n8n

n8n (node to node) is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform that combines a visual node-based editor with inline JavaScript and Python code capabilities. Founded in 2019 and based in Berlin, n8n has become the leading open-source alternative to Zapier and Make for technical teams that want automation without per-task pricing, vendor lock-in, or data residency constraints. With 189,000+ GitHub stars and a community of 90,000+ members, n8n is the platform of choice for developers, DevOps teams, and data engineers building production-grade automation workflows. Fair-code means the source code is public and self-hostable, with commercial use above a threshold requiring a paid enterprise license. n8n ships with 400+ native integration nodes covering CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho), databases (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, Airtable), communication (Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Outlook), project management (GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Linear, Notion), cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure), and developer tools. The AI subsystem includes 70+ LangChain-based nodes: AI Agent (calls any other n8n node as a tool), Vector Store nodes (Pinecone, Qdrant, Chroma, Supabase), LLM nodes supporting OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and Ollama for local models, plus memory and embedding nodes. n8n ships as both an MCP server and MCP client: workflows can expose tools to external AI agents via MCP, and n8n can call external MCP servers as tools within workflows. The HTTP Request node adds connectivity to any REST API. Integration gap versus Zapier: approximately 8x fewer native integrations, though the HTTP node covers most gaps for developers. Pricing runs on two tracks. Self-hosted is free under the fair-code license with unlimited workflows and executions, deployable via Docker, npm, or cloud marketplaces. Cloud pricing is execution-based: Starter at €20/month (annual, 2,500 executions with unlimited steps per execution); Pro at €50/month (annual, 10,000 executions) adds 25K saved executions, 30-day log retention, and 20 concurrent executions; Enterprise (custom) adds 200+ concurrent executions, unlimited logs, SSO, RBAC, and audit logging. At Pro (€50/month for 10K executions), n8n is dramatically cheaper than Zapier, which charges $49/month for 5K single-step tasks, since n8n counts an entire multi-step workflow as one execution regardless of complexity. n8n is not the right fit for non-technical teams wanting drag-and-drop automation without code: Zapier (free tier, first Zap in 15 minutes) and Make.com ($9/month) provide substantially lower learning curves. Teams needing 8,000+ one-click integrations without API configuration will find Zapier's library significantly larger. Organizations without technical staff to maintain self-hosted infrastructure should use n8n Cloud or evaluate fully managed alternatives. As of Q2 2026, n8n's AI capabilities include the AI Workflow Builder, AI Agent node supporting autonomous tool calls across all 400+ integration nodes, MCP server and MCP client, inline JavaScript and Python, and Git-based version control for Enterprise. Self-hosted deployments keep all data within customer infrastructure. n8n is GDPR compliant. Not affiliated.