Summary
Temporal is a durable execution platform: developers write workflows as code using one of its SDKs, and Temporal Server makes sure that code runs to completion despite crashes, restarts and infrastructure failures. It's open source under the MIT license and is also offered as a managed service (Temporal Cloud).
Kikwiflow is a work orchestration platform: the business process is modeled visually in Craft, run by Engine (a Java 21 library embedded in Spring Boot applications) and tracked in Monitor, where your operations team can intervene in any case. Its focus is coordinating people, systems and AI agents in the same process.
Side-by-side comparison
| Criteria | Kikwiflow | Temporal |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Work orchestration (application orchestration) | Durable execution |
| Where the process is defined | Executable visual model (.kikwi / JSON), separate from Java code | Code, with workflows and activities written in the SDKs |
| Who reads and changes the process | Business and engineering, in the same artifact (Craft); the technical implementation stays in code | Developers, in code |
| Languages | Java 21 with Spring Boot | Go, Java, Python, TypeScript, .NET, PHP and Ruby |
| Human tasks | Wait steps (external tasks) completed by people or systems via API/callback | Implemented in code with Signals and Updates |
| AI agents | Called from any step, with timeouts, retries, human approval and a trail in Monitor; the JSON model can also be read and generated by agents | Activities that call LLMs get durability and retries; the agent flow is written in code |
| Observability and intervention | Monitor: the state of every case by business-process step; fix, approve, retry and resume | Web UI with the event history of each execution; cancel, signal, reset and terminate |
| Execution | Library embedded in your Spring Boot application, with persistence in MongoDB | Temporal Server cluster, with workers in your application |
| Hosting | Self-hosted, on your infrastructure | Self-hosted or Temporal Cloud (managed) |
| License | Community Edition under Apache 2.0; Enterprise through atoxfy | Server and SDKs under MIT; Temporal Cloud is paid |
When Temporal is the better choice
- Your team wants the flow entirely in code, versioned and tested like any other software.
- Your environment is polyglot (Go, Python, TypeScript, .NET, etc.).
- The problem is pure durable execution: making sure long-running services complete, with no need for a process the business can read.
- You'd rather use a managed service for the execution layer.
When Kikwiflow is the better choice
- The business needs to discuss and validate the process in the same artifact that will run.
- The work mixes people, systems and AI agents, with approvals, sign-off limits and deadlines.
- Your operations team needs to see each case by business step and act on it (fix, approve, resume).
- Your stack is Java/Spring Boot and you want orchestration embedded in your application, on your infrastructure.
Can you use both?
Yes. They're different layers: Kikwiflow can coordinate the business process end to end, while a specific step calls a service that uses Temporal internally for a long-running technical execution.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kikwiflow an alternative to Temporal?
It depends on the problem. For coordinating business processes that involve people, systems and AI agents, with a model the business can read, yes. For pure durable execution, with the whole flow in code across several languages, Temporal is a better fit. The two can also be used together.
What is the main difference between Kikwiflow and Temporal?
Where the process lives. In Temporal, the workflow is code written with the SDKs. In Kikwiflow, the process is an executable visual model (.kikwi, JSON) that business and engineering read together, while the technical implementation stays in Java code.
Does Kikwiflow work with languages other than Java?
The Engine is a Java 21 library for Spring Boot applications. Systems written in other languages take part in the process as steps, via API or callback.
How is each one licensed?
Kikwiflow's Community Edition is licensed under Apache 2.0, and atoxfy offers the Enterprise plan. Temporal's server and SDKs are licensed under MIT, and Temporal Cloud is a paid service.
Sources
Information about Temporal is based on its public documentation, reviewed in October 2026. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.