Aaron Bronow

Why Windmill?

For developers aiming to build cloud-hosted productivity apps, Windmill.dev serves as a powerful platform for creating automation applications that include a web UI. It functions as an Open Source alternative to tools like n8n, distinguishing itself by being “freer” and less opinionated.

Built-in Web UI Capabilities

A major advantage of using Windmill is its provision of a basic web-based UI, which eliminates the immediate need to build a separate native mobile application. This allows developers to create functional tools—such as a photo posting scheduler—that are hosted and publicly accessible from any location via a phone browser. This feature simplifies the development process, letting you focus on backend logic while ensuring runners are hosted and available to run at any time.

Developer-Friendly Features and Hosting

Windmill offers flexibility through both self-hosted and cloud-hosted options, the latter of which is currently used by developers for its convenience. It is cost-effective, featuring a free tier for those starting out. The platform is in active development and supports Git integration, which is a crucial feature for managing code versions. Additionally, Windmill boasts an active developer community on Discord, though direct responses from developers may take a day due to time zone differences.