n8n alternatives (2026)
n8n is a no-code builders tool: Workflow automation with AI agent nodes; self-host or cloud. Pricing, as the maker states it: Self-host free; paid cloud. Its GitHub repo has 208,541 stars. We found 34 tools in the directory that do overlapping work (writing code, automating workflows, building apps without code); 13 of them are open source and 9 list a free or freemium plan. Below are the 10 closest, ranked by how many tasks and sub-tasks they share with n8n, then by GitHub stars.
Updated
Quick answer: the top picks on this list, ranked by GitHub stars and listing maturity, are Langflow, Sim Studio and FastGPT, out of 11 tools listed below. At a glance: 8 open-source, 8 free or freemium and 8 local or self-hosted across 11 link-checked tools (last verified ).
Verified on : every tool link on this page was checked by our daily link check. No paid placements.
Ranked comparison (top 10)
| # | Tool | Pricing | Best for | Open source | Runs locally | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Langflow | Open source + cloud | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Offline | 156,004 |
| 2 |  Sim Studio | Open source + cloud | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 29,914 |
| 3 |  FastGPT | Source-available + cloud | write code, automate workflows | No | 29,906 | |
| 4 |  Activepieces | Open source + cloud | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 25,213 |
| 5 |  Astron Agent | Open source | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 8,925 |
| 6 |  PySpur | Open source | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 5,793 |
| 7 |  Yuanjing Wanwu | Open source | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 2,377 |
| 8 |  ByteChef | Open source + cloud | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 1,047 |
| 9 |  BuildShip | Paid | write code, automate workflows | No | 603 | |
| 10 |  Giselle | Open source + cloud | write code, automate workflows | Yes | Self-hosted | 558 |
- Langflow (Open source + cloud): Visual drag-and-drop builder for AI agents and workflows that you can run locally, deploy as an API or expose as an MCP server. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers MCP servers and no-code app building.
- Sim Studio (Open source + cloud): Workspace for visually building, deploying and monitoring AI agents and workflows. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers tracing and observability and images and design.
- FastGPT (Source-available + cloud): AI agent building platform with knowledge-base RAG, data processing and a visual workflow editor for deploying question-answering and automation apps. Consider it because it also covers RAG and documents and IDE and editor agents.
- Activepieces (Open source + cloud): Open-source automation platform with AI agents and hundreds of pieces usable as MCP servers. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers MCP servers.
- Astron Agent (Open source): iFlytek's enterprise agentic workflow platform for building super agents. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it.
- PySpur (Open source): Visual playground for building and iterating on agent workflows. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers images and design.
- Yuanjing Wanwu (Open source): China Unicom's enterprise, multi-tenant platform for building agents, workflows and RAG apps with model management. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers RAG and documents.
- ByteChef (Open source + cloud): Open-source platform for AI agents and workflow automation with hundreds of connectors that you can self-host or embed in a SaaS product. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it.
- BuildShip (Paid): Visual AI workflow builder for automating backends, building tools for AI agents and spinning up APIs. Consider it because it also covers images and design.
- Giselle (Open source + cloud): Open-source AI agent studio for building agentic workflows with a visual builder. Consider it because it is open source, so you can self-host and inspect it; it is aimed at developers who want to build on it; it also covers images and design.
n8n vs alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Pricing | Open source / licence | GitHub stars | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 n8n | Source-available + cloud | Sustainable Use License (fair-code; .ee files under the n8n Enterprise License) | 208,541 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Langflow | Open source + cloud | MIT | 156,004 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Sim Studio | Open source + cloud | Apache License 2.0 | 29,914 | writing code, automating workflows |
| FastGPT | Source-available + cloud | FastGPT Open Source License (Apache 2.0 with additional conditions) | 29,906 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Activepieces | Open source + cloud | MIT (Expat), except the packages/ee directories (commercial licence) | 25,213 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Astron Agent | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 8,925 | writing code, automating workflows |
| PySpur | Open source | Apache License 2.0 | 5,793 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Yuanjing Wanwu | Open source | Yes | 2,377 | writing code, automating workflows |
| ByteChef | Open source + cloud | Yes | 1,047 | writing code, automating workflows |
| BuildShip | Paid | No | 603 | writing code, automating workflows |
| Giselle | Open source + cloud | Yes | 558 | writing code, automating workflows |
Written comparisons: n8n vs Make · n8n vs Zapier Agents
More: n8n listing · All no-code builders tools · All alternatives pages
Related searches: Free no-code AI agent builders · Free AI workflow automation tools
Alternatives are picked from directory data only: same category plus shared tasks and sub-tasks. Pricing is as each maker states it; GitHub stars as recorded on each listing.