Compare / n8n vs OpenHands
Head-to-head
n8n vs OpenHands.
Side-by-side on ratings, pricing, pros, cons, and the honest take on which to pick. Cross-category comparison: n8n is a workflow builder and OpenHands is a coding agent.
| n8n | OpenHands | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.0 / 5 |
| Category | Workflow builder | Coding Agent |
| Tech level | low code | developer |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Open-source self-hosted (free). Cloud plans from $24/month. | Open-source and self-hostable (free). Cloud version available with a free tier. Paid cloud plans for teams and enterprises. |
| Best for | Teams with at least one developer who need flexible, powerful workflow automation with AI agents built in — and want the option of full data control. | Platform and DevOps teams automating engineering workflows at scale: fixing CVEs, reviewing PRs, migrating legacy code, triaging incidents. Built for discrete autonomous tasks, not inline IDE assistance. |
| Not for | Teams with zero technical resources. Initial setup requires someone comfortable with a server. | Developers who want an IDE pair programmer for day-to-day coding. OpenHands is designed for autonomous task completion, not inline suggestions while you type. |
Our verdict on n8n
The best workflow automation platform for teams with a developer. Beats every no-code tool for complex automations.
Full n8n review →Our verdict on OpenHands
65k GitHub stars. Autonomous coding agent that completes full engineering tasks — PR reviews, vulnerability fixes, legacy migrations. Cloud or self-hosted.
Full OpenHands review →n8n
What works
- 400+ integrations — connects to virtually everything
- Self-hostable for full data control
- Strong native AI agent support
- Large, active open-source community
- Meaningfully more flexible than Zapier or Make
What doesn't
- Initial setup requires developer time
- Self-hosted version requires ongoing maintenance
- Higher learning curve than no-code alternatives
OpenHands
What works
- 65k GitHub stars — one of the most-starred AI coding projects on GitHub
- Task-complete architecture — hands you a finished PR, not a suggestion
- Parallel task execution — runs multiple agents on different tasks simultaneously
- Runs in isolated Docker/Kubernetes environments with full auditability
- Model-agnostic and deployable air-gapped for strict compliance environments
- Native GitHub, GitLab, and CI/CD integrations
What doesn't
- Not an IDE tool — no inline autocomplete, no real-time pair programming
- Autonomous execution means mistakes require review before merging — trust-but-verify is essential
- Higher setup complexity than Cursor or Cline for simple use cases
- Better suited to well-scoped discrete tasks than open-ended exploratory development
Which to pick
We'd default to n8n (4.5/5 vs 4.0/5) for most builders. Pick OpenHands if you fit its best-for case specifically: platform and devops teams automating engineering workflows at scale: fixing cves, reviewing prs, migrating legacy code, triaging incidents. built for discrete autonomous tasks, not inline ide assistance.
Honest middle: most serious operators end up using more than one tool. If you're early in your AI agent journey, our five-question picker recommends a starting platform from your specific situation.
Common questions
n8n vs OpenHands — which should I pick?
We rate n8n 4.5/5 vs 4.0/5 for OpenHands. n8n wins for teams with at least one developer who need flexible, powerful workflow automation with ai agents built in — and want the option of full data control. — but pick OpenHands if you fit its specific best-for case (Platform and DevOps teams automating engineering workflows at scale: fixing CVEs, reviewing PRs, migrating legacy code, triaging incidents. Built for discrete autonomous tasks, not inline IDE assistance.). See the head-to-head table above for the full breakdown.
Is n8n or OpenHands cheaper?
n8n's pricing: Open-source self-hosted (free). Cloud plans from $24/month. OpenHands's pricing: Open-source and self-hostable (free). Cloud version available with a free tier. Paid cloud plans for teams and enterprises. The right "cheaper" pick depends on usage volume and what's included — see the pricing row in the table above.
What's n8n best for?
Teams with at least one developer who need flexible, powerful workflow automation with AI agents built in — and want the option of full data control.
What's OpenHands best for?
Platform and DevOps teams automating engineering workflows at scale: fixing CVEs, reviewing PRs, migrating legacy code, triaging incidents. Built for discrete autonomous tasks, not inline IDE assistance.
Why compare n8n and OpenHands if they're different categories?
n8n is a workflow builder and OpenHands is a coding agent. The comparison still matters because builders evaluating one often consider the other for adjacent jobs. See the recommendation section above for how to think about the cross-category choice.
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