Workflow builder
n8n
Workflow automation you control
Our verdict
The best workflow automation platform for teams with a developer. Beats every no-code tool for complex automations.
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.
Not for
Teams with zero technical resources. Initial setup requires someone comfortable with a server.
Overview
n8n is what technical operators reach for when Zapier or Make isn't flexible enough. It connects to virtually everything (400+ integrations), can be self-hosted for full data control, and has a native AI agent layer that's improved significantly. The visual workflow builder handles conditional logic, loops, error handling, webhooks, and custom HTTP calls without writing code — once it's set up. If your team has even one developer who can spend a day configuring it, n8n will outperform any no-code platform for complex multi-step automations.
Repository activity
Updated 2 days ago
Stars
191,721
+5,871 in 45d
Forks
58,404
Contributors
667
Last release
n8n@2.25.63 days ago
Last commit
2 days ago
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
Pricing
Open-source self-hosted (free). Cloud plans from $24/month.
Common questions about n8n
What is n8n?
n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform with native AI agent nodes. Think Zapier or Make, but open-source, self-hostable, and with a much more powerful agent layer. Strong fit for technical teams that want workflow automation without SaaS lock-in.
Is n8n free?
Yes — n8n is open-source (fair-code licence) and free to self-host. They also offer a paid cloud version at $20–$50/month if you don't want to host yourself. The self-hosted version has no usage caps; you pay only for your own server costs and the underlying AI model API calls.
What is n8n AI agent pricing?
n8n itself doesn't charge per AI agent run if you self-host. Your only costs are model API tokens (Claude, GPT, Gemini) consumed by the agent nodes. For typical small-team workflows: $10–$100/month in model costs. n8n cloud adds a $20–$50/month platform fee on top.
n8n vs Make vs Zapier for AI workflows?
n8n is the right pick if you're technical and want open-source, self-hostable, and the strongest native AI agent support. Make is the right middle ground — proprietary but powerful, with a solid AI module. Zapier is the right pick if you need the largest integration library and simplicity matters more than depth. For pure AI agent workflows, n8n leads.
Continue exploring
Tool
AI Agent Cost Calculator
See what running n8n's typical workflow costs at your volume — pre-filled for this category.
Tool
The AI Agent Picker
Not sure n8n is right? Five questions, one recommendation.
Reference
AI agents, explained
Twelve plain-English answers covering what AI agents are and what they're not yet good at.
More in Workflow builders
Open dataset. This review is part of a structured dataset of every platform on the shortlist, published as platforms.json on GitHub under CC-BY-4.0.