n8n
Open-source workflow automation — visual canvas, code when you need it.
At a glance
Power users running 10+ automations who outgrew Zapier’s pricing
Our take
n8n is what happens when Zapier meets a developer mindset. You build automations on a visual canvas, but you can also drop into JavaScript any time you need to. Self-host it for free, or pay for the cloud version when you want someone else to handle uptime. It’s our go-to recommendation for anyone running more than ten Zaps a month — the math starts to favor n8n quickly. Not the right tool if you’re allergic to seeing a code snippet, though.
Key features
- ✓Visual workflow editor with 400+ integrations
- ✓Self-host or use n8n Cloud
- ✓Native AI agent nodes (LangChain-based)
- ✓Code nodes for custom JavaScript
- ✓Version control and folders
What we like
- ✓Dramatically cheaper than Zapier at scale
- ✓Self-hosting is genuinely free
- ✓Open source — you own your workflows
- ✓AI nodes are excellent
What could be better
- ✗Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- ✗Fewer pre-built templates
- ✗Self-hosting requires technical setup
This page contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we’d use ourselves.
Related articles
Guides where we cover this tool in more depth.