Activepieces vs n8n
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings
Activepieces or n8n: which should you choose?
| Dimension | Activepieces | n8n |
|---|---|---|
| Integration catalog | 760+ open-source pieces (Gmail, OpenAI, Slack, Notion, HubSpot) | 500+ pre-built nodes plus custom HTTP/GraphQL and cURL import |
| Code steps | TypeScript code step for the hardest steps | JavaScript and Python code steps anywhere in a workflow |
| AI agent tooling | AI agents with custom instructions, human approval gates, Tables, MCP server for Claude/ChatGPT/Cursor/Copilot/Gemini | Multi-agent and RAG pipelines, traceable AI reasoning, structured I/O enforcement, native AI evaluation, MCP support |
| Concurrency limits | Not stated in provided data | 5-concurrent executions on Starter, 20 on Pro |
| Target builder | Non-engineers across sales, support, marketing, ops — no code needed | IT Ops, SecOps, DevOps, and developers comfortable with Docker/self-hosting |
Our Activepieces vs n8n verdict written Sep 23, 2026 quotes $667, which no longer matches the verified price table, so it is being re-reviewed and is not shown.
Open-source AI automation you can self-host: chat a workflow into agents, flows, and tables across 770+ app connections.
Visit Websiten8n is a visual workflow automation platform where AI agents and integrations run on a canvas you can read, trace, and audit.
Visit WebsiteWhat do real users say about Activepieces vs n8n?
Not marketing copy and not our opinion — a structured sweep of public discussion (reviews, forums, communities and video comments), showing what people praise and what they complain about for each tool.
Activepieces
62 mentions across 4 sources · 76% positive (averaged across 4 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, GitHub
What users praise
- • True open-source license (MIT) allows free use in commercial apps
- • Drag-and-drop builder is praised for being easy and intuitive
- • Active and responsive team; feature requests implemented in a day
- • Very competitive pricing compared to Zapier and n8n
What frustrates them
- • Advanced features are gated behind paid tiers, limiting open-source claim
- • Fewer integrations than rivals (700 vs n8n's 1000+)
- • Community edition lacks some power features, pushing users to paid plans
- • Some users find n8n's workflow capabilities more advanced for complex automation
Researched Aug 21, 2026
n8n
119 mentions across 8 sources · 61% positive — mixed (weighted across 8 sources)
Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt, App Store, Bluesky, Stack Overflow, GitHub, Lemmy
What users praise
- • Self-hosting avoids Zapier's per-task pricing and expensive tier upgrades
- • Every node shows input and output, making workflows auditable and debuggable
- • JavaScript and Python code steps provide escape hatches when visual nodes fall short
- • 500+ integrations plus HTTP/GraphQL and cURL import cover almost any API
What frustrates them
- • Licensing is source-available, not true open source — a real buyer beware
- • Complex workflows balloon into visual spaghetti that's harder to maintain than code
- • Self-hosted installs frequently fail to connect through Cloudflare or proxies
- • Webhook retries cause duplicate data without manual idempotency handling
Researched Nov 7, 2026
Who should pick Activepieces, and who should pick n8n?
- Ops or marketing lead with no engineering supportPick: Activepieces
The chat-to-automation interface drafts flows from plain-English descriptions and the visual builder needs no code, so a non-technical owner can ship and maintain workflows themselves.
- SecOps engineer building threat-intelligence pipelinesPick: n8n
Traceable AI reasoning, structured input/output enforcement, and rule-based guardrails let every enrichment step stay auditable, which is exactly the SOAR-style requirement n8n targets.
- Team migrating off Zapier or Make to cut per-step costsPick: Activepieces
Activepieces explicitly positions unlimited automations against quota-based models, and 760+ pieces cover the common SaaS integrations a Zapier user already runs.
- Developer building multi-agent or RAG systems with custom codePick: n8n
JavaScript and Python code steps anywhere, RAG pipeline support, multi-agent builder, and native AI evaluation cover the build-and-regression-test loop Activepieces' TypeScript step alone won't.
- Org needing air-gapped or EU-resident self-hosted agents with approvalsPick: Activepieces
Self-hosted, air-gapped, and EU data residency are named, plus human approval gates and audit logs are built in rather than bolted onto a higher tier — provided you pay for the governance tier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a non-technical person really build an agent in either tool?
Activepieces is explicitly designed for every department with a no-code chat-to-automation path. n8n's own 'not for' list names non-technical users who want plug-and-play without a server to think about, so this is the clearest single-axis decision.
Which one is cheaper at scale?
The data doesn't publish Activepieces' per-step or tier prices, so a hard number comparison isn't supported. n8n's disclosed constraints are the €667/mo Business tier for SSO/audit and 5- or 20-concurrent-execution caps on Starter and Pro, which are the costs that surface as you scale.
Do both support connecting agents to Claude, ChatGPT, or Cursor?
Activepieces ships an MCP server for exactly those clients. n8n also lists MCP support, including building and updating n8n workflows from inside your own AI app, so the distinction is workflow-management-through-MCP rather than mere connectivity.
What happens to a workflow when every step runs but one fails?
n8n lets you re-run a single step instead of the entire workflow, which matters on long multi-step AI pipelines. Activepieces handles failure through branching, retries, error handling, and waitpoints in the visual builder rather than step-level replay.
Which has more integrations?
Activepieces lists 760+ open-source pieces; n8n lists 500+ pre-built nodes but adds cURL import and custom HTTP/GraphQL so you can build what's missing. If you need 10,000+ niche connectors, Activepieces' own 'not for' note says Zapier and Make are still larger.
What else are Activepieces and n8n compared with?
If you're a large enterprise already on ServiceNow and need a compliant, omnichannel assistant that deflects tickets out of the box, Moveworks is the obvious choice—but expect a sales cycle and enterp
If you're automating processes, connecting 500+ services, or orchestrating AI agents with full traceability, pick n8n. If you're building internal CRUD apps and dashboards on your own data, Appsmith i
If you run an enterprise SOC drowning in 1000+ daily alerts and want autonomous triage with a learning memory, Torq is built for you—but you'll pay enterprise prices. If you're a technical team needin
Pick Make if your problem is breadth: a messy multi-app stack with branching, data reshaping, and a team that would rather prompt Maia by Make than wire every node. Pick n8n if your problem is account
If you’re an executive, sales, or marketing person who wants to fuel an AI agent from a chat prompt without dealing with code or infrastructure, choose AutoGPT — it even lands in Discord/Telegram now.
Where can you read more about Activepieces and n8n?
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Analysis generated by our model pipeline from live data: