Activepieces
AI Workflow AutomationFreemium
MIT-licensed open-source automation with per-flow pricing instead of per-task, plus AI agents, MCP support and free unlimited self-hosting.
0 upvotesintermediate
Compare Activepieces vs n8n
Both tools in AI Workflow Automation
n8n
AI Workflow AutomationFreemium
Source-available workflow automation you can self-host for free, with per-execution pricing, native AI agent nodes and full code control.
0 upvotesadvanced
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Pricing
Pricing Comparison
Activepieces
Community Edition$0
Self-hosted under MIT licence, unlimited flows, unlimited runs, all core pieces
Cloud Free$0
Managed cloud, up to 10 active flows to start, AI credits included
Standard$5/active flow/mo
Unlimited runs per flow, AI agents, Tables, managed hosting
Ultimate$Custom
Annual contract, SSO, SCIM, audit logs, RBAC, governance and compliance controls
n8n
Community Edition$0
Self-hosted, unlimited workflows and executions, source available
Starter$20/mo
2,500 executions/month, unlimited workflows and users, AI credits included
Pro$50/mo
10,000 executions, 20 concurrent executions, admin roles, global variables
Business$800/mo
40,000 executions, SSO and LDAP, Git version control, multi-environment
Enterprise$Custom
Unlimited executions, 200+ concurrency, dedicated SLA support, log streaming
Features
Feature Comparison
Activepieces
MIT Open SourceFree Self-HostingPer-Flow PricingUnlimited Runs700+ PiecesVisual Flow BuilderAI AgentsMCP Server SupportCustom PiecesTypeScript SDKBranching LogicLoopsWebhooksHTTP RequestsActivepieces TablesEmbedded AutomationSSO and SCIMAudit Logs
n8n
Self-HostingPer-Execution BillingNode Graph EditorJavaScript NodesPython NodesAI Agent NodesLangChain SupportVector Stores500+ IntegrationsCustom NodesWebhooksSub-WorkflowsError WorkflowsExecution HistoryGit Version ControlEnvironment StagingCommunity NodesSSO and LDAP
Fit
Best For & Not For
Activepieces
✅ Best For
✅Teams migrating off task-based platforms whose bills climbed unpredictably, since per-flow pricing makes costs flat and forecastable regardless of run volume
✅Engineering-comfortable organisations that need data to stay on their own infrastructure for compliance, residency or security reasons
✅Startups embedding automation inside their own product, because the MIT licence and embedded offering permit commercial white-labelling without restriction
✅Developers who want to write custom pieces in TypeScript when no existing connector covers their internal tooling
❌ Not For
❌Teams needing the longest tail of niche SaaS connectors, since 700+ pieces is far short of Zapier's 9,000+
❌Non-technical users choosing self-hosting, because Docker deployment, updates, backups and SSL renewal fall on you
❌Organisations that need mature enterprise governance out of the box on the free tier, as SSO, SCIM, audit logs and RBAC sit behind the paid plan
❌Workflows that demand extremely low-latency execution, since per-task process isolation adds overhead compared to lighter engines
n8n
✅ Best For
✅Developers and technical operators who want unlimited executions at near-zero cost by self-hosting on a small VPS
✅Companies with data residency, GDPR or compliance constraints that rule out sending workflow data through a third-party cloud
✅Teams building AI agents and RAG pipelines who need vector stores, memory and multiple model providers inside the same workflow canvas
✅High-volume automation users whose complex multi-step workflows would be prohibitively expensive under per-task or per-credit billing
❌ Not For
❌Non-technical users who want a point-and-click experience, since expressions, JSON handling and node debugging assume real technical comfort
❌Teams with no DevOps capacity, because self-hosting means you own updates, backups, SSL renewal and uptime monitoring
❌Anyone needing the broadest connector library, as n8n ships around 500 integrations versus thousands on Zapier and Make
❌Cloud users who rely on community-built nodes, since n8n Cloud disables community node installation for security reasons
Availability
Platform & Accessibility
Activepieces
web-baseddesktopapi
n8n
web-baseddesktopapi
Use & Audience
Tasks & Who It's For
Integrations
Integrations
Activepieces
Communication
SlackDiscord
Development
GitHub
Data & Spreadsheets
Google Sheets
Other
OpenAIAnthropic
Writing & Docs
Notion
Database
AirtableSupabase
CRM
HubSpot
Project Management
Linear
Webhooks & API
HTTP
n8n
Database
PostgresAirtablePineconeSupabase
Communication
SlackTelegram
Data & Spreadsheets
Google Sheets
Other
OpenAIAnthropic
Development
GitHub
Writing & Docs
Notion
Webhooks & API
HTTP Request
Use Cases
Real-world Use Cases
Activepieces
1
Dinesh runs platform engineering at a 40-person SaaS company and moved 22 high-frequency automations off a task-billed tool onto self-hosted Activepieces, taking a $410 monthly automation bill down to the cost of one small server.2
Klara works in compliance at a European insurer where customer data cannot touch third-party clouds. Self-hosted Activepieces let her team finally automate claims triage that legal had blocked for two years.3
Nathan, an indie hacker, embedded Activepieces inside his own SaaS product so his customers can build their own integrations, and it became the feature that won him three enterprise deals.n8n
1
Arjun, a backend engineer at a fintech startup, moved 40 Zapier automations to self-hosted n8n on a $5 VPS and cut the team's automation bill from $340 a month to under $10 with no loss in reliability.2
Freya runs data ops at a healthcare analytics firm where patient data cannot leave EU infrastructure. She self-hosts n8n in their own cloud and now automates report generation that compliance had previously blocked entirely.3
Ivan built an internal support agent using n8n's AI agent node connected to a vector store of 900 help articles. It now resolves 62 percent of tier-one tickets before a human ever opens them.Keep Exploring
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