Thrubit vs LocalStack
for Step Functions development
Both tools let you run AWS locally. But if you're building with Step Functions, the choice isn't even close. Here's an honest breakdown, what each tool does well, where each falls short, and when to use one over the other.
If Step Functions is your tool, Thrubit is built for you.
LocalStack is a general-purpose AWS emulator. Thrubit is purpose-built for Step Functions development with the visual debugger, Lambda execution speed, and workflow tooling that a general emulator can't match.
Full feature comparison
An honest look at what each tool supports for Step Functions development. Green cells indicate Thrubit has a clear advantage.
| Feature |
Thrubit
|
LocalStack
|
|---|
| Setup & Installation | ||
| Installation |
Download the appDouble-click to open. Done in under 2 minutes.
|
Docker + pip/brew/CLIRequires Docker Desktop running, then
localstack start. Several minutes on first run. |
| Docker required |
No Docker required, ever
|
Docker Desktop must be running
|
| Works fully offline |
Yes — no internet needed after setup
|
Mostly — some images may need pulling
|
| Step Functions Support | ||
| ASL execution |
Full Standard & Express workflowsAll state types: Task, Wait, Choice, Parallel, Map, Pass, Succeed, Fail, Catch, Retry
|
Partial supportBasic state types work; some advanced features incomplete or require Pro tier
|
| Visual state machine debugger |
Built-in, real-timeWatch execution flow live on a visual graph. Inspect inputs, outputs, and errors at each state.
|
None — log output only. No visual graph debugger.
|
| Real-time execution tracing |
Step-by-step trace with timing, I/O, and state transitions as they happen
|
Available via CloudWatch-compatible logs — requires parsing
|
| SAM template.yaml integration |
Point at your SAM project; Thrubit auto-discovers all Lambda functions
|
Requires deploying via CDK/SAM/Terraform with LocalStack provider; more steps
|
| Lambda Execution | ||
| Lambda execution model |
Real code, instant executionYour actual Lambda code runs in Node.js/Python/etc. on your machine — no container spin-up.
|
Docker container per runtimeFirst run is slow while images download; closer to real Lambda behavior, more overhead.
|
| Cold-start time (first run) |
Instant — no container to start
|
Several seconds on cold start for each runtime image
|
| Lambda environment variables |
Loaded from your project's env files or SAM template
|
Injected via deploy configuration
|
| AWS Service Mocking | ||
| Amazon Bedrock mock |
10+ model familiesClaude, Titan, Llama, Mistral, Nova & more — correctly-shaped responses at zero cost
|
Partial / in progress — not production-ready for all model families
|
| SQS mock |
Local SQS queues, send/receive/delete
|
Full SQS emulation including FIFO
|
| EventBridge mock |
Local EventBridge for Step Functions integration
|
Available — requires Pro/Enterprise tier for full support
|
| S3, DynamoDB, RDS, API Gateway… |
S3 & DynamoDB live integrationYour workflows call S3 and DynamoDB directly — real service, real data, no emulation layer needed. RDS, API Gateway and others pass through to AWS.
|
80+ AWS services emulatedS3, DynamoDB, API Gateway, RDS, SNS, Kinesis and more
|
| Developer Experience | ||
| Native desktop app |
macOS + Windows native app
|
CLI tool + web dashboard (LocalStack Web App)
|
| Open source |
Commercial product — free trial, paid license
|
Core is open-source (Apache 2.0). Pro/Enterprise features are paid.
|
| Pricing |
Affordable per-developer licenseFree trial, then a straightforward flat fee. No usage-based surprise bills.
|
Free community tier; expensive EnterpriseHobby use is free; full feature set costs $35+/dev/month (Enterprise much more)
|
| Pre-built workflow examples |
60+ industry workflows ready to run locally out of the box
|
No included Step Functions workflow library
|
Where Thrubit is simply better for Step Functions work
LocalStack is an impressive general-purpose tool. But it was never designed around Step Functions development specifically and it shows in these areas.
template.yaml — no manual wiring, no deployment step, no CDK stack. It just works with the project structure you already have.Thrubit is built for your team when…
If any of these describe your situation, Thrubit will make you faster, reduce debugging friction, and save you time on every iteration.
- Step Functions is your primary orchestration tool
- You want a visual debugger — not raw log parsing
- You're iterating fast and need instant Lambda feedback
- You're building AI workflows using Amazon Bedrock
- You don't want to manage Docker Desktop just to test locally
- You're teaching or demoing Step Functions to a team
- You want pre-built workflow examples to start from
- You're on a machine with limited resources or corp-managed Docker restrictions
Up and running in under 2 minutes
No Docker. No AWS account. No configuration files to edit before your first execution.
Download Thrubit for macOS or Windows. Double-click to install — it behaves like any other desktop application. No CLI, no daemon, no Docker.
Open Preferences and point Thrubit at the folder containing your template.yaml. It automatically discovers all Lambda functions and state machines defined there.
Paste your ASL JSON, drag in a template from Thrubit's workflow library, or create a new state machine from scratch using the visual designer.
Click Run. Watch the execution trace live on the visual graph. Inspect each state's input, output, timing, and errors — exactly as it flows through your workflow.
Questions about switching from LocalStack
If your team is already using LocalStack and wondering whether Thrubit is worth evaluating, here are the questions we hear most often.
template.yaml and it auto-discovers your Lambda functions. CDK-only projects require exporting the CloudFormation template or using a SAM wrapper — something we're improving.See the difference in 2 minutes
Download Thrubit and run your first Step Functions workflow locally — with the visual debugger LocalStack doesn't have. No Docker. No AWS account. No credit card. ZERO AWS costs.
What teams are saying
Real feedback from engineers, trainers and decision makers.
“Thrubit cut our Step Functions debugging cycle from 15 minutes per iteration down to seconds. The visual trace is worth the price alone. It’s become an essential part of our development workflow.”
“I was looking for ways to make Step Functions and Lambdas more tangible for students. Thrubit makes it significantly easier to visualize workflows and experiment locally, accelerating real understanding.”
“Thrubit saves us over $24k a year & protects us from surprise AWS bills. One rogue state machine once cost us 10x our typical month. With Thrubit, that risk is gone and our developers iterate faster.”
