These eight n8n alternatives are grouped by what you are optimizing for after running n8n yourself: stop building the graph and describe the job to Viktor, an [AI employee](https://viktor.com/ai-employee) in Slack and Microsoft Teams; stay self-hosted with Activepieces, Windmill or Node-RED; or move to a managed visual builder: Make, Zapier, Workato or Microsoft Power Automate. Each entry says who maintains the box and what the license allows. ## Where n8n wins n8n earned its place on your server. The free Community edition offers [self-hosting with almost the complete feature set](https://docs.n8n.io/choose-how-to-use-n8n) and what n8n’s docs call “Full control over deployment and configuration”: workflow definitions, execution logs and credentials sit in a database you run, in a region you pick. The Code node is the second reason. It lets you [write custom JavaScript or Python](https://docs.n8n.io/build/code-in-n8n/using-the-code-node) as a workflow step, and a self-hosted instance can enable external npm modules, which n8n Cloud does not allow. The license is the third. The Sustainable Use License is fair-code rather than open source, but n8n’s [license FAQ](https://docs.n8n.io/n8n-community-license/community-license/license-faq) is plain about the common case: if workflows are only created or modified by people in your organization, the Community edition is free to use. And the unit economics at volume are hard to beat. n8n Cloud bills per workflow execution, which its [pricing page](https://n8n.io/pricing/) defines as “a single run of your entire workflow. It doesn’t matter how many steps are in the workflow or how much data it processes.” Starter is 20 euros a month billed annually for 2,500 executions, Pro is 50 euros for 10,000, and Business is 667 euros for 40,000, currently self-hosted only. A forty-node workflow costs one execution; on tools that meter every action, the same run costs forty. Pricing checked October 2026. The Cloud trial runs [14 days with a limit of 1,000 executions](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/use-n8n-cloud/start-your-free-trial), with no credit card required per the pricing page. ## The real cost of running n8n yourself n8n’s own [Docker install docs](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/install-options/install-with-docker) say it directly: “n8n recommends self-hosting for expert users. Mistakes can lead to data loss, security issues, and downtime.” Version upgrades. n8n’s [update guidance](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/keep-n8n-running/update-n8n) is to “Update frequently: this avoids having to jump multiple versions at once, reducing the risk of a disruptive update”, to “Check the Release notes for breaking changes”, and to test in an Environment first. Environments, SSO, Git source control, log streaming, external secrets, variables and projects are [Business and Enterprise features](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/community-edition-features); the Community edition “includes almost the complete feature set of n8n”, but the recommended safe upgrade path is not in it. Credential rotation. Credentials are encrypted before they reach the database with a key n8n [generates in the ~/.n8n folder](https://docs.n8n.io/deploy/host-n8n/configure-n8n/basic-configuration/configuration-examples/set-a-custom-encryption-key) or reads from N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY, and in queue mode every worker needs the same key. Nodes that break after an API change. When a vendor changes an endpoint, the node that calls it stops working until a fix lands, and on a self-hosted box, landing a fix means another upgrade. The person who owns the box. Someone holds the Postgres backups, the TLS certificate, the disk alerts and the pager. A 20-euro Starter plan or a free Community install is the visible price; the time of the person who owns the container is the real one. ## n8n alternatives at a glance ```json:object { "_key": "k68", "_type": "table", "rows": [ { "_key": "k59", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "#", "Alternative", "Group", "Best for", "Who maintains it", "License or hosting" ] }, { "_key": "k60", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "1", "Viktor", "Stop building the graph", "Describing the job in chat instead of drawing it", "Viktor’s service, nothing to host", "Managed service, not self-hosted" ] }, { "_key": "k61", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "2", "Activepieces", "Stay self-hosted", "The closest canvas swap under a permissive license", "You, with Docker Compose", "MIT Expat core, enterprise folder under its own license" ] }, { "_key": "k62", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "3", "Windmill", "Stay self-hosted", "Developers who prefer writing steps to dragging them", "You, with Docker or Kubernetes", "AGPLv3 core, proprietary enterprise features" ] }, { "_key": "k63", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "4", "Node-RED", "Stay self-hosted", "Event and device flows on small hardware", "You, with npm or Docker", "Apache License 2.0, OpenJS Foundation" ] }, { "_key": "k64", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "5", "Make", "Move to managed-but-visual", "Visual scenarios billed in credits", "Make", "Hosted" ] }, { "_key": "k65", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "6", "Zapier", "Move to managed-but-visual", "The widest app catalog", "Zapier", "Hosted" ] }, { "_key": "k66", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "7", "Workato", "Move to managed-but-visual", "Enterprise integration with a long compliance list", "Workato", "Hosted cloud, On-prem Agent add-on" ] }, { "_key": "k67", "_type": "tableRow", "cells": [ "8", "Microsoft Power Automate", "Move to managed-but-visual", "Tenants already on Microsoft 365", "Microsoft", "Hosted, per user or per bot licensing" ] } ] } ``` ## Stop building the graph Describe the job in plain language and have it done, with no canvas to maintain and no box to own. ### 1. Viktor Viktor is an AI employee who lives in [Slack and Microsoft Teams](https://viktor.com), connects to 3,200+ tools, most through one-click OAuth and some through API keys, with 27 native integrations, and does the work himself. Where n8n needs four nodes, Viktor needs a message in #sales: “Every weekday at 8, pull yesterday’s new HubSpot deals, add them to the pipeline sheet, and post owner and stage for each one here.” He runs that as a Task on the schedule, and [twice a day he checks recent workspace activity](https://viktor.com/docs/proactive-updates) to follow up on blockers. For a tool missing from the catalog, he builds a custom integration. Control replaces the canvas. Money moves, code pushes, customer emails, campaign changes and app deployments [wait for explicit approval in Slack](https://viktor.com/security), and admins [choose which other actions](https://viktor.com/docs/approvals) need a sign-off. The security page also states: SOC 2 Type 1 certified with Type 2 in progress, ISO 27001 in progress, CASA Tier 3, GDPR aligned and CCPA compliant; customer data never trains a model; a tool gateway injects API keys at execution time so the model never sees them. Pricing is usage-based credits per workspace with no per-seat fee, starting with up to $100 in free credits and no card. The trade-off is stated in the [one-on-one comparison](https://viktor.com/blog/viktor-vs-n8n): “Viktor is a managed product. No infra to maintain. No Postgres to back up. No Docker container to update.” He cannot be self-hosted. If the automation engine itself must run inside your network, read the next group. [Add Viktor to Slack or Microsoft Teams, free to start →](https://app.viktor.com/signup) ## Stay self-hosted Keep control of the data, change the tool. Each option here runs on your hardware under an OSI-approved core license. ### 2. Activepieces Activepieces is the closest like-for-like swap: a visual builder whose catalog lists [762 open-source pieces with 5,764 actions](https://www.activepieces.com/pieces), each extendable in TypeScript through a pull request. The core is MIT Expat licensed, with the packages/ee directories under a separate enterprise license. Every plan runs [cloud or on-prem](https://www.activepieces.com/pricing). Free is $0 for 1,000 credits a month with no card; Plus is $20 flat per month for 10,000 credits and up to 5 users; Team is $200 flat per month for 50,000 credits and 25 users, with overage at $0.007 per credit on Plus and Team; Ultimate is custom. “A run is one credit however many steps it has”, except AI steps at 2 to 20 credits, or 1 credit each with your own AI provider keys on Plus and up. The Community Edition “is the automation core on its own”. Self-hosting is a [one-command Docker Compose install](https://www.activepieces.com/docs/install/options/docker-compose) needing at least 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM, running four containers: app, worker, postgres and redis. Upgrades are manual: rerun the installer with –upgrade after a pg_dump backup and a read of the breaking changes documentation. ### 3. Windmill Windmill is for the developer who would rather write the step than drag it. Its license file says the binary built without the “enterprise” flag “is open-source under the AGPLv3 License terms and conditions”, the client libraries are Apache 2.0, and the enterprise features are proprietary. The [Free and Open-source tier](https://www.windmill.dev/pricing) is $0 a month with “Unlimited executions.”, “Self-host in minutes” on Fargate, Docker or Kubernetes, and community support on Discord, within limits of 3 workspaces, 50 users, 10 users with SSO and 4 groups. Enterprise starts from $120 a month, built from $20 a month per developer, $10 per operator and $50 per worker with a 2 GB memory limit, and adds a commercial license, audit logs, SAML and 24/7 support with a 3-hour response time. The footer states that Windmill Labs is SOC 2 Type II compliant. The [self-host docs](https://www.windmill.dev/docs/advanced/self_host) ship a docker-compose.yml, a Caddyfile and a .env, plus a Helm chart. PostgreSQL “contains the entire state of Windmill, including the job queue”, and upgrading is a stop, a pull and an up. ### 4. Node-RED Node-RED is the only option here stewarded by a foundation: [“a flow-based programming tool”](https://nodered.org/about/) for event-driven applications, “originally developed by IBM Emerging Technology Services team and now a part of the OpenJS Foundation”, with over 5,000 community nodes, built to run “at the edge of the network on low-cost hardware such as the Raspberry Pi as well as in the cloud”. The license is Apache License Version 2.0. The [getting started page](https://nodered.org/docs/getting-started/) lists Docker, Raspberry Pi, AWS and Azure, and FlowFuse for “Running a multi-tenant Node-RED solution”. One line from the [security docs](https://nodered.org/docs/user-guide/runtime/securing-node-red) matters to anyone leaving n8n for it: “By default, the Node-RED editor is not secured - anyone who can access its IP address can access the editor and deploy changes.” You add adminAuth and HTTPS yourself. ## Move to managed-but-visual Give up the box, keep the canvas. Each of these runs the engine for you and bills by a unit that is not a workflow execution. ### 5. Make Make’s [pricing page](https://www.make.com/en/pricing) states the credit rule: “most actions consume 1 credit, while some advanced features leveraging Make’s AI Provider may use more.” The Router module and the error handler modules (Rollback, Break, Resume, Commit, Ignore) count no credits. Free is 1,000 credits a month with 2 active scenarios, a 15-minute minimum interval between runs and no time limit, across 3,000+ apps. Core is $9 a month, Pro $16 and Teams $29, each for 10,000 credits a month on annual billing, which the page says saves 15% or more; Enterprise is custom. ### 6. Zapier Zapier meters tasks. On its [pricing page](https://zapier.com/pricing), “Tasks are used when a Zap successfully moves data or completes an action for you automatically”, and built-in tools such as Formatter, Paths, Filter and Delay use none. Free is 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only. Professional is $19.99 a month billed annually for 750 tasks with one seat; Team is $69 a month billed annually for 2,000 tasks and 25 users; Enterprise is custom, with unlimited users on Team and Enterprise. Past the limit, pay-per-task billing “is charged at a higher per-task rate than your base subscription tasks”, and the [help center](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/15279018245901-How-pay-per-task-billing-works-in-Zapier) caps it at three times the plan’s allocation. The catalog is 9,000+ apps. Zap export and import are [JSON only](https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/8496308481933-Import-and-export-Zap-workflows-in-your-Team-or-Enterprise-account); the help article lists Free, Professional, Team and Enterprise, and import is unavailable during the free trial. ### 7. Workato Workato’s [pricing page](https://www.workato.com/pricing) lists four editions, Standard, Business MCP, Enterprise MCP and Workato ONE, with no prices and a footnote that “Workato’s pricing and plan structures may vary based on your contract terms and when you joined.” The self-service side is public in the [docs](https://docs.workato.com/en/pricing/self-service/self-service.html): Workato Free comes with a 50,000-credit one-time grant, and Workato Pro runs from $75 a month for 2,500 credits to $1,275 a month for 50,000, where “Unused Workato Pro credits expire at the end of the billing month and don’t roll over.” The [security docs](https://docs.workato.com/security/security-compliance.html) name SOC 1 Type II, SOC 2 Type II and SOC 3, ISO 27001, 27701 and 42001, HIPAA with Business Associate Agreements, PCI-DSS v4.0.1 Level 1, IRAP and NIST 800-171A r2. Workato is a cloud service; its [On-prem Agent](https://docs.workato.com/on-prem.html) opens “a secure connection from within your private IT environment to connect to Workato cloud”. The [integrations page](https://www.workato.com/integrations) says 1000+ apps. ### 8. Microsoft Power Automate Power Automate is the obvious move for a Microsoft 365 tenant. The [pricing page](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate/pricing) lists Premium at $15.00 per user per month, Process at $150.00 per bot per month and Hosted Process at $215.00 per bot per month, all paid yearly, with a 30-day trial and the caveat that “Prices shown are for marketing purposes only and may not be reflective of actual list price due to currency, country, regional, and organizational variant factors.” The product page counts [more than 1,400 prebuilt, certified connectors](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/products/power-automate). Microsoft’s [licensing overview](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/pricing-billing-skus) notes that some Microsoft 365 licenses include limited Power Automate rights “intended for scenarios that use Microsoft 365 data and standard connectors”; premium flows need a standalone plan or [pay-as-you-go](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-platform/admin/pay-as-you-go-meters) at $0.60 per cloud flow run and $3.00 per unattended desktop flow run. ## Open source vs fair-code: what the licenses allow n8n’s [Sustainable Use License](https://github.com/n8n-io/n8n/blob/master/LICENSE.md) limits use: “You may use or modify the software only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use. You may distribute the software or provide it to others only if you do so free of charge for non-commercial purposes.” Source files with “.ee.” in their name need an n8n Enterprise License. n8n’s [license page](https://docs.n8n.io/n8n-community-license/community-license) explains the word it avoids: “according to the Open Source Initiative (OSI), open source licenses can’t include limitations on use, so we do not call ourselves open source.” Its FAQ allows internal workflows and paid consulting, and rules out three things: “Host n8n as a service and allow your clients to build workflows”, “Allow external end users to build or configure their own workflows through your product”, and “Fork n8n’s code to launch your own automation product”. MIT, Activepieces’ core license, is [OSI approved](https://opensource.org/license/mit) and grants the right “to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software”. Hosting it for clients is allowed. Apache License 2.0, Node-RED’s license, is [OSI approved](https://opensource.org/license/apache-2-0) and grants “a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute the Work.” AGPLv3, Windmill’s core license, is [OSI approved](https://opensource.org/license/agpl-v3) and copyleft: it “requires the operator of a network server to provide the source code of the modified version running there to the users of that server.” Windmill’s Community Edition images also bundle non-open code you may use free and redistribute as is, but not “sell, resell, serve as a managed service, modify or wrap under any form without an explicit agreement”. If your use is internal automation, all four licenses permit it. The difference appears when you host for clients, embed the builder in a product, or fork. ## How to choose an n8n alternative Stop building the graph if the canvas is the cost. Describe the jobs to Viktor and let approvals in Slack be the control point. [See the tools Viktor connects to →](https://viktor.com/integrations) Stay self-hosted if the engine must run inside your network. Activepieces for the closest canvas swap under MIT, Windmill when your team would rather write scripts, Node-RED for device and event flows on small hardware. Move to managed-but-visual if you want the canvas without the box. Make if credits per module action fit your scenario shapes, Zapier for catalog breadth, Workato for governance and compliance scope, Power Automate when the tenant is already Microsoft 365. Recompute your monthly unit count first: n8n charged per execution, and every tool in this group charges per step, per seat or per run. [Book a demo and bring your forty-node workflow →](https://viktor.com/contact-sales) Before migrating, export every n8n workflow as JSON, which n8n [saves natively](https://docs.n8n.io/build/manage-workflows/export-and-import), and strip the credential names from the files, since n8n’s docs say exported JSON includes credential names and IDs. Map every node to a target and mark the Code nodes. Then run both in parallel: keep the n8n box up, mirror each workflow, compare outputs for a full cycle of the schedule, and turn off the n8n copy last. [Start with up to $100 in free credits. No card required.](https://viktor.com/pricing) ## FAQ ### Is there an alternative to n8n? Yes, grouped by what you are optimizing for. To stop maintaining a canvas, Viktor is an AI employee in Slack and Microsoft Teams who does the work from a plain-language description. To stay self-hosted under an OSI-approved core license, Activepieces, Windmill and Node-RED run on your own hardware. To keep a visual builder without a server, Make, Zapier, Workato and Power Automate host it for you. ### What are n8n’s competitors? In the managed, visual category: Make, Zapier, Workato and Microsoft Power Automate. In the self-hosted category: Activepieces with an MIT core, Windmill with an AGPLv3 core, and Node-RED under Apache 2.0. Viktor competes on a different axis, replacing the workflow canvas with an AI employee who takes the job in chat. ### Is n8n open source? Not by n8n’s own definition. Its source is available under the Sustainable Use License, which limits use to internal business purposes or non-commercial use, and n8n says that because OSI open source licenses cannot restrict use, it does not call itself open source. It uses the term fair-code instead. Activepieces’ MIT core, Node-RED’s Apache 2.0 and Windmill’s AGPLv3 core are OSI approved. ### Is there an n8n alternative for non-developers? Viktor needs no canvas and no code: the work is described in Slack or Microsoft Teams, sensitive actions wait for approval, and recurring jobs run as Tasks. Among visual tools, Make lists a no-code visual workflow builder on its Free plan, and Zapier’s pricing FAQ says you move data between apps without being a developer. ### Can n8n workflows be migrated to another tool? Not by import. n8n saves workflows as JSON that describes n8n nodes, and Zapier imports only its own JSON, so plan to rebuild each workflow on the target and run both in parallel until outputs match. Credentials never travel: exported n8n JSON holds credential names and IDs, so every connection is re-authorized on the new side.