What is Camunda?

Camunda is a powerful BPM system that started as a fork of another open-source solution – Activiti. Currently, there are actually three distinct Camunda products:

1. Camunda 7 Community Edition  – The open-source variant of Camunda, currently still maintained and developed by the company but entering the EOL (end of life) stage on October 14, 2025, when the GitHub repository will be archived and all pull requests will be closed (the code will still be available though).
2. Camunda 7 Enterprise – The older, paid version of the technology, which is slowly being replaced by Camunda 8 and can be considered a subset of it. It offers some of the features the newer platform has (though sometimes named differently), but, overall, the 8 is a better all-around paid alternative.
3. Camunda 8 – The newest toy in Camunda’s toolbox, with an entirely new process and decision engine, a different approach to databases, and many other changes “under the hood”. Unfortunately, it has no open-source variant and comes with a new licensing model. It basically means you can no longer use key components for free in the production environment (only during development), so the only way to implement Camunda 8 in your business is to pay for the license. Camunda 8 is available in both SaaS and self-hosted versions, with 2-3 pricing plans for each variant.

For the purpose of this article, whenever we compare Camunda 7 to Camunda 8, we mean the Community Edition of the former. This is because, in our opinion, there’s no point in comparing the paid variants. If you’re determined to pay for the Enterprise version anyway, Camunda 8 is probably the better and more future-proof option. Moreover, from what we heard at NY Camundacon 2024, Camunda 7 Enterprise will stop being actively sold in 2025. Full support will only be provided until April 2027, after which it’ll enter the extended support stage (bug fixes and security updates only). 

Camunda 7 vs 8: Biggest differences

Camunda introduced significant changes to the latest version of its solution. Let’s examine their most important differences.

• Camunda 7 had a free, open-source version, whereas 8 is only available as a paid product.
• Camunda 8 is cloud-native and built for much better scalability (you can still deploy it on-premise if you want, but the SaaS version is the default approach).
• Camunda 8 has a completely new process engine called Zeebe, which was built with horizontal scaling in mind and uses the Event-Driven Architecture.
• Camunda 8 has a new decision engine that automatically triggers DMN models at the level of BPMN processes and provides them with input data.
• Camunda 8 is based on microservices (distributed architecture that runs on a Kubernetes cluster), whereas Camunda 7 is designed to be used more in monolithic applications.
• Camunda 8 uses the eventual consistency asynchronous model, which is popular in distributed systems (this means that the data across different nodes might be temporarily inconsistent but will achieve consistency with time, as all replicas of data items will converge at some point).
• Camunda 8 uses a document database instead of the relational database that Camunda 7 requires.
• Camunda 8 provides Cockpit – a ready-made front-end component (dashboard) you can use to access and do all sorts of cool things, like process tracking, heatmaps, detecting critical spots in your workflows, etc. Camunda 7 provides a similar functionality, though less robust and only in the Enterprise version.
• Camunda 8 has a built-in Web Modeler – a web-based tool for modeling diagrams for execution and deployment with BPMN-powered flowcharts.
• Camunda 8 offers plenty of ready-made, one-click plugins you can use to integrate with various popular SaaS tools without a single day of custom development.
• Camunda 8 will soon get Copilot support with useful AI-powered capabilities, such as providing AI-powered suggestions for process development and orchestration.

Problems with migrating from Camunda 7 to 8

Let’s be blunt – the biggest problem with a Camunda 7 to Camunda 8 migration is that… it’s actually not a migration, at least in the technical sense. This is because:

• You can’t rewrite the process engine – they’re simply too different.
• Migrating from a relational database to a document database would be complicated.

The conclusion is that trying to do a technical migration in this case is a recipe for disaster – we advise against it. The only feasible approach is to simply set Camunda 8 up and move all of your workflows from 7 to 8 manually. Unfortunately, this also means it can be quite time-consuming and expensive.

It’s worth pointing out that Camunda published some articles on the subject of Camunda 7 to 8 migration, but, as you can see, they’re very general in nature. The company can also provide migration consultants to help companies move from 7 to 8, but, the way we see it, in reality, their main job is to tell you just what we wrote above, but in a nicer and more supportive manner. 

Camunda 7 to 8 migration and other scenarios

So, in light of that, what to do when you’re still on Camunda 7? The way we see it, you have four main options going forward. Let’s examine each of them in more detail.

1. Migrate to Camunda 8

The first obvious option is to simply move from Camunda 7 to Camunda 8. The process will take some time and may give you a headache or two, and you’ll need to pay for the license, but if you’re interested in cutting-edge features and want the best scalability Camunda can offer right now, this is probably the way to go.

It’s a feasible approach for big, international companies (think global corporations, Silicon Valley tech leaders, banks, etc.) that truly need a scalable solution, can soak up the costs and will probably make the best use of all the advanced bells and whistles.

2. Stay with Camunda 7 and maintain it yourself

The other option is to stay with Camunda 7 Community Edition. The truth is that many companies simply don’t need all the advanced features Camunda 8 offers – all they really require from a BPM solution is already provided by the open-source variant. You can maintain it and even develop new features yourself or with the help of a software partner you trust. It’s also a very mature technology, so there’s a fair chance that you won’t need to do that much maintenance anyway.

Based on our Camundacon observations, Camunda doesn’t seem very interested in small-scale customers who simply want a functional BPM engine. Their focus is squarely on enterprises, and that’s fine – that’s their business choice. However, that doesn’t mean your only option is to pay for their latest and shiniest.

The main drawback to this approach is that Camunda 7 Community Edition’s EOL has already been announced. What does that mean in practice? The way we see it, the biggest problem is that whenever some technology – like Spring or Java – gets a significant new version, updating Camunda to eliminate vulnerabilities and bugs will be on you. Sure, there will still be a community around Camunda, and that should help – but the official repository will be closed (only forks will remain, and each might follow a different path) and relying on the community for critical updates may, in itself, be somewhat problematic, depending on your circumstances (industry, business scale, etc.).

🛟 Need help with updating or maintaining a Camunda-based solution? Check out our BPM system services – there’s a good chance we’ll be able to help you out!

3. Use another dedicated BPM tool

Another choice you can make is to migrate to a completely different BPM tool that provides the functionalities you need without the stuff you don’t. There are plenty of solid Camunda alternatives on the market, such as Activiti (check out our Camunda vs Activiti comparison piece to learn more about the technology), Webcon, etc.

The drawback is, of course, that you and your team will need to learn an entirely new solution – but it just might be worth the effort.

4. Use a low-code platform with BPM capabilities

Finally, there’s also a fourth option. It may not be the first idea that comes to mind, but in some cases, it might be the best choice – instead of a dedicated BPM system, you can invest in a low-code platform with workflow management capabilities and create a BPM application just the way you want it, but without the hassle of long and costly custom software development. 

There are many solid low-code platforms to choose from for this purpose, including two trusted solutions we know very well:

• Oracle APEX – APEX is a powerful low-code tool that you actually get for free with an Oracle DB license, which is great from the cost optimization perspective. With APEX, you can access BPM capabilities through the Flows for APEX extension, available in two versions: the free, open-source Community Edition that provides all the basic features you’d expect from a BPM engine, and the Enterprise Edition, a paid variant with additional functionalities (process collaboration tools, BPMN iteration and loops, GenAI support) and product support.
• Mendix – Mendix is one of the leading low-code platforms (according to the Gartner’s report on the LCAP market), and it provides powerful workflow management capabilities in the form of a built-in Workflow Editor available within Mendix Studio Pro (it’s basically a visual language integrated with visual editors, such as the microflow editor and page editor). The Workflow Editor allows you to build various extendable processes and automate them end-to-end. 

The best thing about this approach is that low-code platforms can do so much more than just deliver BPM solutions – they can become fundamental parts of a company’s tech stack. Whatever system you’ll need in the future, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to create it using your chosen low-code tool. And we don’t just mean small internal apps either, but also large-scale, publicly available solutions or products – just check out Przemek Staniszewski’s article on Oracle APEX public apps if you don’t believe us.

🛠️ Need help with low-code development based on Mendix or Oracle APEX? Write to us at hello@pretius.com – we have extensive experience and would be happy to help.

What to do with your Camunda 7?

When it comes to choosing between Camunda 7 and Camunda 8, understanding the key differences can significantly impact your decision-making process. Camunda 7 Community Edition has long been a staple for businesses seeking to marry great process automation capabilities with cost-effectiveness, and that hasn’t really changed. 

Of course, it doesn’t mean Camunda 8 has no advantages. Its Cockpit provides additional capabilities (better real-time analytics and so on) and improved user experience, and the web modeler and plugins are also great. Most of all, its scalability is a crucial advantage for enterprises; built on microservices architecture, it allows huge businesses to adapt quickly to changing demands without compromising performance. 

Moving from Camunda 7 to 8 is problematic, though, and (depending on your circumstances) not always worth it, considering the licensing costs and compelling alternatives – especially well-established low-code platforms that can help you build apps to cover your workflow management needs, but offer so much more on top of that.

If you’re still not sure which way to go, just drop us a line at hello@pretius.com (or use the simple contact form below). We’ll analyze your current tech stack, your business goals and help you with choosing the most future-proof solution.

And, if you want to read more about Camunda and some of its competitors, check out the other BPM-related articles on our blog:

1. Camunda BPM – What is it, how to use it, and how does it compare with Activiti, Webcon and PowerApps?
2. Camunda vs Activiti: Should your business consider a migration?
3. Business analyst tools you need to do your job well