n8n vs Windmill
n8n and Windmill are both workflow automation tools. n8n is aimed at developers and small businesses, while Windmill is aimed at developers. Both have a free plan.
Source-available workflow automation you can self-host
Open-source developer platform for scripts, flows and apps
| Pricing | Open source | Open source · $10 |
| Starting price | Not published | $10/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | 14 days | — |
| Built for | Developers, Small businesses | Developers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | DE · 2019 | FR · 2022 |
| Rating | — | — |
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.
Choose Windmill if
Developers wanting code-first automation.
- Very fast engine
- Code-first
- Open source
Look elsewhere if: No-code users.
n8n vs Windmill pricing
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
Windmill
- Community Edition$0Self-hosted, unlimited executions, max 10 users with SSO
- Cloud Team$10/seat/moManaged cloud; per seat (from page structured data)
- Enterprise (self-hosted)from $120/mo$20/dev/mo + $50/worker/mo compute; audit logs, SAML
- Enterprise (cloud)CustomBased on seats and compute units
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
Windmill · Key features
- Scripts to workflows
- Schedules and triggers
- Auto-generated UIs
- App builder
- Multi-language
- Self-hosting
Cons
- Developer-oriented
- Smaller community
- Learning curve
n8n vs Windmill: FAQ
Do n8n and Windmill have a free plan?
Yes, both n8n and Windmill have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.
Which is better for small businesses, n8n or Windmill?
n8n lists small businesses as a core audience, while Windmill is aimed more at developers.