AutoGen vs n8n

n8n shines with a visual workflow builder where you can drag-and-drop nodes, insert JavaScript or Python anywhere, and tap into 500+ integrations covering Slack, Salesforce, GitHub, and more. It also gives you AI agent building with multi-agent and RAG, plus MCP support to hook into legacy systems. Crucially, n8n adds enterprise governance: human-in-the-loop approvals, RBAC, SSO/SAML/LDAP, encrypted secrets, and audit logs that stream to SIEM. Every step of an agent's reasoning is traceable on the canvas, and you can re-run single steps or replay mock data for debugging. AutoGen, by contrast, is a code-centric, MIT-licensed framework from Microsoft. It lets you define agents with distinct roles, tools, and LLM backends (OpenAI, Azure, Hugging Face, etc.) and orchestrate conversation patterns: sequential, group chat, or nested. It supports human-in-the-loop and has an AutoGen Studio for visual prototyping, plus code execution sandboxing via Docker. But its integrations are mainly LLM/API-based, not a plugin ecosystem like n8n's. AutoGen excels at multi-agent collaboration and simulations, whereas n8n excels at connecting to business tools and providing operational control. n8n's Git-based version control and workflow diffs are a boon for teams, while AutoGen's distributed agents via gRPC target scalable systems. In production, n8n's execution-based pricing and audit trails give it an edge for regulated industries, but AutoGen's open license means you can embed it anywhere for free.

n8n operates on a freemium model: you can self-host the community edition (free) or pay for n8n Cloud, which uses execution-based pricing (not per step). That means you pay for what you run, which can scale predictably with volume, but high-volume flows may hit caps on lower tiers. AutoGen is fully free—MIT licensed—so you pay zero licensing fees, but you'll need to handle your own hosting (Docker required for code execution sandboxing) and LLM API costs. For teams that need managed infrastructure and support, n8n Cloud's cost is justified by zero-maintenance and added enterprise features like SSO and audit logs. For developers comfortable with self-hosting, AutoGen's free pricing is attractive, but you'll invest more time in setup and运维. Consider your total cost: n8n's execution pricing might be predictable if you have steady flows; AutoGen's hidden cost is infrastructure and expertise.