Activepieces vs n8n
Activepieces and n8n are both workflow automation tools. Activepieces is aimed at small businesses and developers, while n8n is aimed at developers and small businesses. Both have a free plan.
Activepieces
Open-source business automation
n8n
Source-available workflow automation you can self-host
| Pricing | Open source · $20 | Open source |
| Starting price | $20/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | 14 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Developers | Developers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | US · 2022 | DE · 2019 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Activepieces if
Teams wanting open-source, predictable-cost automation.
- Open source with permissive license
- Affordable credit-based cloud plans
- Friendly for non-technical users
Look elsewhere if: Users needing niche integrations only Zapier has.
Choose n8n if
Technical teams and developers who want powerful, affordable automation and are comfortable with Docker or a cloud plan.
- Self-host for free with unlimited runs
- Per-execution cloud pricing is far cheaper than per-task
- Strongest AI/agent tooling among automation platforms
Look elsewhere if: Non-technical users who want plug-and-play templates and premium support; Zapier or Make fit better.
Activepieces vs n8n pricing
Activepieces
- Community (self-hosted)$0Open-source core, self-host on your own servers
- Free$01,000 credits/mo, up to 5 users, unlimited flows
- Plus$20/mo10,000 credits/mo, up to 5 users; 2 months free yearly
- Team$200/mo50,000 credits/mo, 25 users, unlimited projects
- UltimateCustomYearly credit pool, unlimited users, dedicated workers
n8n
- Community (self-hosted)€0Self-hosted on your own server; fair-code license
- Starter (Cloud)€24/mo€20/mo billed annually; 2,500 executions, 1 shared project
- Pro (Cloud)€60/mo€50/mo billed annually; 10,000 executions, 3 shared projects
- Business (self-hosted)€800/mo€667/mo billed annually; 40,000 executions, SSO, LDAP
- EnterpriseCustomCloud or self-hosted, unlimited projects, 200+ concurrency
Activepieces · Key features
- No-code flow builder with branching and loops
- AI steps and agents
- 280+ integrations (pieces)
- TypeScript SDK for custom pieces
- Self-hosting under MIT
- Embeddable white-label automation
Cons
- Smaller integration catalog than Zapier
- Younger ecosystem
- Some enterprise features paid
n8n · Key features
- Visual node editor with branching, loops, merge and error handling
- 400+ native integrations plus generic HTTP and webhook nodes
- Code nodes in JavaScript and Python
- AI agent nodes with LangChain, vector stores and memory
- Self-hosting with Docker or npm; queue mode for scale
- Credentials management, versioning and environments (Enterprise)
Cons
- Steeper learning curve than Zapier
- Fewer and sometimes less polished integrations
- Self-hosting means you maintain uptime and updates
Activepieces vs n8n: FAQ
Do Activepieces and n8n have a free plan?
Yes, both Activepieces and n8n have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.