Open-source workflow automation compared

Open-source workflow automation compared: which option fits which team

Choose n8n for a team that wants self-hosted automation across SaaS tools and can accept a source-available license, Node-RED for an IoT, edge or event-driven group that works in flows and hardware, and Activepieces for a team that wants an MIT-licensed community core with a TypeScript codebase and a clear route to paid enterprise features. The deciding questions are license fit, who builds the flows, and where the workflows run. n8n is source-available under the Sustainable Use License, not OSI open source, so it allows internal business use and non-commercial use but restricts other distribution and any use of files with .ee in their names, which need an n8n Enterprise License. Check that reading against the n8n license text with counsel before you standardize on it.

If your platform team is choosing between low-code and code-first, the split is less about features and more about who maintains the logic. Windmill is a script-first alternative for teams that want flows and internal apps written as code, and Kestra is an event-driven, declarative option aimed at data orchestration. Both sit outside this comparison, but they belong on the shortlist when the workflows are mainly scripts or pipelines rather than SaaS connectors. Confirm the current license and edition terms for either with the vendor, since those terms affect whether you can run them as you intend. For IoT or edge groups, Node-RED is usually the first candidate, but its editor is not secured by default, so plan access control before any deployment.

Open-source workflow automation license and editions explained

n8n is not OSI open source. It is licensed under the Sustainable Use License, which allows use and modification only for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use. Distribution is allowed only free of charge and only for non-commercial purposes, so offering n8n as a hosted service to customers falls outside the license. Files with .ee in their name or directory are not covered by that license and require a valid n8n Enterprise License.

Internal business use: Running n8n to automate your own company's processes is within the license, including on your own infrastructure.
Community edition: The free self-hosted Community edition is the baseline for internal use and does not include SSO or LDAP.
Business and Enterprise: According to n8n's pricing page, SSO and LDAP, environments with Git, and log streaming are included only in the Business and Enterprise plans. Business is listed at 667 euros per month billed annually and is currently self-hosted only.
Multi-main high availability: Running several main instances is restricted to Enterprise self-hosted deployments, so Community deployments cannot use it.
Cloud plans: Starter and Pro are listed at 20 euros and 50 euros per month billed annually, and all plans include unlimited users and workflows.

Confirm with n8n whether your planned use, such as embedding workflows in a product you sell, needs a separate commercial agreement, and confirm which .ee files your version ships.

Activepieces splits its code by license. The community edition is MIT licensed, so the automation core can be used, modified and redistributed under permissive terms. Enterprise features in the packages/ee directory are under a commercial license, which means some capabilities are only available with a paid agreement.

Community edition: The self-hosted Community edition is the automation core on its own and is the base for community hosting templates, which usually ship it.
Plus: The pricing page lists Plus at 20 US dollars a month, but the supplied details do not map specific features to Plus, so confirm its contents before buying.
Team: Team is listed at 200 US dollars a month for 25 users, and SSO starts at this tier.
Ultimate: Audit logs, Git sync and releases, SCIM and external secret managers are listed only for Ultimate, which is custom-priced and can run in the cloud or on premises.
Embedding: Embedding with a white-label builder and SDK starts at 36,000 US dollars a year according to the pricing page.

Before committing, ask Activepieces which packages/ee features your controls require and whether they are covered by Team or only by Ultimate. The current pricing details are on the Activepieces pricing page.

Which workflow automation option fits which scenario

This table maps common scenarios to the option that usually fits best, with the fact or condition behind each choice. Read it as a starting shortlist: the right answer depends on license posture, who builds the flows, and whether you need enterprise identity controls that sit behind a paid edition.

Scenario	Best fit	Why
SaaS-to-SaaS business automation with many integrations	n8n or Activepieces	n8n advertises more than 1,500 integrations and Activepieces lists more than 280 pieces, about 60 percent community-contributed. Confirm that a specific SaaS connector exists and is maintained before you commit.
Internal-only automation where the license matters	Activepieces (Community Edition, MIT) or Node-RED (Apache-2.0)	n8n's Sustainable Use License permits use only for internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes, so a product you resell or embed in a customer offering falls outside it. Confirm your use with counsel.
Edge and IoT flows	Node-RED	Node-RED is Apache-2.0, runs a Node.js runtime and stores flows as JSON. Node-RED 5.0 needs a 64-bit OS, so Raspberry Pi 3B and older models are no longer supported.
Teams that need SSO and audit logs	n8n Business or Enterprise, or Activepieces Team or Ultimate	n8n lists SSO and LDAP only on Business and Enterprise. Activepieces lists SSO from Team and audit logs only on Ultimate. Confirm the exact feature set for your edition before purchase.
Teams that want a code-first alternative	Temporal (MIT) for durable workflows, or Windmill for script-first flows	Temporal workflows are written in Go, Java, TypeScript or Python and replay from a full event history. Self-hosting needs Frontend, History, Matching and Worker services plus a persistence store.
Data pipeline orchestration	Apache Airflow	Airflow is Apache-2.0, pipelines are Python DAGs, and Airflow 2 reached end of life on April 22, 2026. A self-hosted install needs a scheduler, DAG processor, API server and metadata database.

How n8n queue mode and Node-RED runtime change the architecture

Before you commit to n8n for anything beyond a single team, decide whether you need queue mode, because it changes the number of processes you run and the data stores you back up. In queue mode, the main instance handles triggers and webhooks and passes executions through Redis to a pool of worker processes. The workers run the executions and read and write workflow data in PostgreSQL. Each worker and webhook processor must receive the same encryption key as the main instance, set through the N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY variable, so they can decrypt credentials stored in the database. Plan key custody and rotation as part of the rollout, not as an afterthought, since a mismatched key stops workers from running credentialed workflows. The n8n documentation on queue mode lists the full set of components.

Queue mode should not run on SQLite. n8n's documentation advises against it, so treat SQLite as a single-instance choice for evaluation only. Multi-main setup, which runs several main instances for high availability, is restricted to Enterprise self-hosted deployments and is not available in the Community edition. If your uptime requirement depends on removing the main instance as a single point of failure, price the Enterprise license into the comparison from day one. Confirm current plan boundaries on the n8n pricing page before you write that into a budget.

Node-RED takes the opposite shape. It runs as one Node.js runtime with a browser editor, and flows are stored as JSON files, so there is no Redis, no worker pool and no separate database to operate. That simplicity suits edge sites and small event-driven integrations, but it also means the editor is not secured by default, so anyone who can reach the editor can deploy changes. Activepieces sits between the two: its documented self-hosting path uses Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, and it offers a Helm chart for Kubernetes. Confirm which of these fits your platform team's existing tooling and backup routines before choosing.

Side-by-side capability table for n8n, Node-RED and Activepieces

This table compares the license, current release line, integration count, SSO tier, audit logs, self-hosting methods and data stores of n8n, Node-RED and Activepieces. Read rows marked as confirm items as open questions to verify with the vendor before you shortlist, since the supplied sources do not establish them. The main takeaway is that n8n is source-available rather than OSI open source, and that SSO and audit logs depend on the paid tier you choose.

Capability	n8n	Node-RED	Activepieces
License	Sustainable Use License, source-available, not OSI open source. Files with .ee in the name need an n8n Enterprise License.	Apache-2.0, governed by the OpenJS Foundation	MIT for the community edition. Enterprise code in packages/ee is under a commercial license.
Current release line	2.x stable (2.43.7, October 16, 2026). 1.x still receives releases.	5.0 (released June 9, 2026). 4.1.16 maintenance release also issued October 8, 2026.	0.92.3, released October 12, 2026.
Advertised integrations	More than 1,500 integrations, all included on every plan	More than 5,000 community-contributed nodes	More than 280 pieces, about 60 percent community-contributed
SSO tier	SAML SSO and LDAP on Business and Enterprise plans only	No SSO tier. Editor and admin API support Passport OAuth or OpenID. Confirm fit for your identity provider.	SSO starts at the Team plan on the pricing page. Confirm whether this applies to self-hosted installs.
Audit logs	Confirm with n8n. Log streaming is listed on Business and Enterprise plans, which is a separate feature.	Confirm with the Node-RED docs or FlowFuse. Not covered in the supplied sources.	Listed only for the custom-priced top plan on the pricing page. Not in the community edition.
Self-hosted deployment methods	Self-hosted Community edition, plus queue mode and multi-main setups for scaling. Multi-main is Enterprise only.	npm, install script on Raspberry Pi, Docker, BeagleBone, Termux (experimental) and several cloud platforms	Docker Compose recommended, Helm chart for Kubernetes
Database or cache	PostgreSQL for queue mode, with Redis passing executions to workers. SQLite is not recommended for queue mode.	Flows stored as JSON. Confirm any external database or cache needs for your deployment.	PostgreSQL and Redis

n8n, Node-RED, Activepieces, Windmill and Kestra in brief

These five cards give each option a license, the team it suits and one caveat to check before shortlisting. n8n, Node-RED and Activepieces are compared in depth on this page, while Windmill and Kestra are summarized here and covered in detail on their sibling pages. Read the license text for each tool before you decide, because the terms differ more than the feature lists suggest.

n8n under Sustainable Use

n8n is a fair-code platform, not OSI open source. The Sustainable Use License permits use and modification for your own internal business purposes or for non-commercial or personal use, and distribution only free of charge for non-commercial purposes. It suits internal automation teams that run n8n inside the company. Check any plan to offer n8n as part of a product for sale, and note that files with .ee in their name need an n8n Enterprise License. Multi-main high availability is limited to Enterprise self-hosted deployments.

Node-RED for edge and IoT

Node-RED is Apache-2.0 licensed and governed by the OpenJS Foundation. Its browser editor and Node.js runtime store flows as JSON, which suits IoT, edge and event-driven integration on small hardware. The editor is not secured by default, so anyone who can reach the address can deploy changes. Configure HTTPS and authentication before exposing it. Confirm that your Node.js version and hardware meet the Node-RED 5.0 requirements, since Raspberry Pi 3B and older models are no longer supported.

Activepieces as a Zapier replacement

Activepieces is a TypeScript platform with an MIT-licensed community edition and commercially licensed enterprise code under packages/ee. It suits teams that want a self-hosted replacement for hosted no-code automation with AI agent and MCP support. The self-hosted community edition is the automation core on its own. SSO starts at the Team plan on the pricing page, and audit logs, SCIM and external secret managers are listed only for Ultimate, so confirm which features you need before you commit.

Windmill for script-first teams

Windmill is a script-first developer platform for flows and internal apps, with an AGPLv3 core and a paid Enterprise Edition. It suits developer teams that write scripts and want to wrap them in flows and internal tools. Its license, paid feature boundary and hosting details are covered on its sibling page rather than in this page's facts, so check the current license file and edition list before you shortlist it.

Kestra for declarative data orchestration

Kestra is an Apache-2.0 event-driven orchestrator that defines flows declaratively in YAML, with a paid Enterprise Edition. It suits data and platform teams that want version-controlled pipelines and event-triggered orchestration. Confirm which capabilities sit in the open-source core and which require the Enterprise Edition, and review the sibling page for its architecture and operating needs, since those details are not covered in this page's facts.

What self-hosting these tools costs your team to run

Recurring operating cost is the part your team carries every month, and it depends on the architecture you choose. n8n's queue mode separates the main instance from workers, passes executions through Redis, and has workers write results to the database, so you operate Redis and PostgreSQL as well as the application. The n8n queue mode documentation advises against running queue mode on SQLite. Activepieces recommends Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, while a single Node-RED runtime needs fewer moving parts but still needs backups and patching. Someone must own database backups, Redis availability, restore tests and monitoring for as long as the platform runs. Ask for a written scope that names who operates each component and how high availability and backups will be tested.

Upgrades and security configuration create effort that repeats with every release. n8n's current stable line is 2.x, and 1.x still receives releases, so you must decide which line to run and budget for moving between them. Node-RED 5.0, released June 9, 2026, requires Node.js 22.9.0 or later, recommends Node.js 24, and drops Raspberry Pi 3B and older models, so any edge fleet on that hardware needs a replacement plan before upgrading. The Node-RED editor is not secured by default, so anyone who can reach its address can deploy changes. Enabling HTTPS and editor authentication is a setup task you must verify on every new instance and recheck after each upgrade.

Credential encryption keys and license tiers add cost that is easy to miss at purchase time. In n8n queue mode, the main instance's encryption key must be shared with every worker and webhook processor so they can read stored credentials. Losing or mismatching that key stops executions, so record where it is stored, who can read it and how a rotation would be scheduled. Licensing also shapes the bill. n8n's Community edition is free to self-host, but its Sustainable Use License limits use to internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes, and SSO, LDAP, Git environments, log streaming and multi-main high availability sit in paid tiers. n8n lists its Business plan at 667 euros per month billed annually, and Activepieces places SSO at its Team plan. Confirm current prices with each vendor, then request a written quote that lists which paid features your scope requires.

How to choose and pilot a workflow automation platform

This sequence moves a team from a rough integration list to a tested, exit-ready choice between n8n, Node-RED, Activepieces and any code-first alternative. Each step produces a written artifact that a security, procurement or platform lead can review before committing.

List the integrations your workflows must reach
Start by writing down every system a workflow must read from or write to, such as CRM, ticketing, identity, databases and internal APIs. Mark which ones are required on day one and which are nice to have. Then check each required item against the catalog of each candidate: n8n advertises more than 1,500 integrations, Activepieces lists more than 280 pieces, and Node-RED's flow library contains over 5,000 community-contributed nodes, but many of those are generic or unmaintained. For any system that matters, confirm the exact node or piece exists, supports the API version you use, and handles the authentication method your security team requires. Ask each vendor or the community maintainer to confirm gaps in writing. The output is a signed-off integration matrix with a status for every required item.
Decide the license fit for internal use
Check how each platform's license applies to your use case before any technical work. n8n is under the Sustainable Use License, which permits use only for internal business, non-commercial or personal purposes, so a company that offers workflows to customers or distributes them needs legal review. Files with .ee in their name need an n8n Enterprise License. Node-RED is Apache-2.0 and Activepieces community code is MIT, with packages/ee under a commercial license. Have counsel confirm whether your planned use, including any embedding or sharing with partners, fits each license. The output is a short written license decision for each candidate, signed by legal or procurement.
Confirm SSO, audit and governance needs against the tier
List the identity and audit features your policy requires, such as SAML or LDAP single sign-on, audit logs, SCIM provisioning, environment promotion through Git and log streaming. Then map each to the tier that includes it. On n8n's pricing page, SSO and LDAP, Git environments and log streaming sit in the Business and Enterprise plans. On Activepieces, SSO starts at the Team plan, while audit logs, Git sync, SCIM and external secret managers are listed only for Ultimate. Node-RED's editor is not secured by default, so you must configure HTTPS and authentication through its documented Passport options. Confirm current tier contents directly with each vendor, because pricing pages change. The output is a feature-to-tier table tied to the policy controls your auditors will ask about.
Pilot in the target hosting model with the production stack
Run a pilot on the same infrastructure you will use in production, not a laptop. For n8n in queue mode, the main instance handles triggers and webhooks, Redis passes executions to workers, and PostgreSQL stores workflow data; the encryption key must be shared with every worker and webhook processor. Running queue mode on SQLite is not recommended. For Activepieces, the documented self-hosted path uses Docker Compose with PostgreSQL and Redis, or the Helm chart on Kubernetes. Node-RED can run via npm, Docker or a cloud platform. Use one representative workflow per critical integration and measure failures, retries and credential handling. Confirm with each vendor which items are supported for your topology. The output is a pilot report covering stability, secret handling and operating effort.
Test the upgrade path between major versions
Upgrades are where many self-hosted automation projects stall, so test them before you commit. Record the current major line for each candidate and its support status. For example, n8n's current stable line is 2.x while 1.x still receives releases, Node-RED 5.0 raised the minimum Node.js version to 22.9.0 and dropped Raspberry Pi 3B and older, and Activepieces ships frequent point releases such as 0.92.2 and 0.92.3. Deploy your pilot workflows on the older version, upgrade a copy in a non-production environment, and check that workflows, credentials and custom nodes still run. Ask each vendor for its published support window for each major line. The output is a documented upgrade runbook with a rollback step.
Document the exit path before you commit
Decide how you would leave the platform before you adopt it. Export workflows and confirm the format: Node-RED stores flows as JSON, while n8n and Activepieces export their own workflow definitions, so ask each vendor what is portable and what must be rebuilt. Identify which credentials, custom nodes or community pieces create lock-in and whether they can be moved. Record where workflow history and execution data live in your database, and how long you need to keep it for audit. Confirm whether a replacement such as a code-first engine would need the logic rewritten. The output is a written exit plan with named owners, reviewed by the platform and compliance leads.

Questions buyers ask before choosing open-source workflow automation

Is n8n open source or can I self-host it for free?

n8n is fair-code under the Sustainable Use License, and it is not OSI open source. The source is public, but the license limits how you may use and distribute it. The free self-hosted Community edition is listed on the pricing page, and the license allows use for your own internal business purposes. Files with .ee in their name fall outside that license and require a valid n8n Enterprise License, so check the repository before you copy any enterprise code into your build. Have counsel read the license against your use case, and confirm current terms on the n8n pricing page before you budget, because plans change.

When does the n8n Sustainable Use License block commercial use?

The license blocks commercial use that falls outside your own internal business purposes and non-commercial or personal use. Distribution is allowed only free of charge and only for non-commercial purposes. As an illustrative case, a team running n8n to automate its own back office sits inside internal business use. A consultancy that hosts n8n for its clients and charges for that hosting is likely outside it, and so is a vendor that bundles n8n into a product it sells. Separately, any file with .ee in its name needs an Enterprise License no matter how you use it. Ask counsel to review your specific model before you sign a client contract.

What does SSO cost at n8n and Activepieces?

At n8n, SSO and LDAP are included only in the Business and Enterprise plans. The pricing page lists Business at 667 euros per month billed annually, currently self-hosted only, and Enterprise at custom pricing. SAML single sign-on is documented for those two plans, with setup guides for Okta Workforce Identity and Azure AD. At Activepieces, SSO starts at the Team plan, listed at 200 US dollars a month for up to 25 users. The Plus plan at 20 US dollars a month does not include it. Both figures come from each vendor's pricing page and can change. Ask whether the price is a flat plan fee or per user, and confirm that your identity provider is supported on the plan you choose.

Does Node-RED work for business SaaS automation?

Node-RED fits best for IoT, edge and event-driven integration. It suits business SaaS automation when your team is comfortable building and maintaining flows on a Node.js runtime. It is Apache-2.0 licensed, stores flows as JSON, and its flow library holds over 5,000 community-contributed nodes. Check that each SaaS service you need has a node that is maintained and recently updated. Version 5.0 requires Node.js 22.9.0 or later, with Node.js 24 recommended, and a 64-bit operating system. The editor is not secured by default, so anyone who can reach it can deploy changes. Configure HTTPS and authentication before you expose it, following the securing Node-RED guide.

What does a self-hosted workflow platform need from our internal team?

Your team keeps three responsibilities whichever platform you choose:

Workflow owners who document each flow, its credentials and its change approval
Platform operators who run the database, Redis if you use queue mode, backups and upgrades
Security reviewers who own SSO configuration, secrets handling and encryption keys

DeployOpen can plan, implement, customize, integrate, harden, back up, upgrade, document and support self-hosted platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. Most engagements are fixed-scope, with deliverables agreed in writing before work starts, and ongoing support is available as a retainer. Ask each vendor, including DeployOpen, which tasks remain with your team after handover.

How long does a workflow automation pilot take?

There is no fixed duration that applies to every pilot, because the length depends on scope. The main drivers are how many workflows you migrate or build, how many integrations and credentials each one needs, whether SSO or queue mode is in scope, and whether security review and change approval run in parallel with the build. Ask DeployOpen for a fixed-scope timeline in writing before work starts, with named deliverables and milestones. Ask any other implementation partner for the same. Confirm plan-level features such as SSO and multi-instance support with the vendor before you lock the pilot scope, since those features often sit on higher-priced plans.

Should Windmill or Kestra be on the shortlist too?

Add Windmill if your team is script-first and wants flows and internal apps built from code. Its core is AGPLv3, and a paid Enterprise Edition is available. Add Kestra if your main need is event-driven orchestration, such as data pipelines, expressed as declarative YAML flows. Its core is Apache-2.0, and a paid Enterprise Edition is available. Neither one matches the visual SaaS connector model of n8n or Activepieces in every case, so test the specific integrations you rely on. Review each license's obligations with counsel before you add either option, and confirm current editions on each vendor's site.

What must I configure before running n8n in queue mode?

Queue mode splits the work across a main instance and worker processes. The main instance handles triggers and webhooks and passes executions through Redis to the workers, which run them and write results to PostgreSQL. Share the main instance's encryption key with every worker and webhook processor, because they need it to read credentials stored in the database. Running queue mode on SQLite is not recommended. Multi-main high availability is limited to Enterprise self-hosted deployments, so plan for a single main instance otherwise. Check the setup steps against the n8n queue mode documentation before you build the environment.

Official sources for n8n, Node-RED and Activepieces

Before you commit to any of these three platforms, check the license and pricing terms directly against the vendor's own pages, because the terms decide what you can run and for whom. For n8n, start with the n8n LICENSE.md and confirm two things: whether your intended use is internal business use under the Sustainable Use License, and whether any .ee files in the version you plan to deploy will require an n8n Enterprise License. Then compare the n8n pricing page against your needs, since SSO, LDAP, Git environments and log streaming are listed only on the Business and Enterprise plans, and multi-main high availability is restricted to Enterprise self-hosted deployments. Ask the vendor to confirm these terms in writing for your scenario.

For Node-RED, the About Node-RED page and the Node-RED 5.0 release post are the right next reads. Confirm that your hardware runs a 64-bit operating system and meets the Node.js requirements in the release post, since Raspberry Pi 3B and older models are no longer supported in 5.0. Confirm your editor authentication and HTTPS setup before deployment, because the editor is not secured by default and anyone who can reach it can change flows. If your team is on the 4.x line, check which release train receives fixes for your timeline.

For Activepieces, review the Activepieces pricing page and the installation overview together. Confirm which features you need, such as SSO, audit logs, SCIM or external secret managers, and check which edition they belong to, since the pricing page places several of them only on the Ultimate plan. Also confirm whether a community-maintained Docker or Helm template you plan to use ships the Community edition, because the installation docs note that such templates usually do. Put the answers in your written scope or quote so the edition you deploy matches the controls you need.

How DeployOpen scopes and supports a workflow automation selection

DeployOpen plans, implements, integrates, hardens, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside your own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For a workflow automation selection, that means turning the license, edition and hosting questions in this comparison into a written scope before any build work starts.

How we scope

Confirm which workflow pattern you need: visual automation, code-first durable execution or BPMN process control
Record the license and edition position you accept, including n8n's Sustainable Use License and any paid features
Agree in writing which integrations, identity provider and hosting footprint the engagement covers
Engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed before work starts

How we build

Deploy the chosen platform in your infrastructure using the vendor's documented topology for your scale
Configure single sign-on, secrets handling and encryption key management as part of the agreed scope
Test workflows, credentials and failure paths, including restart and queue behavior, before handover
Run security testing on the deployed platform and its integration endpoints where the scope includes it

How we hand over

Document the architecture, configuration, upgrade path and the editions and features in use
Provide runbooks for backups, restores, version upgrades and rotation of credentials and keys
Walk your platform and operations teams through the running system and the documented procedures
Map the controls and evidence produced to your compliance assessment without issuing any audit opinion

How we support

Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers after handover
Track vendor release lines so you know when a version reaches end of life or needs a planned upgrade
Ask us to quote upgrades and new integrations from a written scope, since DeployOpen does not publish a price list
Confirm with the vendor which edition or license terms apply before you rely on any paid feature

Open-source workflow automation compared