n8n

What is n8n?

n8n is a workflow automation tool that connects hundreds of apps and services. It combines a visual builder with the option to drop into JavaScript, and can be self-hosted so your automation data and credentials stay on your own infrastructure.

Best for

Automating repetitive tasks without paying per-operation fees

Why choose n8n

n8n is what people reach for when a Zapier bill starts feeling unreasonable. It offers the same visual, connect-two-apps experience plus something Zapier does not: arbitrary code nodes, so you can drop into JavaScript or Python the moment a workflow needs real logic. Because it runs on your own hardware, the number of executions is limited by your server rather than by your credit card, and workflows that fire thousands of times a day cost the same as ones that fire twice.

Replaces

• Zapier
• Make
• IFTTT

Key features

• 400+ integrations
• Visual workflow editor
• Custom JavaScript and Python nodes
• Self-hosted execution

What to watch out for

Self-hosting an automation platform means you become its reliability engineer. When a workflow silently stops because an upstream API changed, there is no support line to call — you debug it. The visual editor is also genuinely weaker than Zapier's for simple cases: choosing fields, mapping data and previewing output is clunkier, and n8n's learning curve is steeper than its marketing suggests. There is a fair-run business tier, but the self-hosted version is what makes the economics work.

How to deploy

• Docker
• npm

Getting started

Deploy via Docker and back the database up on a schedule — your workflows and credentials live there, not in any file you can eyeball. Use environment variables for every API key rather than storing credentials in the UI, so a database leak does not become a credential leak. Set N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY explicitly and keep it somewhere you will find it again; losing it makes every stored credential unreadable. Start with one workflow that you genuinely run by hand today, and let it prove itself for a week before you automate anything load-bearing.

Project health

• GitHub stars: 206,389
• Last code push: 2026-10-01
• Open issues: 1,113
• Status: actively developed

Figures pulled from the GitHub API and refreshed periodically.