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Comparison

Metaflow vs Prefect

Metaflow and Prefect both land on Depends.

Metaflow versus Prefect
CompareMetaflowPrefect
VerdictDependsDepends
Best forData teams running Python ML pipelinesPython-first data teams
Who it's not forAnyone shopping for a document editor . the name is misleadingTeams running a few simple cron-style scripts
PrivacyNo known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹Active 2026 CVE history including authentication bypass and remote code execution; enterprise controls exist but self-hosted instances need hardening.10
Support qualityNo support evidence foundNo user support feedback in reviewed sources
Public sentimentNo user reviews of Metaflow surfaced; search results matched Google Docs and unrelated 'docs' products.15Users praise Prefect's Pythonic ease of use, while complaints center on cloud pricing and some eventual migrations to Airflow.³
Biggest gotchaGuess: workflow-code conventions create migration pain if you switch orchestrators later²Exposed Prefect instances flagged as disruptive-attack targets; unsecured self-hosted servers are actively risky16

Pick Metaflow when

  • Data teams running Python ML pipelines
  • Guess: ML engineers productionizing batch workflows
  • Guess: teams wanting reproducible, versioned pipelines

When Metaflow is not a fit

  • Anyone shopping for a document editor . the name is misleading
  • Non-technical teams wanting plug-and-play SaaS
  • Buyers needing vendor SLAs or support contracts

Pick Prefect when

  • Python-first data teams
  • Multi-step ETL and ML pipelines
  • AI agent workflows
  • Regulated industries needing self-host options

When Prefect is not a fit

  • Teams running a few simple cron-style scripts
  • Non-Python engineering shops
  • Anyone wanting a free fully-managed hosted service
  • Orgs unwilling to harden self-hosted servers

Sources

  1. Product security pagedocs.metaflow.org
    official
  2. Docs (pasted page)docs.metaflow.org
    official
  3. Prefect Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2g2.com
    review
  4. Prefect Products | Read 125 Reviews on G2g2.com
    review
  5. Prefect - too expensive? : r/dataengineeringreddit.com
    review
  6. Considering moving from Prefect to Airflowreddit.com
    review
  7. Any production feedback on Prefect workflow managementreddit.com
    review
  8. Prefect Pricing Guide: Is the Platform Worth the Investment?zenml.io
    news
  9. Pricing - Prefect Cloudprefect.io
    official
  10. CVE-2026-3514: Prefect Authentication Bypass Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  11. CVE-2026-7725: PrefectHQ Prefect RCE Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  12. Prefect version 3.6.23 remote code execution advisorygithub.com
    security
  13. Prefect Customer Storiesprefect.io
    official
  14. Prefect Open Source - Python Workflow Orchestrationprefect.io
    official
  15. trustpilot.comtrustpilot.com
    review
  16. malware.newsmalware.news
    review