n8n connects services together with visual workflows: a trigger fires, data flows through nodes that transform and route it, and actions happen elsewhere.

Zapier without the per-task pricing

Hosted automation platforms charge per task executed, which makes high-volume or high-frequency workflows expensive quickly. Self-hosted n8n has no per-execution cost, and the data passing through workflows, which is often credentials-adjacent and always business-relevant, stays on your infrastructure.

What makes it more capable than most

n8n includes a Code node running JavaScript or Python, so when the visual nodes cannot express something you drop into code without leaving the workflow. It handles branching, looping over items, error workflows, and waiting, which is the difference between simple triggers and genuine automation.

Several hundred integrations ship built in, plus generic HTTP request and webhook nodes covering anything with an API.

Licensing: read this before building on it

n8n is not open source in the OSI sense. It uses the Sustainable Use License, which permits internal business use and self-hosting but restricts offering n8n itself as a service to others. For personal and internal company use that is unproblematic; if you intend to build a product on it, read the terms carefully.

Deployment

Docker with PostgreSQL for anything persistent, and a queue mode with Redis for higher volumes. Workflows and credentials live in the database, so back it up.

Alternatives

Activepieces is MIT-licensed with a similar model. Node-RED is stronger for IoT and event-driven flows. Huginn is the long-standing Ruby option.

License

n8n is released under the Sustainable Use License.

Links

• Website
• Repository