n8n Alternatives: 8 Self-Hosted Tools Compared

2026-11-14

Pick Activepieces for a visual builder under an MIT community edition, Windmill for code-first workflows, Node-RED for event-driven flows, and POLYROB if you want an agent that works toward goals instead of a workflow you draw. We build POLYROB, and its autonomous runs stop at 150 steps and $2.00 by default (docs/[email protected]), so it goes last, with a section on where it loses to n8n.

This page compares eight tools on what their own READMEs say. Every fact about another project was read from its GitHub README on 2026-11-14 and links to it. We left out hosted-only products such as Zapier and Make, because we could not verify their pages the same way.

How do the n8n alternatives compare?

Tool	Its README describes it as	License named in the README	Interface
n8n (the reference)	“Fair-code platform to build and deploy AI agents and workflows”	Sustainable Use License	Visual canvas with code
Activepieces	“An open source replacement for Zapier”	MIT for the Community Edition	No-code builder
Windmill	“Open-source, self-hostable code-first platform for workflows, apps and AI agents”	AGPLv3 for the open-source build	Code in 20+ languages
Node-RED	“Low-code programming for event-driven applications”	Apache 2.0	Browser flow editor
Dify	“An open-source LLM app development platform”	Dify Open Source License, Apache 2.0 with additional conditions	Visual canvas
Langflow	“A powerful platform for building and deploying AI-powered agents and workflows”	MIT	Visual builder with Python components
Sim	“A workspace to build, deploy and manage AI agents and workflows”	Apache 2.0	Visual, conversational or code
Flowise	“Build AI Agents, Visually” (the README says the project has been archived)	Apache 2.0	Visual builder
POLYROB	A self-hosted AI agent that works toward your goals	MIT	Terminal, chat apps, web console, REST API

Why look for an n8n alternative?

Two reasons come up in practice: the license, and the shape of the tool.

n8n’s README says it is distributed under the Sustainable Use License. The license text says you may use or modify the software “only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use”, and may distribute it only free of charge for non-commercial purposes. That fits most internal automation. It is worth reading closely if you plan to ship the tool inside a product for other people. We are quoting a license, not giving legal advice, so ask the vendor about your case.

The second reason is shape. n8n is built around a canvas where you draw the steps, with 1500+ integrations and 9,000+ workflow templates according to its README. If you would rather describe a goal in plain language and let an agent pick the steps, you want a different kind of tool. Some entries below are canvases like n8n. One is not.

Which tools are n8n alternatives?

Activepieces

Its README calls it “an open source replacement for Zapier” and an all-in-one AI automation tool whose integrations, called pieces, are TypeScript npm packages. The README says the 280+ pieces are also available as MCP servers for clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor and Windsurf, and that a flow can wait for approval before it continues. The Community Edition is MIT; enterprise features are under a commercial license.

Pick it if you want a no-code builder that non-developers can use and a permissive license on the core.

Windmill

Windmill describes itself as a code-first platform where engineers write scripts in 20+ languages and sync them with Git. Scripts become UIs, APIs and cron jobs, and can be composed into flows, data pipelines and AI agents. Its own README calls it a “self-hostable alternative to Lovable, Retool, n8n and a simplified Temporal”.

The license section is specific. Using the Community Edition internally or through its APIs is free, while re-exposing it to your users as a feature of your product needs a commercial license, with iframed public apps excepted. Read that section before you build on it.

Pick it if your team writes code and wants flows reviewed and versioned like code.

Node-RED

Node-RED is a project of the OpenJS Foundation under Apache 2.0. Its README gives a three-step start: sudo npm install -g --unsafe-perm node-red, run node-red, open http://localhost:1880. A library of community nodes and shared flows sits at flows.nodered.org.

Pick it if your work is event-driven wiring between devices, APIs and services and you want a long-standing, foundation-hosted project.

Dify

Dify’s README describes an open-source LLM app development platform that combines AI workflows, a RAG pipeline, agent capabilities, model management and observability. It says agents get a sandbox of their own and can use skills, MCP servers and your own APIs, either as a chat app or as a step in a workflow.

The repository is under the Dify Open Source License, which the README describes as based on Apache 2.0 with additional conditions. Read those conditions before you host it for others, and see our Dify vs n8n comparison for the license text.

Pick it if you are building LLM apps with retrieval and want one visual place for workflows, models and monitoring.

Langflow

Langflow’s README describes a visual builder with source access to every component in Python, an interactive playground, and deployment as an API or as an MCP server. Install is uv pip install langflow -U followed by uv run langflow run, or a Docker image on port 7860. Langflow Desktop is offered for Windows and macOS. The license badge is MIT.

Pick it if you work in Python and want to turn a flow into an API or an MCP tool.

Sim

Sim’s README calls it a workspace to build, deploy and manage AI agents and workflows, and says you can build agents visually, conversationally or with code. Self-hosting runs through Docker Compose, local models work through Ollama and vLLM, and the license is Apache 2.0.

Pick it if you want agents and workflows in one workspace and plan to run local models.

Flowise

Flowise’s README opens with “Build AI Agents, Visually” and install steps of npm install -g flowise and npx flowise start. As of 2026-11-14 the same README also says “Flowise has been archived” and points to a discussion titled “Future of Flowise”. The source is Apache 2.0.

Check that discussion before you start a new project on it.

POLYROB

POLYROB is the odd one out because it is an agent, not a canvas. You install it, give it a goal or a schedule in plain language, and it plans the steps, uses tools and reports back ([email protected]). It is MIT licensed ([email protected]). Our self-hosted AI agent guide covers the whole install.

curl -fsSL https://polyrob.dev/install.sh | bash
polyrob doctor

A recurring job is one line in chat, taken from docs/guide/[email protected]:

/job new every monday 09:00 | Check the site and report broken links

What that gives you, with the file that backs each point:

Goals and jobs survive a restart, and a fresh install starts with an empty board (docs/guide/[email protected]).
Every autonomous run stops at 150 steps and $2.00 by default, and says why it stopped (docs/[email protected]). The autonomous AI agent guide explains what turns those loops on.
When it needs your answer, it puts a card in your Inbox with what it wants, why, and what yes and no each cost (docs/guide/[email protected]).
It talks to you over Telegram, email, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Signal, Feishu and DingTalk (surfaces/@v1.7.9).
It has an MCP client, so it can call tools from any MCP server (tools/mcp/@v1.7.9). See our MCP client explainer. A REST API is included, and POLYROB can also act as an MCP server when MCP_SERVE_ENABLED is on (docs/guide/[email protected]).

Pick it if the job is “keep working on this and ask me before high-impact steps” rather than “run these twelve steps when a webhook fires”.

Where does POLYROB lose to n8n?

Plainly:

Integrations. n8n’s README lists 1500+ integrations. POLYROB ships tools for the web, files, code, a shell, git and GitHub, mail and MCP, plus seven first-party packs ([email protected], docs/[email protected]). Anything beyond that comes through MCP or a skill you write.
No canvas. The console has five destinations: Chat, Inbox, Work, Money and Agent. None is a node editor (docs/guide/[email protected]).
Setup. It runs on Linux, macOS or WSL2 and you work in a terminal or a chat app ([email protected]). It is not built for people who never open a terminal.
No hosted version. The README says there is none.
Age. POLYROB is the newer project, with a smaller community (docs/[email protected]).

When should you stay on n8n?

Stay on n8n if you want a visual canvas, a large template library and a hosted option. Its README offers both self-hosting and a cloud login, and a docker run command to try it in minutes. If your work is “when X happens, do these steps”, a workflow tool is the right shape, and you do not need an agent for it.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a better tool than n8n?

It depends on the job. For drawn workflows, Activepieces, Windmill, Node-RED, Dify, Langflow and Sim cover the same ground with different licenses and interfaces, listed in the table above. For an agent that holds goals and waits for your answer before high-impact steps, POLYROB is a different kind of tool, not a better canvas.

Is n8n becoming obsolete?

On 2026-11-14 the n8n README describes it as a platform for AI agents and workflow automation with 1500+ integrations, so the project is positioning itself for agent work. We did not measure usage and do not compare popularity.

Is there a free version of n8n?

The README says you can self-host it with Docker, and it is distributed under the Sustainable Use License, which allows use for your own internal business purposes or non-commercial use. The license also says files with “.ee.” in their name are not under that license and need an n8n Enterprise License. Read the license against your use case.

Can Zapier replace n8n?

We did not read Zapier’s pages for this article, so we do not compare them. Activepieces calls itself “an open source replacement for Zapier”, which tells you which audience it targets.

Sources

Fetched 2026-11-14: the READMEs of n8n, Activepieces, Windmill, Node-RED, Dify, Langflow, Sim and Flowise, plus the n8n license text. POLYROB facts are from the public repository at tag v1.7.9. Projects change quickly: check each link before you decide.

If an agent fits your job, read how to install POLYROB and give it a first goal. For a comparison with other personal agents, see OpenClaw alternatives.

POLYROB is an open-source AI agent you run and own. Install it or read the docs.