n8n
A source-available workflow automation tool with a visual editor, code steps and a large integration library.
- License
- Sustainable Use License 1.0 (n8n)Source-available
- GitHub stars
- 207k61k forks
- Latest release
- n8n@2.42.6Oct 9, 2026
- Setup
- Single containerSelf-hosted · Cloud
What the free edition leaves out
The free edition is genuinely usable, but some team or enterprise features need a paid plan. “Not confirmed” means the official pages we read did not state it, so we do not guess.
| Feature | Free edition | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSO / SAML | Paid | SAML and LDAP SSO are Business and Enterprise only. | Source ↗ |
| Role-based access control | Paid | Projects, sharing and custom roles are paid; the docs conflict on what the registered community edition includes. | Source ↗ |
| Audit logs | Paid | Log streaming is Business and Enterprise; basic logging is included. The 'n8n audit' CLI command is a security check, not an audit trail. | Source ↗ |
| Multi-user / teams | Not confirmed | Sharing workflows and credentials is not available in Community; whether multiple user accounts are supported was not confirmed. | Source ↗ |
| Backups and restore | Free | CLI export and import of workflows and credentials (with a --backup flag) is built in; it covers only workflows and credentials, not a full-instance backup. | Source ↗ |
| API access | Free | The public API is listed for self-hosted on all editions, including Community. | Source ↗ |
| Support SLA | Paid | Dedicated support with SLA is listed on Enterprise; Community has no stated support. | Source ↗ |
Best for
Technical teams that want a self-hostable, code-friendly workflow automation tool with many integrations and who can run their own server.
Why choose it over Zapier
Free self-hosting with a one-container Docker setup and the public API on all editions. Queue mode with workers is available in Community, and credentials and data stay on your own servers.
Where it falls short
Community lacks SSO, projects, workflow and credential sharing, Git version control, external secrets and log streaming. It is not OSI open source, and the license restricts commercial and hosted use. Self-hosting expects server and security skills, and Community has no support or SLA.
Self-hostable alternative to
- Zapier — n8n is a self-hostable workflow automation tool that can replace Zapier's app-to-app automations on your own infrastructure.
Facts checked on against the project’s official repository, documentation and pricing pages. GitHub numbers update automatically. How we verify.