Developer Tools
Best n8n Alternatives in 2026: 5 Automation Tools Compared
Five n8n alternatives compared: Activepieces, Windmill, Zapier, Make and Node-RED, with licenses, free tiers and who each one is for.
n8n is a workflow automation tool with a visual editor that you can self-host or run on n8n Cloud. Its license is fair-code (the Sustainable Use License), not open source, and the free self-hosted Community edition leaves out team features such as SSO and Git version control.
People look for alternatives when they want a license with fewer restrictions, a cheaper hosted plan, a different pricing unit, or simpler tooling for non-developers.
Below are 5 alternatives, with what each does differently and what it costs. Pricing checked October 2026 on each product's own site.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Activepieces | MIT core, self-host or hosted | Open source | Hosted Free: 1,000 credits/month |
| Windmill | Developers who prefer scripts | Freemium | Community edition free |
| Zapier | Non-technical teams | Freemium | Free: 100 tasks/month |
| Make | Graphical scenario view | Freemium | Free: 1,000 credits/month |
| Node-RED | Devs wiring APIs and hardware | Open source | Free (Apache-2.0) |
1. Activepieces — an MIT-licensed option
Best for: teams that want an MIT-licensed automation tool they can self-host or use hosted.
The Activepieces community core is MIT, with no license fee. Each flow run costs one credit regardless of step count, similar to how n8n counts per workflow. Plus is $20/month for 10,000 credits.
Official site: Activepieces.
2. Windmill — automation written as code
Best for: developers who want to build automations as scripts in code and then compose them into flows and apps.
Windmill is code-first: scripts in several languages are the main unit, rather than a node graph. The self-hosted edition is AGPLv3 with limits (3 workspaces, 50 users), and a paid tier from $120/month adds enterprise features. The community edition is free for internal use with unlimited executions.
Official site: Windmill.
3. Zapier — hosted, with a large app catalog
Best for: non-technical teams that want a hosted tool with a large app catalog and no servers.
Zapier is hosted only and billed by tasks, and the free plan allows only two-step Zaps. There is no self-hosted option. Professional starts at $19.99/month.
Official site: Zapier.
4. Make — a hosted visual builder
Best for: people who want a hosted visual builder with a graphical scenario view.
Make is hosted only and billed in credits per month. It has no self-hosted edition.
Official site: Make.
5. Node-RED — flows for devices and event streams
Best for: developers wiring together devices, APIs and event streams on their own hardware.
Node-RED is a flow editor built on Node.js and licensed Apache-2.0. It is aimed at event-driven and IoT-style work. The project itself has no hosted plan or pricing page.
Official site: Node-RED.
How to choose
- Need a standard open-source license: Activepieces (MIT) or Node-RED (Apache-2.0). Windmill's core is AGPLv3.
- Your team writes code and prefers scripts to nodes: Windmill.
- Your team is non-technical and wants no servers: Zapier or Make.
- Compare the unit you pay for: tasks (Zapier), credits (Make, Activepieces) or executions (n8n).
FAQ
Is there a free open-source alternative to n8n?
Activepieces has an MIT-licensed community edition, Node-RED is Apache-2.0, and Windmill's core is AGPLv3. All can be self-hosted at no license cost.
n8n vs Zapier?
n8n can be self-hosted and counts one execution per workflow run. Zapier is hosted only and bills by tasks, with a free plan of 100 tasks per month.
n8n vs Make?
Both have visual editors. Make is hosted only and starts free with 1,000 credits a month; n8n also offers a self-hosted Community edition.