeshed is a workflow orchestration platform built by the team behind Netflix Conductor. You define workflows in JSON or YAML, with code-based workers in Java, Go, TypeScript, or Python. Execution counts stay flat no matter how long a run takes, and AI token usage is tracked separately but never billed, you just set a limit.
About Pipedream
Pipedream is a cloud platform for connecting APIs, AI, and databases, with inline Node.js or Python code steps and a large integration catalog. It runs entirely on Pipedream's infrastructure, there's no self hosted option, and billing is based on credits tied to compute time and memory, plus AI tokens metered on top.
Comparison
Unmeshed vs Pipedream, feature by feature.
| | |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | ||
| Built for | Code-first orchestration for developers and technical teams | Connecting APIs and AI agents fast, code when you need it |
| Workflow definitions | JSON, YAML, or code | Inline Node.js or Python code per step |
| Native integrations | 100+ | 3,000+ |
| Step / worker languages | Java, Go, TypeScript, Python, C# and Rust coming | Node.js and Python |
| Visual designer | Included | Included |
| Resiliency and operations | ||
| Hold, skip, rollback, retry, restart as direct commands | Included | |
| Long running workflows, hours or days | Included | Not included |
| Workflow duration limit | None | 300 sec on Free, 750 sec on paid tiers |
| Self-hosted deployment | Included | Not included |
| Pricing | ||
| Pricing model | Flat, predictable plans | Credit based, scales with compute time and memory |
| Execution cost tied to run duration | Not included | Included |
| AI/LLM tokens billed separately | Not included | Included |
| Free tier usable in production | Included | |
| Security, compliance, and governance | ||
| Role-based access control | Included | Included |
| SSO / SAML | Included | |
| Audit logs | Included | |
| Self-hosted / on-premise deployment | Included | Not included |
Run it. Watch one number.
Start building workflows that cost the same whether they take one second or one hour, on a free tier you sign up for yourself.
Pricing
Pay for the workflow, not the stopwatch.
Pipedream charges one credit per 30 seconds of compute at the default memory tier, and that scales up if you configure more memory, plus AI tokens are metered separately on top. Unmeshed counts one execution no matter how long it runs.
Free forever
For solo builders exploring workflow orchestration.
$0/month
No credit card required
Get Started Free- 2,000 workflow executions / month
- Unlimited steps per workflow
- Community support
Premium
For individuals and small teams ready to orchestrate at scale.
$20/month
Billed monthly, annual saves 2 months
Get Started- 10,000 workflow executions / month
- Batch job scheduling
- Email support
Enterprise
For organizations with scale, compliance, and infrastructure requirements.
Custom pricing
Tailored to your scale and compliance requirements
Contact Sales- Unlimited executions, workflows & seats
- SSO / SAML and RBAC
- Dedicated support with SLAs
Pipedream pricing, for reference
See Pipedream's pricing pageFree
$0/mo
100 credits, 1M AI tokens, 3 workflows
Basic
$29/mo
2,000 credits, 20M tokens, 10 workflows
Advanced
$49/mo
2,000 credits, 50M tokens, unlimited workflows
Connect
$99/mo
10,000 credits, Connect in production, 100 users
Business
Custom
Volume pricing, talk to sales
Pricing details change often; confirm current numbers on Pipedream's site.
Agentic AI
Agents live in the workflow, not beside it.
Pipedream
Pipedream leads with prompting and deploying AI agents fast, backed by a large tool catalog through MCP.
Unmeshed
Unmeshed takes the same agent tool calls, human in the loop checkpoints, and durable execution and runs them in the same workflow model as everything else, with token usage capped instead of billed.
Two meters running at once
Fewer numbers to watch while you scale.
Pipedream
Credits are computed from compute time, one credit per 30 seconds at 256MB of memory, doubling if you double the memory. AI tokens are tracked and billed as a second, separate meter on top of that.
Unmeshed
Unmeshed replaces both with one number, a flat count of executions, and tracks token usage only to enforce a limit you set, not to bill you for it.
Feature comparison
Pipedream caps out here. Unmeshed doesn't.
Where the limits are hard, not just inconvenient.
Self hosting
Run it yourself, or don't, your call.
Self host on your own VM or Kubernetes cluster, or use Unmeshed Cloud. On premise deployment is included on the Enterprise plan.
Cloud only. Even the VPC option on higher tiers still executes inside Pipedream's infrastructure, not yours.
Long running and durable workflows
Built for waits that outlast a single request.
Native waits, approvals, and human in the loop steps that can span hours or days without workarounds.
Workflow steps have a hard execution duration cap, up to 300 seconds on Free and up to 750 seconds, about 12.5 minutes, on every paid tier.
Pricing predictability, credits and tokens
Know your bill before the workflow runs.
Workflow executions are counted flat, no matter how long a workflow runs or how much compute it uses. AI usage is tracked but never billed, just capped.
Billed on credits, one credit per 30 seconds of compute, scaling higher with more memory, plus separately metered AI tokens on top.
Fail safe execution
Recovery as a direct command, not a project.
Native hold, skip, rollback, retry, and restart with updated definitions, available as direct workflow commands.
Auto-retry is an opt-in setting, and unhandled errors send an email by default. For structured recovery, you build a workflow that listens to their error stream, or poll their API yourself.
Developer experience
Same code. Your infrastructure.
Workers are plain functions. Register them, start a process, and the platform takes care of the durable execution machinery, wherever you choose to run it.
from unmeshed.sdk.configs.client_config import ClientConfig
from unmeshed.sdk.unmeshed_client import UnmeshedClient
from unmeshed.sdk.decorators.worker_function import worker_function
client_config = ClientConfig()
client_config.set_client_id("your-client-id")
client_config.set_auth_token("your-auth-token")
client = UnmeshedClient(client_config)
@worker_function(name="charge-order", namespace="default", max_in_progress=100)
def charge_order(input: OrderInput) -> ChargeResult:
# your business logic — the engine handles
# state, retries, and observability
return charge_card(input)
client.start()Frequently asked questions
Still have questions? Talk to us.